Blair Garrett

From humble beginnings to a 50-year business, Beard’s Trash Service in Thurmont celebrates a huge milestone.

The desire to make a successful business that your family can inherit is not uncommon. However, the ability to make it a reality is a whole different story.

Beard’s Trash Service is a family-owned business that epitomizes what it means to be hard-working, along with putting in the hours necessary to be successful.

Richard, Pam, and Luke Beard still run the day-to-day operations for Beard’s Trash, but it’s hard to forget their roots in the company.

“My mother-in-law, Ada Beard, started the company in 1972,” owner Pam Beard said. “She started it in a Ford F-150 pickup with wood sides.”

Starting off by herself, she soon needed help with the growing clientele base.

“She would pick up household trash, pick up papers, and all that for $3.00 a month,” Pam said. “She eventually started getting a lot more customers, so my husband started helping her on weekends.”

The world has changed a lot since 1972, but Beard’s Trash Service’s quality service is still a staple of the business.

Beard’s has seen significant growth from its Ford F-150 days, with a much-expanded team that still provides the same person-to-person service.

“Now we have three big garbage trucks, three employees on the trucks, and three people in the office,” Pam said.

The crew runs the routes solo and covers a tremendous area several times a week.

“We run the majority of Frederick County, and we run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday,” Pam explained. “We help over 3,000 customers and have over 200 dumpsters we service in Frederick County.”

The hours are long, but sometimes that’s what it takes to push a family business to the next level. “They start running at 1:00 a.m. and pick up for residences and dumpsters until 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon,” Pam said.

It’s been a remarkable 50 years for the company, and the community support has kept them going for the past five decades.

“We just want to thank all our loyal customers who have been with us for years,” Richard said.

Local businesses have a way of giving back to the community in a way that huge corporations just can’t match. When customers keep supporting a business run by a family that lives within that community, a huge portion of their profits are re-invested back into that area. A community thrives when everyone succeeds.

Five decades of providing local trash pickup service is impressive, and Beard’s Trash Service keeping the business in the family for so long holds significant value to them.

“It means a lot to be around 50 years because it’s spanned three generations,” Pam said. “My mother-in-law started it, and then my husband has worked there for years, and then once he retires, my son will be taking it all over.”

There’s something special about passing your business down to your children, knowing they will keep it going with the same care and attention that was given to it when it was started.

The Beards are proud of their milestone, but Pam’s message to the community remains the same. “If anyone wants good family service, give us a call.”

Richard Beard and his son, Luke Beard, proudly show their American spirit with their newest truck and logo. You can’t miss a Beard’s Trash truck! Courtesy Photo