TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Robert Barnes first learned about <a href="http://twomenandatruck.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=two-men-and-a-trucks-mary-ellens-moving-people-forward-scholarship-recipient-opens-new-location-in-south-carolina-2706157" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TWO MEN AND A TRUCK</a> as he was transitioning out of the Army and actively looking for new career paths. Barnes, a South Carolina native, enlisted while attending college at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina and quickly rose to become a commissioned officer in 2007 where he was selected to be part of a special operations force. After serving in the U.S., he was then deployed abroad to Kuwait where he oversaw operations, leading several trucks of men.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When I came back from Kuwait, I wanted to find a job where I could use the leadership skills I had garnered so far throughout my Army career,&rdquo; said Barnes. &ldquo;When I came across an operations manager position at the Greenville <a href="http://franchise.twomenandatruck.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=two-men-and-a-trucks-mary-ellens-moving-people-forward-scholarship-recipient-opens-new-location-in-south-carolina-2706157" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TWO MEN AND A TRUCK</a>, it seemed like the perfect fit to put those skills to use. After learning more about the moving company, I admired that it lined up with the values I hold close as an Army man &ndash; admirable service, loyalty, value, integrity among others.&rdquo;

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Greenville Franchisees Bryan and Rebecca Feldman hired Barnes as their operations manager and quickly recognized the strengths he brought to the team along with his ability to flourish in management.

&ldquo;Bryan and Rebecca were great mentors for me. They allowed me to grow by entrusting me with new responsibilities in my role and supported me along the way as I faced new challenges,&rdquo; said Barnes.

Barnes worked at the Greenville location for nearly five years as its operations manager, overseeing more than 20 moving trucks and 70 employees. A little over a year ago, he applied for the Mary Ellen&rsquo;s Moving People Forward Scholarship program created by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as an outlet to foster additional franchising opportunities within the brand, specifically giving managers within the system an opportunity to step into ownership. Barnes attended the year-long course tied to the program, gaining all of the skills necessary to run a franchise and further develop his business acumen.

In the fall of 2017, after successfully completing the course, Barnes was selected as the sole recipient of the $50,000 scholarship to open his own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location alongside Bryan and Rebecca Feldman. The new territory recently opened in Beaufort County in early March, and Barnes already has ambitious goals to grow the business, with plans to hire 15 additional employees by the end of 2018.

With more than 390 locations throughout the country, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is committed to promoting from within its system. The company hosts an annual Career Move Month where each location across the system hires dozens of new employees and creates new opportunities to move up the ladder.&nbsp;

&ldquo;In the five years that Robert has been with us at our Greenville franchise, he has become an incredible asset. He&rsquo;s truly committed to the values the brand upholds and works hard to continue growing as a leader,&rdquo; said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchisee and business partner, Rebecca Feldman. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re so excited to work hand-in-hand with Robert at this new location and can&rsquo;t wait to see what this next chapter brings.&rdquo;

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Scholarship Winner and Franchisee Robert Barnes

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward® Scholarship Recipient Opens New Location in South Carolina

1851 Franchise

Robert Barnes continues the trend of employee-turned franchisee at the moving company that moves people forward

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TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Marks 40 Years of Success

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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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LANSING, Mich. —&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandajunktruck.com/">TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK®</a>, a fast-growing junk removal franchise, has been named to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/directory/fastest-growing-ranking">Top New and Emerging Franchises list by Entrepreneur magazine</a>, a distinction that recognizes standout brands that have begun franchising within the past five years and are demonstrating strong early growth.Entrepreneur builds the list using its Franchise 500 evaluation, which reviews more than 150 data points, including costs, growth, franchisee support, brand strength and financial stability. The Top New and Emerging Franchises list focuses on brands that began franchising in 2020 or later and have started gaining traction in the market.“Watching the system grow like this has been exciting,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyshacka">Randy Shacka</a>, president of TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK. “We built the brand to be straightforward for owners, with the support they need behind them, while giving customers a reliable option for junk removal.”TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK, now operating more than 70 locations across 23 states, has found its stride by making junk removal simple, handling everything from old furniture and appliances removal to major cleanouts for homeowners and businesses alike.Being part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.servicemaster.com/">ServiceMaster Brands</a> family gives the company a serious edge, drawing on a long history of franchise know-how and resources. ServiceMaster, which has been around since the early days of franchising, manages several service brands across the country, bringing in over $3.5 billion in sales across its entire system.TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK also builds on the trusted reputation of its sister company,&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandatruck.com/">TWO MEN AND A TRUCK</a>, which has been a leader in the moving industry since 1985 and operates hundreds of locations worldwide.To learn more about franchising with TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://franchise.twomenandajunktruck.com">https://franchise.twomenandajunktruck.com</a>.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 more than 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 $3.5 billion in systemwide 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.

With more than 70 locations in 23 states, the junk removal concept continues to expand its footprint and gain industry recognition.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward® Scholarship Recipient Opens New Location in South Carolina

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