There is a new garbage collection service in Maynardville. No matter how much we reduce, reuse and recycle, every household generates waste.
What to do with it is the question.
Introducing Jeffrey and Amanda Smith, the owners of Garbage Buddy, a new trash pickup service that opened on July 6 of this year. The business, officially Smith Sanitation, LLC, is off to a great start, staying busy, and adding customers daily. They already have plans to expand to Grainger, Anderson, and Knox counties, as they are receiving service requests from those areas.
Jeffrey is well known in the community with a great reputation, having done a lot of building and maintenance handyman work throughout the community. Most recently, he has been busy building new pool decks, yet Jeffrey has provided a variety of building and maintenance support to our community for many years.
Amanda says, “Jeff has always been a jack of all trades!”
Having learned to trust him as a good and dependable worker, people began reaching out to him when they lost their previous garbage service. So much so that he decided to start a new business meeting this need for our community. Preparing for Garbage Buddy’s future growth, Jeffrey is in the process of obtaining a TN Commercial Driver License (CDL) so when they need a 26 ft. truck or larger, they will be prepared.
His motto is “If you don’t love something then don’t do it.”
After working in various hospitals and home healthcare agencies, Amanda started her own business 11 years ago caring for others in their homes. She has handed those clients over to her mom so she can concentrate on helping with this new venture and educating the public about Garbage Buddy’s services.
She has an Associate’s degree in Medical Assisting and is attending South College part-time, working towards her (BBA) Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare administration. She feels furthering her education will give her more options in the workforce. Amanda’s life motto is “Life is not a remote, you got to get up and change it yourself.”
Growing up in Maynardville, the Smiths have known each other since kindergarten and went through school together. Amanda describes Jeffrey as having been bashful and quiet, while she was the outgoing one. Both Jeff and Amanda come from families that embrace the outdoors and enjoy going to the lake, fishing, hiking, hunting, or just having a cookout with friends.
They also enjoy going to church at Covenant Life and Hickory Valley Baptist Church. They love joining forces in their new business, Garbage Buddy, and working together as a team. Amanda has two daughters, one at the University of Tennessee also studying business administration, and a third-grader enrolled in Union County’s virtual school.
The Smiths are thankful for their strong family support, and are currently employing two part-time employees and three part-time volunteers, but they’re looking forward to adding more staff as they grow.
Their biggest challenge is not having enough time in the day, but they have learned to take it one day at a time and make the best of that day. Their hope is for Garbage Buddy to become Union County’s #1 garbage collection service.
Their advice to other would-be entrepreneurs is: “Overcoming fear is the first step to success for entrepreneurs. Then you have to have determination, loyalty, and dedication, and if you want to be successful you have to maintain it.”
Garbage Buddy is located at 510 Circle Drive in Maynardville and is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Sunday. They can be reached at (865) 992-3602.