On Building Loved Businesses, we look for companies that don’t just perform well—they’re genuinely loved by their customers, employees, and communities. This week, I had the opportunity to talk with someone who is proving every day that a strong culture and clear expectations build more than revenue. They build loyalty.
I’m talking about Jeremy LaCamera, franchise manager for Two Men and a Truck and Two Men and a Junk Truck in the Quad Cities. Jeremy oversees one part of a growing franchise group that includes seven total locations across Illinois, Iowa, and Tennessee. And if you think moving and junk removal doesn’t leave room for leadership lessons, think again.
Culture Isn’t About Comfort—It’s About Clarity
Jeremy didn’t come to his current role from behind a desk. He started as a teenager hauling furniture for his dad, drove a truck himself, and worked his way up in the garbage industry before stepping into leadership. Along the way, he learned something that sounds simple but isn’t practiced nearly enough:
People want a workplace they enjoy—but they also want standards.
Jeremy told me that his goal is for employees to want to come to work. Not because it’s easy, but because they know what’s expected of them and they’re supported in meeting those expectations. His team understands revenue targets, safety standards, even the financial impact of damaging a truck. They’re not just told to work hard—they know what their work accomplishes.
That clarity does something powerful. It turns a job into a mission.
The Best Recruiting Strategy? A Great Culture
Every leader I work with in this industry complains about staffing—especially anyone hiring CDL drivers or laborers. Jeremy’s approach? Build a culture so strong that your employees become your recruiters.
His crews refer their friends because they enjoy working there. Some get approached at gas stations because they genuinely look happy on the job. That’s not luck. That’s culture.
Two Men and a Truck also operates on something Jeremy calls The Grandma Rule:
Treat every customer the way you’d want your grandma to be treated.
In an industry where customers are stressed, tired, emotional, and probably not at their best, this mindset protects the brand, the team, and the customer relationship.
Word of mouth isn’t a marketing tactic in their world—it’s the business model.
Healthy Competition, Shared Success
The franchise group Jeremy works within shares labor and equipment between locations to support each other. Yet they also compete in friendly rivalry for growth milestones. They recently became the second franchise in their group to cross $3 million in revenue, after pushing hard for that number.
Now they’re chasing $4 million, and they want to be the first to get there.
That’s what happens when culture and clarity combine:
People don’t just show up to work. They show up to win.
The Future: Doing More Than Just Moving
Two Men and a Truck in the Quad Cities isn’t stopping with bigger revenue targets. They’re building deeper partnerships—working with property managers, realtors, and businesses that need reliable moving and junk removal. The strategy is simple:
- Show up.
- Explain what you do.
- Do it well enough that they talk about you.
In a world drowning in marketing gimmicks, there’s something refreshing about a business built on delivering consistently excellent service.
What Leaders Can Learn from Jeremy’s Approach
Whether you run a moving company or a consulting firm, here’s the takeaway:
A loved business comes from a culture of support AND standards. Not one or the other. Both.
You can’t buy loyalty. You build it by helping people succeed.
You can’t outmarket bad word of mouth. You avoid it by honoring your values.
And you can’t hit big goals without clarity, collaboration, and a culture worth sticking around for.