The title of reigning king in the Chattanooga junk hauling business goes to Fred Friday. He's the proud owner of an extremely busy Junk King franchise. As a professional junk hauler, Fred (or Mr. King, as his customers call him) has seen all kinds of debris. Since he began operations, he has hauled away true treasures and plenty of rubbish. On the "treasure" side, Fred took away an Edison Dictaphone, new appliances still in the box, clothes with the tags and working computers. Some folks just can't be bothered with the junk removal and that's fine with Fred.“If you can sell it; great. If you can donate it; great. If you can’t, then call us,” Friday says. When called into action, Fred and his team are never sure what to expect. A job can mean hauling away a single sofa or an office full of equipment. Real Estate agents like Mary Sanders have found that Fred's Junk King to be a very valuable asset. Recently, she hired Fred to help with a seller who needed to clear out 30 years of accumulate stuff. “She was overwhelmed, and didn’t know what to do,” Sanders says. “Fred and his crew were wonderful. They reduced her stress level and helped to get her house ready for sale." This is actually a second career for Fred. He spent 30 plus years working at Olan Mills. When his job was phased out, Fred wasn't ready to retire. He visited the California based home company of Junk King and liked what he saw. Once he signed up for the franchise, he's been keeping busy. Fred also appreciates Junk King's eco-friendly disposal policy. This means if an item can be recycled, it will be at no extra charge. “We’ll strip the rubber and cloth off of a mattress, and take the metal out. We also recycle cardboard in large quantities.” That's the kind of recycling work that will reduce the strain on area landfills and that's a huge benefit to all of Chattanooga. Fred approaches each job like it's a treasure hunt. For the things that hold value, Fred keeps them in storage. Of course, the response to his team's work is also extremely rewarding. “I love seeing how thrilled people are once we’re done,” he says. “I love hearing someone say, ‘Wow! This is great! I can walk into my storeroom,’ or, ‘I can get my car in my garage!’” I
