Junk Depot, LLC

Leo Guarente had a problem. His local business, Junk Depot, was having trouble competing against bigger names with bigger marketing budgets. Yodle helped him make an impact on his local market, without spending a fortune—here's how he did it.

Another Man's Treasure

Junk Depot is an eco-friendly junk removal service that removes all types of materials from residential and commercial properties. Owner Leo Guarente became interested in junk removal several years ago after a friend of his educated him on the industry. Soon after, he bought his own truck and opened Junk Depot.

Every day is a new adventure, he explains, I find things that people have had for over 50 years. It's like a treasure hunt.

By law, Leo owns all of the materials he hauls, but he prefers to help others and the environment—about 80% of the materials he collects are donated or recycled.

Growing the Business

Over the years, Leo sustained a successful business through referrals. But when Leo wanted to tackle the challenge of growing the business, he found it difficult to market against larger franchises.

I’m competing against companies like 1-800-Got-Junk and I just don't have the money to advertise like they do.

Leo wasn't seeing the success he hoped for by trying to build a web presence on his own. Around the same time, a Yodle representative contacted him.

Fortunately, he decided to give it a try.

Paying It Forward

Yodle has played a pivotal role in helping Junk Depot grow. “When I started with Yodle I only had two trucks.” says Leo, “Soon I got too busy for two trucks so I bought a third. I got too busy again and before you know it, I had six trucks! Yodle definitely played a part in that.”

Leo receives about 15 to 20 new jobs a month with Yodle, with jobs ranging from a few hundred to $1500.

According to Leo, it's definitely worth the investment.

Perhaps the most notable job Leo received from Yodle was one that revealed his true character. A woman hired Leo and his team to remove the clutter from her mother's house after she passed away.

“We cleaned out the house and had to organize what we found before another job that day,” says Leo. “We ended up finding over $114k in savings bonds taped to the bottom of a dresser.”

Without thinking twice, Leo returned the bonds to their rightful owner. “By law, I technically owned the bonds, but there was no question that I had to return the money,” says Leo.

The act of kindness quickly sparked national attention. So far, Leo has been featured on the Today Show with Matt Lauer and participated in an interview with Katie Couric to discuss his noble deed.

Leo sees Yodle as another treasure he’s found. “I’m very happy with what Yodle’s been able to do for my business.”