​How Junker Picker Upper Was Born

Junker Picker Upper started in 2017 with something most people said was impossible: a Hyundai Elantra, a 5x10 trailer, and one very determined entrepreneur who refused to listen to the naysayers.

It all began when the founder spotted an opportunity to make some extra cash hauling scrap metal. The plan was simple: hook a trailer to the Elantra, load it with scrap, and head to the recycling yard. But almost immediately, someone scoffed, "You can't pull a trailer with that car!"

Challenge accepted.

Instead of backing down, that skepticism became fuel. The trailer got hitched, the scrap metal started rolling in, and the doubters got proven wrong—one load at a time. That little Elantra and 5x10 trailer turned out to be a money-making machine. What started as a side hustle hauling copper, aluminum, and steel quickly became profitable enough to prove the business model worked.

Then Hurricane Irma Changed Everything

When Hurricane Irma tore through Southwest Florida, the community was left buried under mountains of debris—fallen trees, damaged furniture, twisted metal, and piles of junk that homeowners and businesses had no way to remove on their own. The need was overwhelming, and suddenly, hauling scrap metal didn't feel like enough.

That's when Junker Picker Upper shifted gears. The trusty Elantra and trailer that everyone said wouldn't work became the foundation of a full-service junk removal operation dedicated to helping neighbors dig out, clean up, and rebuild. It wasn't glamorous work, but it was needed work—and that mattered.

From One car to a Full Fleet

The Hyundai Elantra and 5x10 trailer made good money—enough to upgrade to a truck, then another trailer, and then another. Fast forward to today, and that "impossible" setup has grown into a full fleet of equipment: flatbed trucks, dump trailers, and box trailers capable of handling jobs of any size. What started as a one-person hustle has evolved into a team of skilled contractors and trusted business partnerships serving Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and Sarasota.

We've expanded our services too—junk removal, towing, demolition, donation events, and repurposing good stuff to keep usable items out of landfills. We're not just hauling junk; we're helping our community stay clean, recover from storms, and reclaim their spaces without the stress or surprise fees.

Proving the Doubters Wrong, One Job at a Time

Looking back, the best part of this journey isn't just the growth—it's knowing that every time someone told us "you can't," we turned it into "watch this." Whether it was hooking up that first 5x10 trailer to a Hyundai Elantra, weathering a hurricane cleanup, or building a business that puts locked-in pricing and honest service ahead of profit games, we've stayed true to one simple idea: if something needs doing, figure out how to do it right.

That's still our motto today. When you call Junker Picker Upper, you're not just getting junk hauled away—you're working with a team that started from scratch, fought through doubt, and built something real. We treat your home like our own, protect your property, and haul away your junk for the price we promised—no surprises, no excuses.

So if you've got junk that needs picking up, give us a call. We've been told we can't do a lot of things. Turns out, we can.