A Conversation With ... Clay McGee

We’ve been open since November 2005. I describe (us) as a full-service junk removal company. We go out to people’s houses and help them get rid of anything that is nontoxic that two guys can lift. And even if we can’t lift it, we’ll sometimes find a way to get it into the truck. We’ll go into their attics and down to their basements and (remove) anything they want. Mostly, (our service) is for the people who don’t have the time, the energy or the resources to get rid of larger items. We’ll come get couches, appliances, any of the stuff that a curbside guy won’t pick up. We’re not a weekly garbage pickup. There are four employees and two trucks.

What happens to the junk you haul away?

About 50 percent of everything that’s taken systemwide by 1-800-GOT-JUNK is recycled. With our franchise, we actually put a little more emphasis on recycling … (and) closer to 60 percent of everything we take, we recycle or donate. We recycle most of the paper, if it’s in large quantities. A lot of the metal, we’ll usually recycle. Any of the household items usually go to Victory Mission or Salvation Army. The toys will go to Victory Mission or Boys & Girls Clubs.

What happens to the stuff that can’t be donated or recycled?

This year we’ll have our second annual garage sale for Habitat for Humanity. Antiques and stuff that (organizations) can’t get the best use out of, we’ll actually store. On Aug. 24, we’re going to … sell off all the stuff and donate the money to Habitat, but we don’t have a location yet. Last year, we were able to donate about $500; this year, we’re shooting for $1,000. We get some neat stuff. We’ll actually send tax receipts back to the client (for donations). What we can’t recycle, donate (or sell) actually does end up in the landfill. A lot of it is purely trash or purely junk.

How much stuff have you hauled away since opening?

We’ve picked up about 1.5 million pounds. We’ve done more than 1,100 jobs in Springfield, at an average of a half-a-truck full, with prices ranging from $88 to $438. Pricing is broken down in increments as the truck fills up. We do all of our pricing on volume … but we’ll come out and give a free estimate.

Do you serve commercial customers?

Right now, our bread and butter is basically residential. We like to go to people’s houses and help them to de-clutter. But we’re (focusing) on commercial (clients). Now that we have two trucks, and hopefully a third by the end of the summer, we’ll be able to take on those bigger jobs that commercial customers usually request.

What’s your service area? Do you have plans to expand it?

We’ll basically do Springfield, Fair Grove, Strafford, Marshfield, Rogersville, Nixa – about 30 miles outside of town. We’re hoping to move into Branson in the next couple of years, an extension of our franchise.

What are some of the unusual things you’ve picked up?

We got 220 five-gallon buckets of doughnut glaze. We were actually able to help … a company called Rich Products out of Buffalo, New York, to get rid of it. They have a distributor down here, Associated Wholesale Grocers. (A rendering company), where you take all the grease from restaurants, (is where) we took (the glaze) … and they helped us dispose of it.

How did you get into this business?

Directly out of college, I knew I wanted to operate a small business. I started at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and then went to Arizona State … and studied advertising and marketing. I didn’t really know a lot about running a business, didn’t have any great ideas, so I thought I’d look at franchises. I figured that way, at least somebody could walk me through the process and help me get started. I ran across 1-800-GOT-JUNK and loved the concept.

You keep a second job. What is it?

I’m a co-owner and senior loan officer at Fortress Financial. We finance home mortgages and commercial properties.

Tell us about your family.

My parents, Bob and Paula McGee, moved to Springfield before I was born. My dad’s a criminal attorney and my mom’s … a paralegal. My wife, Holly McGee, was with me starting up the company, but has since gone to work with Pellham Realtors, which recently opened a residential division. We’ve been married since October. Our dog is a chocolate lab named Bogie.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.