TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-taylor-6b692a12/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=two-men-and-a-junk-truck-franchise-jackson-mississippi-expansion-2731589" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Jeff Taylor</a> was an engineer and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-christopher-b3908711a/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=two-men-and-a-junk-truck-franchise-jackson-mississippi-expansion-2731589" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Jack Christopher</a> worked in insurance when the two neighbors began discussing the possibility of a business partnership while waiting for their daughters at the school bus stop. Despite their corporate success, they shared a desire to own a service-based business with established processes. That led them to open the first&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandatruck.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=two-men-and-a-junk-truck-franchise-jackson-mississippi-expansion-2731589" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TWO MEN AND A TRUCK</a> in Mississippi in 1999. After 27 years of building a premier reputation in the moving industry, the partners recognized a growing need among their clients for a professional solution to purge and dispose of unwanted items.On January 26, Jeff and Jack officially launched&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandajunktruck.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=two-men-and-a-junk-truck-franchise-jackson-mississippi-expansion-2731589" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK</a> in Metro Jackson. Now working alongside Jeff’s son, Brennan, the team is ready to take this standalone concept to customers in the area who need junk removal. The team hopes to leverage their long-standing community relationships to help families declutter and simplify their lives.&nbsp;Jeff sat down with 1851 Franchise to discuss his longtime partnership with Christopher and the upcoming launch of their&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/twomenandatruck/info">TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK</a> franchise. Here’s what he had to say:1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What do you want us to know?Jeff Taylor:&nbsp;Jack and I have been business partners from the beginning, starting in 1999 when we opened TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. We were the first location in Mississippi. We feel we’ve been very fortunate in establishing and sustaining a good reputation. It’s rare to have a franchise or business for almost 30 years and then be able to add another service offering.TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK is a separate company and entity, but the name naturally connects the two, so co‑branding is very important to us. We want to maximize the benefit of both brands. TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK will be separate, but we’ll certainly utilize the 27 years of brand equity we’ve built with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK.1851: What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?Jeff:&nbsp;I’m an engineer by trade. I was working for a small private family firm, but I always had aspirations to do something on my own, ideally a service‑based business, since I’d worked in service businesses before. I had no idea it would be moving.Jack and I were neighbors, and we’d talk about going into business together at six in the morning while getting our daughters on the school buses. We saw the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK brand in a neighboring state, thought it was local at first, and later realized it was a franchise. We’d been looking at different franchising opportunities because we liked the idea of already‑established processes. When we found out it was a franchise, we expressed interest, went to the home office in Michigan, and meeting the people behind it was what sold us. We did local market research for about a year to see how it might do in our market, and then purchased the area and launched in 1999.Jack was in the insurance business. We didn’t want the business to carry the burden of both of us full‑time from day one. I was the managing member, but we’ve always been 50/50 partners. Jack has been day‑to‑day for the last 12 years. That’s how we got into TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, and we then moved into TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK.1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?Jeff:&nbsp;I liked the community aspect and the fact that there’s already a set of established best practices drawn from many units. I’d worked in a small private firm, never in a franchise environment. The best practices I knew were specific to that company.&nbsp;With franchising, there are proven processes you don’t have to reinvent. You also hear the statistics about how many independent businesses fail within 24 months. Those statistics look very different when you involve franchising — there’s much more success. I believe that’s because you have a proven set of processes and, importantly, a strong franchisee-franchisor relationship, which was very important for us.1851:&nbsp;What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?Jeff: We’ve been doing haul‑away since we opened. If we were performing a move and a customer said, “I’ve got this refrigerator or couch I can’t put on the curb and I don’t have the ability to move it,” we’d take care of it as an accommodating service. Over time, that evolved into more of a defined service. We’ve also been doing junk removal using the same type of truck we’ll use for TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK, but under a more generic TWO MEN AND A TRUCK junk removal brand.The need has always been there because part of moving is purging and disposing of things you don’t use. What excites us is that this is not just an ancillary service; it’s a standalone, separate entity with its own daily focus, requirements, metrics, and goals. We’ve already seen the demand. We’ve established a strong reputation for moving household goods and have the skill set for that, so moving junk is a natural extension.We’re fortunate in our frontline staff, the customer‑facing team. We can message that these are the same team members people have relied on for their precious household items, and now they can trust us to handle what they’re disposing of. We expect a lot of the same customers, but also new industries and customer segments. It gives us another service and another touchpoint. We feel both brands will enhance each other. Whichever service a customer uses, they may end up using the other as well, and our messaging will incorporate both brands.1851:&nbsp;What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth?&nbsp;Jeff:&nbsp;We’re going to start with the low‑hanging fruit — the relationships we’ve built over 25-plus years. We want to make sure we’re getting the word out there. We really feel we’ll see growth quickly through co-branding and the additional customer touches both brands provide. We will start with two trucks and multiple containers, but we expect we’ll need to expand based on both capacity and contingency before long. It’s a matter of letting our existing relationships and referrals be the foundation for establishing new relationships.1851:&nbsp;Is there anything else about your story you want us to know?Jeff:&nbsp;One of our partners is my son, which is special. He’s involved in TWO MEN AND A TRUCK operations and has been here for eight years. I’m excited about that opportunity. Our marketing director, Shelby, is my oldest daughter, so this is a tight-knit family business. I didn’t envision this almost 30 years ago when I was putting her on the school bus and talking with Jack. I didn’t realize we’d end up working together. She’s been here about 10 or 11 years. Both have been unexpected but welcome surprises.In general, partnerships can be hard to sustain, but Jack and I have been partners for almost 30 years. It’s been very successful because we try to always look at the big picture and focus on the needs of the customer and our team members. Looking back, choosing franchising in general, and specifically TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and now TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK, is something we would definitely choose to do again.1851:&nbsp;What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming franchise owners?Jeff:&nbsp;Always do your due diligence, however that looks for you. For us, that meant going in person to meet the franchisors, understanding their philosophy, how they operate, and what their values are, especially regarding the franchisee-franchisor relationship. We reached out to other franchisees before we signed on.We tried to talk to people regionally and nationally, in similar demographics, with different tenures — those in business a long time and those in for only a year. We wanted as much information up front: relational aspects, what they discovered after joining, whether expectations were met, and whether they’d choose to do it again. Everyone we talked to had no regrets.In franchising, there’s always a royalty — a percentage you pay to be part of the system. We’ve always asked ourselves, “Minus the royalty, is this something we could be successful at on our own?” Our experience has been that franchising provides enough value — in systems, support, and brand — that it more than justifies that royalty.ABOUT TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK:Headquartered in Michigan, TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK is a full-service junk removal company that is committed to conquering your clutter. The company handles furniture pickup, appliance removal, debris cleanouts, and more, offering a hassle-free experience for residential and commercial customers. With over 70 locations across 23 U.S. states, the brand operates as a franchise-based business, and each location is independently owned and operated. TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK is part of ServiceMaster® Brands, a leading franchise provider of needs-based residential and commercial services in the restoration, cleaning, moving, and bioremediation industries. ServiceMaster was founded as one of America’s first franchise businesses and does business under seven brands today across 50 states and nine countries that generate more than $3.5B in system-wide sales. TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK is the sister brand of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, a trusted moving company founded in 1985, which operates 430 locations in 48 U.S. states, as well as in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK Franchise Opens in Jackson, Mississippi

1851 Franchise

Jeff Taylor and Jack Christopher are turning decades of customer trust into a standalone junk removal business built for decluttering, haul-away service and repeat referrals.

After 27 Years in Moving, Longtime Partners Bring TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK to Jackson, Mississippi

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Own a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Franchise

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ST. LOUIS, Mo.&nbsp;—&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandatruck.com/">TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandajunktruck.com/">TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK®</a> brought franchise owners and corporate leaders together for the company’s 2026 Annual Conference, held Feb. 21-24 at the Marriott Grand in St. Louis, Missouri. The multi-day event focused on collaboration, recognition, and strategic planning as the brand prepares for the upcoming busy moving season.“TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has always been about empowering our franchise owners to grow strong businesses while serving their communities,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyshacka/">Randy Shacka,</a> president of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. “Annual Conference gives us the opportunity to come together, celebrate the achievements across the system and share the strategies that will help our franchises continue to grow, even in a changing market.”This year’s theme, “Gateway to Growth,” was inspired by the conference’s host city and its historic significance as the gateway to the American West.“We were in St. Louis, which is home to the Gateway Arch, and historically it served as a staging point for explorers and pioneers. Our conference represents a gateway to growth for the system and our franchises”, said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rikishook/">Riki Shook</a>, marketing and communications director.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>A Week of Learning and Collaboration</h2>Throughout the four-day event, franchise owners participated in keynote sessions, breakout workshops, and networking opportunities designed to help them strengthen their operations and prepare for the busy season ahead.“A lot of the focus this year was on innovation and technology, looking at where the system needs to be from a sales, marketing and operations perspective,” Shook said. “We really focused on tools for growth and where the moving industry is going as a whole.”The conference also featured a vendor marketplace with record participation from partners providing technology, marketing and operational services to franchise owners.“Having our annual conference at the beginning of the year really sets the stage for the rest of the year,” Shook said. “Franchise owners get to connect with peers, talk about what’s working in their markets and share best practices.”<h2>Recognizing Franchise Excellence</h2>A highlight of the conference was the annual awards ceremony, which recognized franchises and team members for operational performance, leadership, and community impact.During the conference, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK recognized franchises that reached major revenue milestones through the brand’s Million Dollar Club, which celebrates locations achieving significant levels of annual gross revenue.“We also had a new award this year, the Heart of the Brand Award,” Shook said. “That one was really to reinforce the ‘movers who care’ mindset and the support system that franchise owners build within their local teams.”The 2026 award winners included:<ul><li>Founders Award: Berkeley, California — Mark Snyir and Tanya Nickel</li><li>Safety Award: Lubbock, Texas</li><li>Business Moves Revenue Award: St. George, Utah — Justin Phillips and Kirk Phillips</li><li>Boxes and Packing Revenue Award: Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida — Britt Lanier and Susan Lanier</li><li>Interstate Annual Gross Revenue Award: St. Louis, Missouri — Naim Gasanov, Doug Haber, John Judson, Tom Schopp, Joel Trost and Steve West</li><li>Multi-Family Award: Columbus, Ohio — Justin and Stephanie Clarey</li><li>Crated Moving Award: Springfield, Virginia — Martin Pollack</li><li>Sales Order Growth Award, Under 18 Months: Huntington Beach, California — Komal and Santanu Bandyopadhyay</li><li>Sales Order Growth Award, Over 18 Months: College Station, Texas — Jay Mellentine and Christine Thomas</li><li>Highest Single Unit Gross Revenue Award: St. Louis, Missouri — Naim Gasanov, Doug Haber, John Judson, Tom Schopp, Joel Trost and Steve West</li><li>Highest Multi-Unit Operating Unit Gross Revenue Award: Minneapolis South, Minnesota — Nick Bailey</li><li>International Move Hero: Sam Hellem - Colorado Springs, Colorado&nbsp;</li><li>Heart of the Brand Award: Taylor Suman — Fort Worth, Texas franchisee</li><li>Newsmaker Award: Twin Cities — Nick Bailey</li><li>Achievement In Excellence Program (AIE) No. 1 U.S. Metro Market: Charlottesville, Virginia — Nathan Bocock and Bryan and Rebecca Feldman</li><li>AIE Program No. 1 Mod-Market: Idaho Falls, Idaho — Terry Bruns, Lucas Keefe and</li><li>Exceptional Customer Service Award: Gainesville, Florida — Mark and Saundria Golden, Chris Hardoin and Anyse Medwedeff</li><li>Humanitarian Award: Grand Rapids North, Michigan — Heidi and Kyle Norcutt</li></ul><h2>Looking Ahead</h2>As the brand prepares for the busy summer moving season, leadership emphasized the importance of refining strategies now so franchise locations are positioned for success when demand increases.“The strength of our brand has always come from the dedication of our franchise owners and the teams they build in their communities,” Shacka said. “When we come together to share ideas, celebrate success and prepare for the year ahead, it reinforces the culture that has driven this brand for 40 years and positions our entire system for continued growth.”ABOUT TWO MEN AND A TRUCK:&nbsp;Headquartered in Michigan, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is an international, full-service franchised moving company with more than 430 locations and 3,000 trucks operating in 47 U.S. states in addition to Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Each location is independently owned and operated, and together, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK network has performed more than 10 million moves since its inception in 1985. In 2026, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK was featured on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list, where the brand was ranked No. 1 in the Moving/Junk Removal Services category. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK was also named a top franchise by Franchise Business Review and was featured on the Best National Moving Company List by Newsweek. In 2021, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK was acquired by ServiceMaster® Brands, which is a leading franchise provider of needs-based residential and commercial services in the restoration, cleaning, moving, and bioremediation industries. ServiceMaster was founded as one of America’s first franchise businesses and does business under seven brands today across 50 states and nine countries that generate more than $3.5B in system-wide sales. For franchising opportunities, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://franchise.twomenandatruck.com">franchise.twomenandatruck.com</a>.

Photo of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK annual conference

The brand’s “Gateway to Growth” conference brought franchise owners, corporate leaders and industry partners together in St. Louis to celebrate achievements and prepare for the year ahead.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Celebrates Franchise Growth and Leadership at 2026 Annual Conference

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After 27 Years in Moving, Longtime Partners Bring TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK to Jackson, Mississippi

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