Two Men and a Junk Truck and the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio are diverting items from the landfill to benefit those in need.
It’s trash to treasure and people over profit. It’s sustainability in action. It’s Two Men and a Junk Truck.
When Justin and Stephanie Clarey took over the Columbus franchise of Two Men and a Truck in 2019, they knew they wanted to focus their company on moving people forward—both literally and figuratively.
A year later, they added junk removal to their business model, and, in 2023, Two Men and a Junk Truck became its own franchise, co-owner Justin Clarey says.
The husband-and-wife team began partnering with the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio—the third-largest furniture bank in North America—in January 2024 to save furniture from the landfill to benefit those in need.
“I think we both just realize that we have a passion for people and creating opportunities for people, and Two Men and a Truck and Two Men and a Junk Truck I think have given us the opportunity to work on that and provide opportunities through employment, career growth, and then obviously being able to give back to the community and partner with the companies like the Furniture Bank,” Clarey explains.
“It is to show our appreciation for what Columbus has done for both of our companies.”
Since partnering with Two Men and a Junk Truck, the Furniture Bank has increased its emphasis on sustainability while serving 3,600 families in 2024, says Adam Knisley, the nonprofit’s business development manager.
Furniture Bank President and CEO Phil Washburn says 340 semitrailers of furniture were saved from landfills last year by his organization. About 95 percent of those items go to individuals who make less than $24,000 per year, Knisley adds. This often includes people coming out of homelessness, leaving domestic violence, rebuilding after natural disasters, or in transition as refugees or veterans.
When Two Men and a Junk Truck has a job that includes usable furnishings, the team either picks them up with the rest of the load and gives them to the Furniture Bank, or sends the nonprofit for an advance pickup, which saves the customer money on the hauling bill.
“It’s very unique to find a group like a junk hauling service that isn’t afraid of us being a part of their business process, because they could probably work with clients on a different scale if they weren’t deterring some of that furniture, if they weren’t sharing us as a resource ahead of time,” Knisley says.
“For us, that actual true collaboration of wanting to give back is really big.”
This article was made possible by support from the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation, which has partnered with Columbus CEO to profile those making our community a better place. Help us inspire kindness by suggesting people, initiatives or organizations for Reporter Sophia Veneziano to profile. She can be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com. Learn more at ColumbusCEO.com/Kindness.
This story appears in the May 2025 issue of Columbus CEO. Subscribe now.
