Stand Up Guys targets $20M as commercial mix expands

Casey Walsh is building a centralized sales team in Tampa as Stand Up Guys Junk Removal pushes commercial accounts toward half of its revenue mix by year’s end.

The company, which Walsh moved from Atlanta to Tampa Bay in 2013, now operates across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, with St. Petersburg, Tampa and Sarasota anchoring its Gulf Coast footprint.

For most of the past decade, Stand Up Guys grew through residential jobs driven by word of mouth and repeat customers. Walsh now wants more predictable commercial volume to stabilize a business that often books work less than 48 hours in advance.

“Two years ago, we did about 20% commercial,” Walsh said. “Right now we’re at 35% to 40%, depending. Our plan is by the end of this year to be 50-50.”

Commercial expansion anchored in Tampa

Walsh is building that shift from Tampa. The new sales team works with commercial prospects across all markets, targeting construction companies, apartment operators, commercial property owners, restoration firms and large residential property managers that need recurring clean-outs and debris hauling.

Stand Up Guys also rents dumpsters, which strengthens its position with contractors managing remodels and new construction.

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“Our commercial clients are pretty much the highest priority right now, especially the residual ones,” Walsh said, referring to recurring accounts. “The markups aren’t as high, the prices aren’t as high, but it is consistent work.”

That consistency matters in a business defined by speed. Walsh said most jobs are scheduled within 24 to 48 hours, and cancellations rise quickly when customers have to wait.

“We can start a day in one location with two jobs and end with 20,” he said.

To manage that volatility, Stand Up Guys staffs each market with a base crew that reports every morning and a later shift Walsh calls the “Sunshine Crew.”

Managers confirm that second group closer to midday, releasing them if demand fails to materialize. The approach gives the company flexibility without relying on seasonal layoffs, which Walsh said the business has avoided even when winter slows slightly in some markets.

Satellite offices support speed and scale

Growth inside existing markets now carries more weight than chasing new cities. Walsh said Stand Up Guys has opened or is opening satellite offices in places such as Durham in the Raleigh market, Sarasota in Florida, Fort Worth in Texas and south Atlanta in Georgia, with Charlotte next in line.

Those smaller outposts reduce drive times, improve response speed and increase capacity for commercial accounts that demand reliability.

Walsh selects markets based on population growth and concentrated suburban development, where home turnover, remodeling and construction activity generate steady demand.

In Florida, he cited South Tampa, Wesley Chapel and the Lakewood Ranch area as strong performers. The same logic drove expansions into Nashville, Raleigh, Dallas and Austin.

He runs the company as a single operation rather than a franchise network, which he said gives Stand Up Guys tighter control over training, culture and pricing.

One call center supports all branches. Managers meet in person each quarter. Teams operate under one set of systems and processes.

“We’re the largest independently owned junk removal company in the country,” Walsh said.

He credits the centralized structure with allowing faster pivots when weather disrupts operations. During major storms in Florida and ice events in Texas and the Carolinas, the company has moved trucks and crews between markets and directed commercial outreach from its central office.

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At times, Walsh said, employees have stayed in hotels for weeks while assisting another region.

Walsh said he has no plans to franchise the brand because he wants to preserve control and protect equity for senior leaders who helped scale the business.

He has granted ownership stakes to key team members and intends to sell the company at a larger valuation once it reaches a defined revenue milestone.

“Twenty million is our revenue benchmark,” he said, putting the target between $18 million and $20 million annually.

Stand Up Guys currently generates about $10 million in annual revenue, according to Walsh, and he expects to reach the next threshold by expanding commercial volume within its existing footprint rather than adding distant markets.

Scaling without losing culture remains Walsh’s central management challenge. He started the company as a teenager in Georgia, hauling debris before he understood how to build systems or manage people. He never completed college and said he learned the business through trial, error and mentorship.

“The biggest challenge I’ve had is scaling while keeping the culture consistent,” Walsh said. “Putting strong systems in place and being intentional about who we hire and how we train them has helped us bring everything back into alignment.”

Today, the company employs roughly 95 to 100 people across its markets. Walsh hires for temperament before physical strength, instructing managers to look for customer service instincts first and train technical skills second.

“What makes someone great here is seeing the job as customer service first and junk removal second,” he said.

Stand Up Guys reinforces that standard through daily morning huddles that include role playing, manager coaching and field feedback. Walsh said the approach has improved retention as the company has grown.

He also tracks what happens after the truck leaves a job site. Walsh said Stand Up Guys aims to send less than 40% of collected material to landfills by recycling cardboard, appliances and electronics and donating usable furniture and household goods to local charities.

“Our goal is always to take the least amount as we can to the dump,” he said.

Walsh arrived in Tampa Bay with a truck and a service he already knew how to deliver. More than a decade later, he is betting that tighter systems, a centralized sales hub, and a heavier commercial mix will carry Stand Up Guys to the next stage of growth in the same region where he chose to rebuild.