Back to School and Back to Basics
This one’s for the moms: either the school bus has already hauled away your kids, or it will be next week. What are you going to do with all the other junk that’s been cluttering up your life this summer? I kid, I kid, but seriously – back to school season is a great time to look around and re-evaluate what you need to keep indoors with you throughout the cooler months.
Maybe it’s a residual effect from childhood, but fall always seems to make me think of new beginnings. A fresh start sort of begs for a clean slate (pun not intentional, but appreciated), and home is a good place to start. Even if you’re not a stay-at-home parent or working from a home office, you’ll likely be spending a great deal more time indoors as temperatures drop. So, for a few back-to-basics, back-to-school time reminders on how to make your nest as cozy and comfortable as possible, see below. Read more…
Truck Team Tuesday – Jared Regan
Jared
My name is Jared Regan (pronounced like Ronald “Reagan”) and I work as a Supervisor for the Lafayette LA franchise of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
I have been working as a 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Team Member for about 4 months now.
Before I fell in Love with Junk I was addicted to Lumber… I became a Carpenter (and did that for quite a while). I started my first job when I was 15 years old at a pizza parlor. At 17, I joined the Army as a U.S. Soldier, I also dabbled in some Tool and Auto Parts sales. I also worked as a brain injury rehabilitation specialist!
I Love being a Truck Team Member!! I enjoy the appreciation I get from the excellent service I give each and every customer. I really enjoy working with friends and finding JUNK (it’s like getting paid to Treasure Hunt everyday w/your friends!!!) Read more…
Overheard in Junk, August 27th Edition
Image Credit - James_McCue on Flickr
It’s time for Overheard in Junk! There are so many interpretations of the word junk, so we’re taking a look around and bringing you some of what the world is saying about it. Enjoy!
@JulieMorgenstrn: @1800GOTJUNK = a wonderful North American service dedicated to helping haul off your clutter (they recycle an average of 50% per truckload)
@elizaleigh: Sculptural junk assemblages of the highest order via Bernard Pras — take a look at his inspiring ‘galerie’! http://www.bernardpras.fr/
@Halley: “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk”
@factsandtrivia: Fats from junk food trigger the brain to want more food. This effect can last for several days.
@caymaniac: NEWS: Government bans junk food from schools: (CNS): Students attending government schools will no longer be allow… http://bit.ly/c5Yt5
@nexxtep: Are you eating too much technology junk food? Find out what we mean and take a 5 question quiz to find out! http://bit.ly/9nhQKp
Recycling isn’t the Best Option?
Working for a company that strives to become Green, system-wide, I find that any stories about recycling grab my attention. I happened upon an article in the business section of the Seattle Times which explores the recyclable level of paper coffee cups. I was immediately impressed at the apparent dedication of Starbucks toward a greener future.
“Starbucks wants to expand that by 2015, when its goal is for all the communities where it owns stores to be able to recycle coffee cups. It’s a Grande order, considering Starbucks’ reach and the 3 billion paper cups it goes through each year. The challenge is to convince mills that coffee cups are decent fodder for boxes and other products they make. So far, mill executives remain sceptical, saying coffee cups take longer, and therefore cost more, to process than do other recycled items like cardboard boxes.”
Junk is Art in Celebrity Portraiture
Image Credit - Jason Mecier via 1-800-Recycling
We here at 1-800-GOT-JUNK? do, admittedly, get a little overexcited when we see people doing cool stuff with junk (see the Forevertron and Cathedral of Junk for proof). Knowing this, imagine our glee when we came across these junk portraits by artist Jason Mecier!
The pieces feature celebrities, living and gone, skilfully patched together with junk that, in most cases, is donated by the subjects themselves. We came across the portraits by way of one of our partners, 1-800-Recycling, who interviewed Jason to learn more about his re-purposed masterpieces (you can view the piece here). Read more…
Truck Team Tuesday – The Boys from Baltimore
Nick
Well folks, hold on to your hats because the Boys from Baltimore are featured in today’s Truck Team Tuesday post. These boys work hard and play hard…and have wicked senses of humor. Read on with caution. I bring you Kyle and Mitch Gable, Nick “Wolf” Warren and Tim Hutchison!
How long have you been working with 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
Kyle – A year and a half
Mitch – Two and a half years
Nick – Four lovely, fun-filled years!
Tim – Two and a half years
What did you do before you found Junk?
Kyle – Worked at Walmart doing a little bit of everything
Mitch - Worked at a car dealership
Nick – I slung drinks and waxed a lot of boats.
Tim – Was a landscaper…oh, and I moonlighted as a nude model
What do you love about being a Truck Team Member?
Kyle – I love dealing with weird customers and strange situations
Mitch – Finding cool stuff
Nick – I appreciate the management’s dedication to providing us with all supplies we need. I like the pride they take in their position in both life and the company.
Tim – Working with Nick.
Overheard in Junk, August 20th Edition
Image Credit - James_McCue on Flickr
It’s time for Overheard in Junk! There are so many interpretations of the word junk, so we’re taking a look around and bringing you some of what the world is saying about it. Enjoy!
@TechGalaxy: Ultra-realistic Portraits Made of Electronic Junk [Image Cache]: Artist Jason Mecier makes realistic posters using … http://bit.ly/a6aP1h
@Xconomy: In Seed Funding Race, AngelList Sorts the “Junk” from the “Maybes” to match angels and entrepreneurs http://bit.ly/9LELxT
@CNW_General: 1-800-GOT-JUNK? recognized as one of I Love Rewards “50 Most Engaged Workplaces”(TM): http://bit.ly/aXFHGN
@Etsy: Featured seller, Little Byrd Vintage knows how to ‘junk’. http://bit.ly/9UD6Iw
@thinkgenome: Reanimated ‘Junk’ DNA Is Found to Cause Disease: By GINA KOLATA The human genome is riddled with dead genes, fossi… http://bit.ly/arYh2i
@mnzoo: Have an old cell phone in your junk drawer? Print out this label to send it in for FREE to Recycle for Rainforests http://bit.ly/cDlTk3
@GerardJones: New blog post on the “Romance of Junk Culture.” http://undressingamerica.blogspot.com
@emartinie: @1800GOTJUNK – They came. They saw. They hauled it all away. Thanks guys. Couldn’t have done it without you. Hauled away Dad’s last stuff.
It’s All About People
It seems there’s been a spotlight on company culture lately. How to build a great workplace environment; how to make your workplace culture the best, etc… In my own experience as a public relations professional I remember the days when culture was a component of any respectable contest submission. Today, culture is the focus. So, from the company that’s just ranked in the I Love Rewards 50 Most Engaged Workplaces™, here are our best tips on how your company can build an award-winning culture!
Truck Team Tuesday – Delray Beach, Florida.
Latoya
Today’s Truck Team Tuesday and this week, we’re throwing a spotlight on Delray Beach, Florida! Phil Sanon & Latoya Walls have both been on the trucks in sunny Florida since 2006 so you can only imagine the things they have seen!
Jeff Pasternack, franchise owner, is one of the most upbeat people you’ll ever meet. His signature greeting, “Happy Day” has actually turned into his nickname!
How long have you been working with 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
Over 4 years.
What did you do before you found Junk?
Phil was a driver for an air conditioning company and Latoya worked in retail and child daycare.
What do you love about being a Truck Team Member?
All the new ideas we have to do a better job of building and running our business keep us fresh. Happy Day has a lot of ideas and some of them are wacky, but we’ll try anything just to see if it will work.
What is the most challenging thing about being a Truck Team Member?
South Florida’s weather can be brutal. 90% humidity and 90 degrees every day for 6 months can really wear you out, especially on the outdoor construction jobs. We also have localized rain: it can be raining at the job site but be sunny across the street.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever hauled away?
We hauled away a truckload of used adult diapers that a lady had stored in her home. Also, one time Latoya and Happy Day were removing junk from a bedroom and a purple sex toy rolled out right between them! We come across quite a lot of sex toys on our estate jobs and that can be awkward with the family sitting there watching.
What’s the grossest thing you’ve ever had to do?
We cleaned out a dumpster full of trash from a strip club that had all sorts of used undergarments in it. Actually, a few w
eeks later the place was busted by the police for prostitution.
Did you do it with a smile?
We laugh more then anything. As Happy Day says, when there’s nothing left to do just smile smile smile.
Do you have any other funny memories or stories that you can share?
After 4 years of working on the blue and green truck we’ve got so many stories we can write a book or two. We were cleaning out a senior living condo and the lady who had deceased left behind some bondage toys, paddles and drug paraphernalia as well. I think those are the funniest memories, they really crack us up.
One time, we were doing a job with a few of us and this truck team member was afraid of rats. We caught one and put it in a box and handed it down the line and told the guy to check it out. He opened it up and screamed like a little girl. That was funny. We run across a lot of animals and everyone has their thing with them.
Do you have a motto or a philosophy on life?
Go hard!
Overheard in Junk – August 13th Edition
Image Credit - James_McCue on Flickr
It’s time for Overheard in Junk! There are so many interpretations of the word junk, so we’re taking a look around and bringing you some of what the world is saying about it. Enjoy!
@markcaldwell: BBC News – ‘Give out statins with junk food’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10955522 #doingitwrong
@RunrGreg: “There should be few or no ‘junk miles’ in your training after age 40.” From yesterday. Worth posting again. http://is.gd/eeAuU
@jvomhofjr: Biometric vending machines that link person’s thumbprint to a credit card? Need this? Time to cut back on junk food! http://bit.ly/98siNS
@Coachchristine: Do you let people bring junk & deposit it in your home? Then why allow it in your life? Clear the junk & focus on priorities!
@bioclinic1: Study shows growing price gap between healthy and junk foods http://bit.ly/dvAtiS
@capecodtimes: Breaking News: Weird mailbox? Send us a pic! – Ever wish your bills and junk mail could be eaten by a big fish? Well… http://ow.ly/18yBF6
@PG_rss: America’s Most Famous Junk Food: Deconstructed http://dlvr.it/3lhLW
@flysi: MobileMe junk mail filter not ready for primetime? #apple #mobileme http://flic.kr/p/8rWsxP
@SMARTYOC: I’m continuing on my quest to unsubscribe to all the junk in my box this week. I feel super skinny!!!
