RANDOLPH, NJ- Randolph resident Walt Kelly has always found his calling to be something involving helping people. After spending 35 years working for others - while serving the country and his local community, Kelly decided it was time to work for himself.
So it was no surprise that Kelly chose to start a business where he could provide a needed and helpful service to others, and thus Shamrock Junk Removal was born.
“After retiring from law enforcement where I spent a lot of time with people, I really wanted to continue dealing with, meeting, and helping people,” said Kelly.
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His working career started with four years in the military, followed by working for the electrician’s union as a lineman for six years. After that, Kelly went into law enforcement, working as an officer in a K-9 Handler Unit for a state agency until he retired in 2021.
“In 2022 and 2023, I worked for a junk removal franchise, and after learning about the industry, I left and started my own business - Shamrock,” said Kelly. “It hit me that there was nothing like this in Randolph. There are some larger franchises in the surrounding area, but people in Randolph like to support businesses run by their neighbors - who they know they can rely on and trust.”
Having been born and raised in NJ, Kelly and his family have lived in Randolph for 25 years, sending two boys through the township schools over that time. Calling Randolph, “a great place to raise a family”, Kelly hopes his second act of raising a business in town goes just as well.
“As a family owned and operated business, I am working hard to earn a great reputation as a local, personal business,” said Kelly. “My pricing is better than the franchises. We are reliable, we care about our customers’ needs, and we always take time to explain the best options, no matter what situation someone may have.”
It took a bit of time to get things started, however, as the process for acquiring a state A-901 license was lengthy. Kelly also needed to order and configure a specialty truck made for junk removal to be shipped up from North Carolina. Included are items such as a winch, a dump, a toolbox, trashcan bin storage, and more.
Kelly also tries to be responsible and mindful of what to do with items he removes from people’s homes, with a focus on recycling, reusing, and disposing of when appropriate. He will often donate furniture that is in good shape to the Re-Store and other smaller items to local charities where it can have a second or third life and not just end up in a landfill.
“One customer from Sussex County hired me to take down a shed and remove everything inside, including four old lawnmowers,” said Kelly. None of them worked, but I gave the one that looked the best to my neighbor, who is pretty handy. Two weeks later I saw him mowing his lawn with it.”
In one of his earlier jobs, Kelly stumbled upon something incredible in an old dresser he was removing. When he opened up the drawers, he found a front page section of a NY newspaper from May, 8, 1945 – the day WWII ended. When the homeowner said he didn’t want to keep it, Kelly put it aside, and a few weeks later he donated it to a VFW Hall.
Many of the larger services in the industry tend to be more transactional, where they come to pick up only the specific scheduled items, and then they are out the door as fast as possible. Kelly prides himself on being more personalized; he works with clients to talk through their situation, and is flexible about adapting to anything new that unexpectedly comes up.
“Lots of clients are stressed out when they know they have to get rid of things, especially if it needs to be done in a timely manner,” said Kelly. “I have solutions to help them, and I look at every job with a consultative approach. I might present two or three different options or suggest something the client didn’t think of. Sometimes I will offer a multi-visit solution that might be days or weeks apart - if that is ultimately what is best for my customer.”
Shamrock also serves small commercial clients who are downsizing or relocating. Anyone can book an appointment to schedule a free estimate by visiting Shamrock’s website at www.shamrockjunkremoval.com For additional questions or information, Kelly can be reached at 973-343-6017.
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