It’s been a great past couple of years for Madti Johnson, who has been the owner of Paradise Lakes Junk Removal in Waterville since September 23, 2023. Her business has been steady, and it’s still growing. “I thought it’d be more like I’m picking up people’s junk and I’d be working another job on the side,” she said. “But for it to turn into this business…it’s been really cool.”
Johnson is a Janesville native and attended Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School, but earned her GED elsewhere. She wasn’t positive what life had in store for her. She decided to join the workforce right after graduating, starting off as a bartender. She was also a caretaker for a while. “At the time, I was also installing TVs in bars for a gambling company,” she added.
But, as her time with those jobs ended, she contemplated what she would do for work. “I was moving two houses in a month at the time,” she explained. “I was taking multiple trips to the dump. I didn’t want to do that anymore. So, I tried finding someone to take my last load to the dump. But I couldn’t.”
That’s when the light bulb appeared above her head. If there was no one in the area that did junk removal, why not do it herself? “I did some research and watched some YouTube videos on junk removal,” she said. “I bought my first truck right after. I went from doing small furniture pickups to doing full barn and house cleanups this year.”
One of her lengthiest jobs was cleaning up a hoarder house.
Her partner, Dustin Mann, runs Vermillion Creek Homes and Exteriors, which builds and renovates homes to look as good as new. Mann’s story of his time in construction began when he was 16 years old. “I started doing construction in high school. I worked with a few different companies doing different trades like roofing, concrete, and drywall.”
He started Vermillion Creek Homes in 2012 and built custom homes in the area. “I built anywhere from one to three homes per year on my own with the help of some subcontractors,” he explained. “I did everything except plumbing and electrical.”
He mainly focused on the roofing, siding, and windows trade (which he called his “roots” in construction) in 2018. To this day, that’s his specialty, along with remodeling.
Mann met Johnson in 2024. The two have a wonderful family, with Madti’s seven-year-old son and a set of four-year-old twins and Mann’s daughter and son. While they are partners in life and love, they are also excellent partners in business. Mann shared that since the two met, they’ve teamed up on some jobs. “It turns out that in some of these estate sales, you may need some junk removal before you work on the home and sell it,” he said. “So, what we both do is work with the sellers and remodel it before selling it. The goal is to clean up and remodel together.” Johnson has enjoyed working side by side with Mann and helping their clients clean, sell, and renovate their homes. “Our two businesses have combined into one,” she elaborated. “What we’re dreaming of for the future is to do an estate business solution, like a one-stop shop for estate sales. We can come in, clean up the home, renovate it, and sell it. That way, we’re helping people instead of them having to hire different contractors throughout the whole process.”
completely cleaned this shed out. She usually tries to keep some items to either sell or donate.
Johnson tries her best to repurpose or sell the items she finds by removing junk from people’s homes. “I do try to give back whenever I can,” she added. “When the flood hit Waterville, I was able to donate some furniture to residents. I like to avoid bringing everything to the dump when I can.”
She enjoys seeing the before and after of a job and the customers’ reactions afterward. “There was this one lady…she couldn’t do the furniture moving herself, but needed it done. Seeing her relief…it makes my day if I can make someone else’s day. I’ve been able to help so many in not-so-fun situations turn things around.”
Mann also likes helping clients move out of their homes. “I like helping people move so they don’t have to deal with it all.”
One of Johnson’s favorite parts of the business was finding cool items while cleaning clients’ homes. They had recently found a toboggan and a mining pick during one of their cleanups. Mann shared that some clients end up throwing away some pretty nice stuff. “We had a very nice bed that we used for a few months.”
Johnson admits that there have been challenges in the business, especially in the beginning. “When I first started, it was difficult lifting some of the stuff or figuring out a way to get a 600-pound sink out of the basement,” she explained. “Those parts were challenging at first. But now that I have Dustin around, it makes it much easier.”
“We have an employee who works for both of us,” Mann added. “We plan out our day to help out each other.”
Johnson also admitted that pricing job bids was challenging. “I wanted to be fair to my clients, but I also had to be fair to myself to keep the business going.”
The two share the same goal: to expand to the point where they can be comfortable and happy. “We’d like to be comfortable while helping people with their needs,” Mann said. “We want to get to the point where we can value time more than money.”
Johnson added that she’d like to get into more estate cleanouts. “I’d like to see that in full force within the next year.”
The two look forward to what 2026 will bring. If it’s been like the last couple of years, business will stay steady and grow.
