The short version about AZ Haul: I built the company I needed when my mother died.
Here is the longer one.
Service is the family business
My mother was Army and served during Vietnam. My grandfather served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Two uncles, two brothers-in-law, and my nephew all served as well. One of those uncles is a retired full-bird colonel who spent five years in Iraq, and not because he was ordered to. Three separate times he volunteered to extend, and once he turned down a desk job so he could go back instead. Add it up across the family and it is more than 100 years in uniform. I grew up an Army brat inside that standard.
I had to join three times
The first time was 2003. I was 17 and I signed an infantry contract. Before I shipped to basic, a car accident left me with a permanent rod in my leg and nearly cost me my right arm. That voided the contract, so I went to college instead.
I graduated straight into the 2008 financial crisis and decided to try again. This time I went after the Navy, because I wanted a shot at BUD/S. It took two months of doctor visits and a hearing in front of the Naval Medical Board before I was granted a waiver for the metal in my leg. Then I waited another eight months and made four trips to the military processing station, and the Navy still had no job available that would guarantee me a chance at SEAL selection.
So in 2010 I walked over to the Army. They could not guarantee an Option 40 contract either, but they told me I could try out for special operations once I got to my unit. I chose artillery. It is combat arms, and it opened the door to Air Assault and the combatives instructor course. I served with 1st Battalion (Air Assault) 377th Field Artillery Regiment. Our unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2012 and 2013.
I left active duty in 2014 and almost immediately felt lost, so I waived my inactive reserve time and did another four years in the active reserve before calling it. I joined three times, all three during two ongoing wars, and I never did get a selection slot. After eight years and a lot of friends in the special operations community, I will be honest with you: I do not think I am quite that caliber of man. Those guys are a specific type of person, and they are even more impressive in real life than they are in the movies.
What the Army actually gave me
Grit. That is it, and it is worth more than everything else combined. I used the GI Bill for three degrees including an MBA, and I do not credit a single business success to any of them. I failed at seven businesses before anything started to click.
The part I am actually proud of
My wife Lina runs her own marriage and family therapy practice and still shows up to help on junk removal jobs. Talk about grit. We have a daughter who got her mother’s looks, brains, and toughness, and who unfortunately inherited my borderline delusional optimism. Maybe that one is a good thing.
Why junk removal
My mom lived in Sierra Vista. She had a stroke, and afterward she became a hoarder. For ten years I watched her collect and live inside an endless amount of stuff. I would clean it out, come back, and it would be worse. She passed away a decade after the stroke.
Overwhelming is the word that comes to mind when your mother dies and you are standing in an apartment full of endless stuff with no idea what is important and what is not. Plus two storage units. I had three days. On the third day the apartment manager slipped an eviction notice under the door. They were evicting my mother, who had died a few days earlier. I still do not have the words for what I felt.
I called every cleaning company, every mover, and every so-called junk hauler in town. At the end of the day my brother, my sister, and my wife were there, so at least I was not completely alone. But it was painfully obvious to me that junk removal is not picking up someone’s trash. It takes compassion, availability, ability, and work ethic, and almost nobody was offering all four.
So I went back up to Flagstaff and created the solution I wish I had.
— Ryan Kanaley, Owner, AZ Haul
What that means when we show up
- We answer the phone.
- We show up when we said we would.
- If it can be donated, it will be.
- We handle estate and hoarding cleanouts the way I wish someone had handled mine.
Every person who steps onto your property has passed Google’s Local Services screening, which includes identity and criminal history checks plus cross-checks against the national sex offender, terrorist, and sanctions registries. The company was screened too, including civil litigation, judgments, and liens. That is not a promise. It is a background check.
Where to find us in Flagstaff
AZ Haul Junk Removal is based at 2001 E Huntington Dr, Suite C, Room 106, Flagstaff, AZ 86004, just off I-40 at the Butler Avenue interchange. Junk removal and dumpster rentals run out of this location seven days a week, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
If you want to know more about AZ Haul before you book, call or text and ask for Ryan. Everything about AZ Haul comes back to one idea: show up when we say we will and leave the place better than we found it.
Get a free quote or call (928) 600-2035.
About AZ Haul: How We Work Day to Day
The story above explains why this company exists. This section is about AZ Haul as it runs today: what a normal day looks like, what we hold ourselves to, and how to work with us. If you are reading about AZ Haul because you are deciding who to let into your home or onto your property, this is the practical part.
Most days start early at our shop at 2001 E Huntington Dr in Flagstaff. We check the schedule, the weather and the route, load the right equipment, and head out. Our phones are answered from 8 AM to 6 PM, seven days a week, and quotes come in all day by text, photo and our online form.
A typical day might include a single-mattress pickup on the east side, a garage cleanout in Doney Park, a dump-trailer delivery to a remodel in Kachina Village, and a recurring commercial pickup. We plan routes so we are not crisscrossing town, which keeps our arrival times honest and our prices fair.
What We Value
A lot of companies list values on a wall. These are the ones we actually get measured on by customers every day.
Show up on time
If we give you a window, we are there in it. If something changes, like a snowstorm or a job that ran long, we call you before you have to call us. Being reliable is the whole point of AZ Haul.
Upfront pricing
You get a firm price quote before we lift anything. It is based on how much space your items take up, plus things like weight, access and special items. No surprise charges at the end of the job.
Donation first
Good furniture, tools and housewares should not end up buried. We set aside usable items for donation, recycle metal and appliances, and only take true trash to permitted sites like the City’s Cinder Lake Landfill. Coconino County publishes a handy guide on what and where to recycle in Coconino County if you want to see how local recycling works.
Leave it cleaner than we found it
Every job ends with a sweep. If we hauled it out of your garage, you get the garage floor back.
About AZ Haul’s Veteran Background
AZ Haul is owned by an eight-year U.S. Army artillery veteran. We do not lean on that for marketing, but it does shape how the company runs: clear plans, showing up prepared, doing the job right the first time, and taking care of the people around you.
In practical terms, that means crews arrive with the right equipment for the job, safety comes before speed when lifting heavy items, and when we say a job is done, it is done. Safe lifting matters too, because a hurt crew member helps nobody. If you only remember one thing about AZ Haul, make it this: we do what we said we would do.
Local Roots: 25 Years in the Flagstaff Area
One thing people may not know about AZ Haul: our owner has lived in the Flagstaff area for about 25 years, and AZ Haul is based in Bellemont, just west of town. That local history matters more than it sounds. We know which roads turn to mud in spring, which neighborhoods have tight driveways, and which disposal sites take what.
We serve Flagstaff, Bellemont, Parks, Williams, Doney Park, Kachina Village, Mountainaire, Munds Park, Sedona, the Village of Oak Creek and the Verde Valley. Being local also means we care about the same forests, trails and neighborhoods you do, so keeping usable items out of the landfill is personal for us. The City of Flagstaff’s page on where to take waste is a good resource for anything you want to drop off yourself.
How to Work With AZ Haul
Everything about AZ Haul is set up to make getting started simple:
- Send photos or call. Snap a few pictures from a step back and send them through our price quote page, or call us.
- Get your quote. We reply with a firm price. For bigger jobs, like estates, we can walk through in person.
- Pick a time. Choose a day that works for you, any day of the week.
- We handle the rest. Loading, sorting, hauling, donating and sweeping up.
For property managers, contractors and businesses, AZ Haul also runs recurring service. Commercial accounts are billed monthly, net 30, with before and after photos so you can see the work without driving out to check.
Frequently Asked Questions About AZ Haul
Is AZ Haul locally owned?
Yes. AZ Haul is locally owned and operated, based in Bellemont with a shop in Flagstaff. We are not a franchise.
How long has AZ Haul been in business?
AZ Haul has been serving Northern Arizona since 2022.
What does AZ Haul do?
Two main things: full-service junk removal, where our crew does the lifting, and dumpster rental using dump trailers we deliver to your property.
What are your hours?
We work 8 AM to 6 PM, seven days a week, including weekends.
Do you donate what you pick up?
Whenever we can. Donation comes first, then recycling, then the landfill.
How do I reach the owner?
Email ryan@azhaul.com. For scheduling and quotes, calling or texting is fastest.
Still have questions about AZ Haul, or ready to book? Call or text us at (928) 600-2035.