Army veteran expands JDog Junk Removal & Hauling franchise to Pickerington
Two years after being injured in combat, Lillie Williams is finding footing in the trash hauling and demolition business.
On April 25, Williams held a grand opening for her JDog Junk Removal & Hauling franchise in Pickerington.
JDog operates out of office space provided by Cultivate, a business incubator with 3,600 square feet at 19 N. Center St. in Olde Pickerington Village.
Williams also operates out of a Cultivate space in Grove City, 3989 Broadway, that opened in September 2021, and she maintains a warehouse at 2808 Banwick Road in Columbus where she houses her dump truck, as well as its company truck and trailer.
"I run all three franchises," Williams said. "I did 21 years in the (U.S.) Army, and this seemed like a good fit because I dealt with logistics.
"Logistics is more managing transportation, managing people."
Williams decided to seek civilian business opportunities after being injured in combat in Somalia in May 2019.
"Our camp was attacked multiple times, and I experienced a mild-traumatic brain injury," she said. "I was at Walter Reed (National Military Medical Center) for a little over nine months."
After recovering from the injury, Williams took part in a Boots to Business program at Mississippi State University designed to prepare military personnel to transition into the civilian business world.
She said an instructor recommended franchising with JDog, because the corporation offers business opportunities to veterans to help them explore business ownership and transition from their time in service.
A Groveport resident, Williams decided to start JDog franchises in Pickerington and Grove City because both cities are within 25 miles of her home.
"We thought Pickerington would be a good place to (expand)," Williams said. "It's small and has an old town feeling.
"Everybody knows everybody."
JDog has six employees among the three sites, and Williams expects to hire three more within a month. Williams is one of three veterans employed.
JDog offers residential and business junk removal and hauling, as well as demolition and recycling.
"We also get furniture people want to donate and give it to groups like Volunteers of America, Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill (Industries)," Williams said. "Within the next two years, I'm looking to have upwards of 15-20 employees."
Williams said she wants to help fellow veterans find jobs, in part, because some struggle to transition into civilian life.
"We want to embody and embrace the fact we're military service members, but we also want to be able to help them live and work without the structure of the military," she said. "We're also hoping to be able to develop community programs to integrate students and high school graduates into the workforce so they can learn different aspects of the job and start their own businesses.
"JDog is here and ready to serve people the way we served when we were in the military."
Matt Yerkes, who founded Cultivate, said he's pleased he's been able to provide office space to Williams so she can build her business.
He said JDog offers more specialized services to the community, and also offers franchise and employment to people who need those opportunities.
"JDog Junk Removal & Hauling or other locally-owned businesses can focus all of their time and efforts toward the early steps of nurturing their business and are able to keep their overhead low," Yerkes said.
"Lillie is a great addition to the Pickerington small-business community."
nellis@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekNate
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Army veteran expands JDog Junk Removal & Hauling franchise to Pickerington
