“Out with the old” is the idea behind the locally family-owned and operated junk removal company, Junk Bear. Owner Rob Paradis began the business in 2019, working evenings, weekends and lunch hours with his mid-size Toyota Tacoma and a small utility trailer to clear out junk and clutter for area family and friends.
The company's home-improvement focus during the past several years allowed Rob to leave his corporate job as an operations manager. His small, part-time business, based in Southington, has now grown into a full-time operation servicing five mid-state and northwestern counties. The business employs eight full-time and four part-time people that process an average of 40 properties a week — more than 2,000 clean-ups in 2022.
“We’re grateful at how far we’ve come,” Rob says. “We’re proud to serve local communities with this valuable service.”
Junk Bear’s menu of services offers everything from hauling away old furniture and appliances, yard debris, old pools, and hot tubs to complete home, basement and garage clean outs, even helping with moving-truck load-ups.
“People always have stuff to get rid of. We’re here to help them. We service jobs of all styles, from one-item pickups to full truckloads and whole house clean outs. Our biggest job was a single home that required 31 truckloads with 465 cubic yards of materials. No job is too big or too small.”
Junk Bear is proud to be a community-based business that employs local workers and supports their growth in the company, by encouraging them to set and pursue career goals. Rob says he's also proud that his company is able to respond with same-day and next-day service that similar nationally franchised companies can’t deliver. He’s also gratified by the company’s more than 400 highly-rated Google reviews.
Junk Bear seeks to support their employees as they grow their business. “Our business model is rooted in the belief that we succeed best and quickest by helping others succeed. We achieve our goals when we give back to our team as well as our customers.”
Junk Bear is also committed to helping the environment by recycling as much as possible what they collect. Tools and equipment are repurposed, books are donated to local libraries, usable clothing and furniture to shelters, metals and batteries are funneled to appropriate collection centers. All of which keep materials out of landfills.
Junk Bear is currently hosting a $20-off online booking offer to anyone interested in spring clean-outs.
Junk Bear LLC
Online: Junk-Bear.com
On Faceboook: @JunkBear
860-962-4454