Jan 8, 2024 By Mark Hofmann 3 min read

When most teenagers look for a part-time job, they may apply to a local fast-food place or department store.

That wasn’t the route that Albert Gallatin Area High School senior Landen Conroy took.

The 17-year-old from Masontown literally took matters into his own hands and started his own business.

“I started out wanting summer work or a winter job, but I couldn’t find anywhere I wanted to work,” said Conroy.

So, Conroy thought, “If I can’t find a job, I’ll create one, and that’s what I did.”

Around the end of June, Conroy looked for a service that was in demand locally, and took note that there was a lot of trash along the highways.

“A lot of older folks used to say how nice the town was and how it’s been going downhill in the last decade or so. I could clean up the community and make it look a little better for those folks that lived here for generations,” he said.

That was the birth of LC’s Junk and Trash Removal, a company that specializes in removing unwanted materials that can gather from home renovations or other junk that gathers over time.

The company also will transport items for someone moving into a new home.

To advertise his business, Conroy said he made fliers, signs and posters, and introduced the upstart at community events and borough council meetings.

He also accepted that the growth would be slow, noting, “It takes years to grow a business and grow clientele. I’m doing it one step at a time.”

Conroy said he has learned lessons along the way, including not to underbid on a job just to get it. After doing so, he recognized that factoring in the costs of hauling the trash and paying to dispose of it meant he was working for very little profit.

Another challenge was explaining to customers that paying for proper disposal can increase the cost of hauling services.

“The hardest part is telling the customer the price and getting the door slammed in your face,” he said.

However, Conroy said he has found that, like life, a business will have ups and downs.

“When something goes bad, it will eventually become good,” Conroy said. “It’s like a roller coaster.”

It’s also a balancing act for Conroy between academics, playing football and wrestling at AGHS.

“I always just felt that I’m different than other people,” Conroy said. “I want to go the extra mile, I have to go the extra mile. … I feel it will pay off in the long run.”

Conroy’s decision has also piqued the interest of his fellow classmates, with many of them asking how he did it and if he’s making good money.

As high school graduation looms, Conroy said while many people he knows want him to go to college, he’d like to keep his day job, investing in his business to see where it goes.

“I don’t know what my end goal is right now, but I know I’ll be in some type of business,” Conroy said.

Whatever he chooses, Conroy said he couldn’t have done it if it weren’t for the support of those around him including his grandparents and his mother.

“They push me to keep going,” Conroy said.

For more information on LC’s Junk and Trash Removal, call Conroy at 724-208-6335.