Today we’d like to introduce you to David Gravley.
Thanks for sharing your story with us David. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I served in the Marine Corps for 22 years as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician, attaining the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant (E-9). I deployed six times to Iraq and Afghanistan, where I disarmed enemy Improvised Explosive Devices, commonly known as IEDs or homemade bombs. Upon retirement, I had rendered safe nearly 1,000 of the devices and was considered one of the most experienced EOD Techs in the service.
In January 2008, I was disarming an IED in Fallujah, Iraq when the enemy caused it to explode, severely injuring me. After being medevacked to Bethesda, Md., I endured over eighty surgeries and months of therapy before I was cleared to full duty and deployed to Afghanistan.
When I was preparing for retirement in June 2017, I had numerous offers from government agencies and private contractors, but then one of my best friends from the Marine Corps and EOD called me. Tim Colomer, CEO of JDog Junk Removal United, a Military Veteran Partners company, had an opportunity for me with JDog Junk Removal & Hauling, and I jumped at the chance to help him build the business in Houston. I am now the Region Partner for JDog Junk Removal & Hauling Houston.
I have been happily married to my wife for over twenty years. We have one daughter, one granddaughter, and are expecting a grandson in November. We live in Spring, TX in the Spring Trails subdivision.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As a Veteran, I understand firsthand how difficult the transition from military to civilian life can be. At JDog Junk Removal & Hauling, our mission every day is to provide world-class service to our customers, which in turn allows us to put more veterans to work. Our goal is to hire over 100 Veterans and military family members in Houston within the next four years.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling is a national franchise that’s owned and operated by Veterans and their family members. JDog’s mission is to empower, serve, and protect. We empower by creating career and employment opportunities for Veterans, military spouses, Veteran family members and others who share our same values and work ethic. We serve local communities by partnering with charities and organizations that can reuse the items hauled away. We protect the environment through repurposing, reusing, and recycling strategies that keep 90 percent of the items removed from customers’ homes and businesses out of the landfill.
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling Houston provides residential and commercial junk removal and hauling services throughout the Houston metro area. Since coming to Houston in the summer of 2017, JDog Junk Removal & Hauling has already impacted the community in many ways. For example, we’ve:
●Donated over $25,000 in medical equipment to be used by the less fortunate through Project C.U.R.E.
●Partnered with the Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department to donate broken furniture for their fire training facilities
●Supported Hurricane Harvey relief efforts as one of the first recovery teams on the ground
●Donated salvageable items to Humble Area Assistance Ministries (HAAM), Purple Heart, and Camp Hope, a local in-patient PTSD treatment facility program
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least about our city?
I like the pride, patriotism, and genuine friendliness of Houstonians, and find the city to be a great, welcoming place for our Veteran-owned business. I’m less fond of the traffic and the hot sticky weather.
Contact Info:
- Address: 15411 Vantage Parkway West, Suite 220, Houston, 77032
- Website: https://www.jdogjunkremoval.com/locations/texas/houston-junk-removal
- Phone: 844-GET-JDOG
- Email: Houston@JDOG.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JDogHouston/
Image Credit:
JDog Junk Removal & Hauling Houston
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