JDog Brands Featured on Good Morning America For Its Mission Combatting Veteran Unemployment
After the Great Recession sent this couple into bankruptcy, they decided to launch a business and that decision led to a franchise brand that would give Veterans not only employment, but a chance at owning their own business.
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling is a nationwide franchise brand that wants to drive down the unemployment rate to under 1% among Veterans. In an appearance on Good Morning America, JDog founders Jerry “JDog” and Tracy Flanagan said that after filing for bankruptcy as a result of the 2008 economic crisis, they wanted to do something that would give them control of their own careers. Through their local business, they found a way to give back to the Veteran community and fill a missing niche of helping Veterans transition from military to civilian life.
Flanagan is a Veteran himself, and after watching the demise of his own business and remembering his own struggles of transitioning back to civilian life, he came up with a vision to create a brand that would not only help him find financial stability but also help out the men and women who fight to protect the U.S. Tracy was persistent about getting her husband to franchise the brand, of which today there are more than 260 franchise locations throughout the country.
“We have about 1,200 Veterans working across our franchise system,” said Tracy. “When Veterans get out of the military, they struggle to transition into civilian life. They have leadership skills. They have the ability to quickly think. They can excel at almost everything in the private sector.”
Ultimately, JDog wants to drive the nationwide Veteran unemployment rate down to under 1% while also creating business owners out of Veterans driving down the Veteran unemployment rate.
In addition to its franchising opportunities, JDog also launched a television series to raise awareness of the brand’s mission. The show, called “Operation Hidden Treasures” shows Veterans who are franchisees with JDog Junk Removal & Hauling.
Camera crews follow these franchisees on their missions to go to customers’ homes and haul away unwanted items. But the Veterans who take these items don’t just send them to the dump, they donate them.
“It’s a television series about hope,” said Jerry. “Every Veteran is a patriot and we really care about our country, and anyway we can serve our country after we get out of military service, we’re going to find a way to do it.”