Franchisee Stories
Armed with years of firsthand experience at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Stephen and Matthew chose a brand backed by strong support — and a junk removal model ready for growth.
Twin brothers Stephen and Matthew Westerman have spent their entire lives building things together — from homes in high school with their father to managing TWO MEN AND A TRUCK* locations to running a bathroom remodeling business. Now, the brothers are turning the page to their next chapter: opening a TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK franchise in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. With deep operational experience and a shared entrepreneurial spirit, they’re bringing trusted junk removal services to the Gulf Coast — and building a family-owned business that reflects years of teamwork and trust.
The Westermans’ journey into franchising was a natural evolution of a lifetime spent working side by side.
“We’re twin brothers — grew up together, been best friends our whole life and share most of our life experiences,” Stephen said. “We went into business together 12 or 13 years ago, starting with a bathroom remodeling business. We were looking for areas to explore and started looking into TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK. We’ve been working together our whole lives — we both went to college at the same time.”
“We always wanted to work together, and that really started back in high school when we were building houses with our dad,” Matthew said. “After we got separate jobs post-college, we decided we really wanted to open a business together.”
That shared foundation made launching a new venture together feel like the natural next step — not just as brothers, but as equal partners ready to build something lasting.
Both Stephen and Matthew got their start in franchising years ago with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, where they gained firsthand experience in every role from movers to general managers.
“We both got our master’s degrees and ended up getting jobs as movers at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK,” Stephen said. “We worked with them while getting our degrees — did that for about two years — and eventually moved through almost all the positions at that location, up to general managers. We stayed there until we opened our bathroom remodeling business. We always liked the franchise system with that brand. When we decided we wanted to add another business line, we didn’t immediately think of franchising, but we were open. When we realized there was a junk franchise connected, we thought it might be the right concept.”
That experience taught them how to lead, how to serve customers and how to operate efficiently — lessons that they’re now carrying into their own family-run franchise.
The decision to join TWO MEN AND A JUNK TRUCK was fueled by familiarity, trust and confidence in the team behind the brand.
“What sold us on this franchise was our experience with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK,” Stephen said. “We were already really drawn to the junk industry, and when we saw that TWO MEN was behind this too, we knew they had the strength of the corporate office. Once we saw the team behind it, we realized it was a really brilliant team for support, and that made us a lot more comfortable moving forward.”
For the Westermans, franchising with a brand they already knew and believed in provided the perfect blend of independence and structure — giving them the support they needed to launch confidently while allowing them to build something of their own.
Working together as twin brothers has helped the Westermans naturally divide responsibilities and lean into their strengths. Their mutual trust makes decision-making simple and collaboration second nature.
“We’ve been working together our whole lives,” Stephen said. “We know how to play to each other’s strengths and stay focused on the same goals.”
Their family dynamic also shapes how they lead their team and serve their customers. By modeling teamwork, communication and respect, they’re building a company culture that reflects the same values they were raised with. “Our intention is to turn this into a multi-million dollar franchise,” Stephen said. “But our most important goal is just customer service — to serve the Gulf Coast and help remove stress from people’s lives by removing the junk in their spaces.”
“Our end goal would be sweeping the Gulf Coast — that would be about three franchises total,” Matthew said.
While their new Fort Walton Beach location marks the beginning of this business venture, it’s also a continuation of a lifelong partnership — one rooted in family, ambition and shared purpose.
“Life is risky,” Stephen said. “Don’t be afraid of risk. The only real risk in life is taking no risk at all.”
For the Westerman brothers, taking this leap together is about more than business ownership — it’s about carrying forward the lessons they’ve learned, the values they share and the legacy they’re building as a family.
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