Fire Dawgs Expanding to Pendleton

An Indianapolis-based junk removal company is continuing its statewide expansion. Fire Dawgs Junk Removal has established operations in Pendleton to serve the Muncie, Anderson and Fishers markets, with plans to add a dozen jobs.

Fire Dawgs, which also has operations in Bloomington and Fort Wayne, has acquired a four-acre property in Pendleton and plans to renovate the three buildings on the property by the end of the first quarter of next year.

While financial details of the expansion have not been disclosed, the project is being made possible with help from a U.S. Small Business Administration 504 loan from Lake City Bank and the Indiana Statewide Certified Development Corp.

“As the sole owner, with no outside investors, a company like ours needs to pay close attention to cash flow. Keeping profit in the company allows us to reinvest in our people, as well as buy more trucks and equipment for future growth into new Indiana markets,” owner Bennett Grove said in a news release. “The 504 helps us conserve cash with a smaller down payment than that of conventional financing.”

In an interview last year on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Grove said he wants the company to have a presence in every major Indiana city.

In an email to Inside INdiana Business on Thursday, Grove said the company has begun its plan to set up operations in Lafayette in the first quarter of 2022, with plans for further expansion into South Bend, Evansville, northwest Indiana, and Terre Haute over the next 2-3 years.

Grove says Fire Dawgs currently employs 50, but expects to have more than 100 employees by the end of next year.