Treasure or Trash? – Junk Remedy Member Spotlight

          We were privileged to be interviewed by Christopher Schneider who is the Senior Manager of Business Development for the Management Association. We would like to thank Chris for his kind words and the Management Association for handling our HR:) 

Treasure or Trash? – Junk Remedy Member Spotlight

So tomorrow on my street it’s garbage day…

I am lucky enough though to live in a town that is pretty liberal about what and how much I can throw out.  This is good, because like many parents of young kids, I have my obligatory unmanageable collection of large brightly-colored plastic $%^#&@ to throw away.  Yet I am always amazed at the Darwinian phenomena of the junk guys.  A water heater, bed springs or a broken bicycle all last about 2 minutes on my parkway.  You can set your watch by it.

            When we moved at the Management Association from 3 miles away and all of a sudden had a ton of, well, JUNK. There are tons of regulations and considerations at hand when trying to find a positive, environmentally-sound way to get rid of old electronics, survey results from 1947, and a Titanic-anchor-sized “hole punch” which somehow weights about 5 tons.  You can’t just throw these things out.  What to do?

           As luck would have it, through our membership with the Greater O’Hare Association, a chamber of commerce serving Elk Grove Village, Itasca, Rosemont and many other north west side Chicago communities, we met Corey Heidkamp of Junk Remedy.  As new members, we had found an Association-friendly solution to all of our junk issues.  No matter the size or condition, Corey’s team “makes it go away” in the junk world. 

          While I have obviously given too much thought to this phenomenon, I had been relatively content with the garbage day junk guy’s existence.  Like the coyote or the vulture, he fills a societal need.  He takes away the unwanted, and there is money in it.  I’ve hear neighbors refer to other’s metal-heavy outdoor furniture by weight and legal tender once it arrives on the curb down the street.  While unsightly, the junk truck arrives on cue and ambles along for the next find.  What could be wrong with this? “They’re unlicensed, uninsured, unsafe and probably undocumented”, says Corey Heidkamp, co-owner with Nick DeGiulio of Junk Remedy, a conscientious junk removal company located in Lake Zurich.  “We maintain 3 trucks and 5 employees, all licensed, bonded, insured and dedicated to the safe removal of junk from residences and reputable businesses all across Chicago and the suburbs; we’re not pickers.”  This pair of junk guys, once roommates who went their separate ways, attended college, got married and bought houses, and then one month back in 2009, started a junk removal business.  “We got pretty decisive once the idea had taken hold,” says Nick, “we visualized running our own company, meeting interesting people and being a sustainable business from the start”.

                Once removed, the junk is broken down, assessed for value, given away to three different charities and then finally recycled.  In touring their new warehouse space, I saw TVs which were enormous and at the pinnacle of technological wonder back in 1989.  I saw every manner of treadmill and exercise contraption.  I saw a real radio-only Sony walkman.  I saw a grave yard of outdoor patio furniture.  Bathroom fixtures so ornate, Louis XIV would have blushed.  I saw the end result of conspicuous consumption.  “We’ve seen a lot worse”, explained Corey, “let me just say the hoarding phenomena is real and very sad”.  Corey regaled me with story after tragic story of invalids literally trapped in their homes by an inability to clean house. 

                 Junk Remedy is truly charitable and to the extent that they can donate the items that they remove, they are able to give a tax deduction to the client.  “We donate all sorts of items to WINGS, a charity in Palatine that helps homeless and abused women and children by offering integrated services that meet their needs for shelter, education, guidance and support,” explains Corey, “we also donate to charities that help furnish apartments and living spaces for veterans.”  “It is an important part of our business model and has been since the beginning,” adds Nick, “we take items that are unwanted by one group, and give them to another desperately in need of the same items.  It’s a perfect arrangement.”

While the company doesn’t get involved in the removal of chemicals or “white” liquids such as paint or motor oil, they carefully remove and properly recycle all electronics that come their way.  “Hiring a junk company is a great choice that can provide piece of mind in that you are dealing with a problem, making a space safer, getting rid of material in an environmentally sound way, and not taking on any unnecessary risk to your company”, explains Nick.

                So if you’re looking to clear out your office space for a move, or safely dispose of, well, you’re junk.  Give the good folks at Junk Remedy a call (1-877-722-JUNK).