Laurens native Dakodan Wyckoff, 29, isn’t letting his talent go to waste.
In August 2022, Wyckoff launched Atlas Removal Services, offering diverse waste-removal options for customers in Otsego, Delaware and Chenango counties.
“It started for me when I was 16,” he said. “I had a Subaru wagon and I really like the idea of scrap metal for the money back then, but I didn’t have the hauling capacity. But, after COVID, that led me to buying a trailer for my kayak and, once I had the trailer, my life really changed because I saw all the opportunities.
“I offer residential and commercial junk removal — appliances, electronics, any sort of outside yard waste and junk piles in general,” Wyckoff continued. “I have gotten into pressure washing and snow removal and, of course, scrap metal cleanouts and I do offer material delivery for building materials. Another big thing is construction debris; that’s been really nice with all the jobs going on … and a big thing I’ve been getting into is shed demolition, so I do offer interior and exterior demolition.”
Wyckoff said customers are piling on the praise.
“A lot of it’s word-of-mouth,” he said. “I go for the quote and talk to the person, in person, and see what the project is and go from there. A lot of people love it and, I know there are other competitors in the area, but it doesn’t seem like people are that aware, and I’ve been capitalizing a lot and it’s really grown. The overwhelming thing I hear most is that it’s hard to find somebody who wants to come out and work, or they have other people say they’ll come but they don’t, so it’s nice to see a younger guy in the industry getting after it. I just have to show up and live up to the expectation. I’ve really worked on my customer service and have always been that way.”
Wyckoff said, at the time of the interview, he had about 50 five-star reviews on Google.
Wyckoff said he approaches the work with sensitivity and sustainability in mind.
“People are letting me into the bellows of their homes,” he said. “Honestly, (customers are) mostly older women. On my Facebook stats it said women between 35 and 55 is who I generally get, and a lot of older people or disabled. Unfortunately, I get a lot of phone calls when people pass, and I don’t ask a lot of questions, because they can be embarrassing to the homeowner, but it’s not unfamiliar for me to be in hazmat gear in the middle of the summer.
“The (Otsego County) ReUse Center has been such a blessing for me; I love that they’re there,” Wyckoff continued. “A lot of times, I can offer better prices for people that have donatable items, because it’s just labor and fuel and time, and it goes to the ReUse Center or I’ll donate it. A lot does get thrown away, but a lot of the metal, there’s a dropoff place for, so I’d say 30 to 40% of the load gets recycled.”
Wyckoff, who said he is “100%” taking new clients, said he hopes to grow the business.
“The big thing I’m working toward is having a commercial property where I can then offer a thrift store that would be severely discounted,” he said. “There’s a lot this business has provided, as far as ideas of how I can scale this. I would like to make it more of a big thing and offer dumpster rentals. I imagine, by the 10-year mark, my dreams will be true, it’s just finding a commercial property.
“Now is a busy time,” Wyckoff continued. “I’ve been doing 12- and 14-hour days and just went 40 days without a day off. The phone doesn’t stop, so I try to keep up the best I can. Once I get to a commercial property, I’ll have somebody answering the phone and handling advertising, but right now it’s a one-man show and I wear a lot of hats.”
For more information or to schedule a quote, call or text Wyckoff at 607-743-9609 or find “Atlas Removal Services” on Facebook.