JDog Junk Removal & Hauling

JDog Junk Removal was started in 2011 by Gerald "Jerry" Flanagan. He started the business as a residential and commercial junk removal business servicing the western Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia. He chose the junk removal business as a result of research he did to find a business that performed well in difficult economic times. Using his own money, he developed a corporate identity and brand that leveraged his prior military service and veteran status. Securing the interest of several prominent franchising experts, Jerry was able to develop and execute a franchising business model exclusively to honorably discharged, U.S. Armed Forces Veterans (including those returning from Afghanistan seeking jobs), Military Families, Active Duty Personnel, and Reservists seeking jobs. The logo for the business - a bulldog - was the mascot for Ft. Stewart, Georgia, home of the 3rd infantry division ("3id"), where Flanagan had been stationed. His decision to leverage his veteran status as a differentiator for the business proved invaluable - not only contributing to the growth of his business locally, but also as a means to garner interest among franchise industry participants. The most important effect of the exclusivity strategy is the impact it has among the Veterans themselves - the sense of camaraderie, of belonging, of being part of an enterprise with others that have common experience cannot be understated. They are among their own, and they have sense that they'll be looked after and that their colleagues will have their back - that's the military way.