Founder and CEO of ScrubCan Inc. Corey Jackson with the first work truck he used for his business. Photo by Donald A. Promnitz

You never know what you need until you need it.

With that saying in mind, Fresno businessman Corey Jackson founded ScrubCan Inc., a Fresno-based garbage bin cleaning company that recently took up new office space in town.

Starting out from a home office in 2014 to a 600 square-foot office in the Downtown Business Hub in Fresno, Jackson has grown his company exponentially, recently taking up a 4,500 square-foot warehouse and 1,200 square-foot office at 3776 W. Ashcroft Ave. near Shaw and Brawley avenues.

Beginning as a one-man operation, Jackson went door-to-door, cleaning the garbage cans of residential homes with just a hose, and in about three years, he has acquired more than 500 clients and employs 21 people.

Even with just one work truck, Jackson had trouble with parking downtown, and after acquiring a total of three trucks, more space was needed. Though he would have liked to stay downtown, Jackson searched for a new location for his business.

“We had to expand, which was good,” Jackson said. “We had to park our vehicles securely and give our managers and employees a place where they could get their work done, and a good sense of home.”

He wanted to have easy access to Highway 99 to reach the city’s wastewater treatment facility on Jensen Avenue, where he loads up on recycled water. Space for fleet parking and a nicer looking environment were all factors for Jackson when he was scouting for new locations for the business.

It took a while for Jackson and his crew to figure out the garbage pickup schedules, inspiring him to find a way to stay productive while they waited for the garbage trucks to do their thing.

“We said, ‘Hey we’ve got a big truck with equipment so we’ve got to do something else’,” Jackson said. “People need to get their solar panels cleaned, so I launched ScrubSolar. We started cleaning solar panels in the weekends and in the hours when the garbage trucks weren’t running.”

With his eyes open to other needs that people and businesses might need, Jackson wanted to put his employees and equipment to work at different services.

Jackson figured since they had a pressure washer, they could clean company fleet cars on the weekends, so he launched ScrubFleet.

Continuing his lookout for more business ventures, he turned his sights towards the restaurant business. He launched ScrubKitchen to clean out kitchen grease traps and vent hoods.

While working for a ScrubFleet client, Jackson was asked if his company provided janitorial services. He replied with, “sure,” and ScrubFacilities was born.

Jackson said that his advertising comes a lot from word of mouth, and from his trucks that carry the ScrubCan Inc. name.

“When I started the company, I had no money,” says Jackson. “When I built the first truck, I knew it had to be our marketing and our billboard. It was important that we market just enough, and we didn’t overmarket until we were really sure of what we were doing and that we could take whatever growth came.”

One of Jackson’s major clients is Turner Security Systems. CEO John Turner said that he has used ScrubFleet’s services for more than two years to get his fleet of 55 security vehicles cleaned.

“I saw the [ScrubCan truck] driving around town and was curious, and reached out to him,” Turner said. “They do awesome work and he’s very consistent and shows up the same days twice a week, never late, and always does a great job.”

Jackson said that when he first came up with his idea for ScrubCan, there were other companies trying to establish themselves as garbage can cleaners, but for whatever reasons, those companies didn’t last.

His did.

Jackson said he’d like to expand to other cities, other states, and if the chance comes along, even globally.

For anyone wishing to get into business or entrepreneurship, Jackson advises patience, discipline in sticking to plans and the ability to learn from elders and others in the industry.

“Be patient. Be persistent. Don’t give up. If you believe in your idea, keep pushing it. Stick true to what you believe in and anything could happen,” he said.