With support from the UGA Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC), childhood friends and business partners Sean Dane-Kellogg and Max Lemaigre transformed their entrepreneurial vision into two thriving businesses—Detritus and JMS Dumpster Rental (dba Dumpster Rental Dogs).
What started as a two-person operation has grown into two companies that employ over 50 people in the Savannah area and generate millions in annual revenue.
Dane-Kellogg, who is a UGA alum, and Lemaigre launched Detritus in 2018 with just $5,000 and their own experiences working in the logistics and site services industry. Operating out of a spare bedroom, they built websites and fielded customer calls, growing Detritus into a nationwide digital marketplace that connects individuals and companies to essential job site services, including dumpsters, portable toilets, fencing and heavy machinery rentals.
As demand for roll-off dumpster rentals surged in Savannah, the two saw an opportunity to expand locally and launch their own asset-based company. In 2019, they met with Chase Cowart, a business consultant at the UGA SBDC in Savannah, for guidance on securing capital to start JMS Dumpster Rental.
Dane-Kellogg and Lemaigre were referred to the UGA SBDC by the Small Business Assistance Corporation (SBAC), a Community Development Financial Institution in Savannah, for assistance developing the business plan and financial projections they needed to apply for a small business loan.
“About a year and a half after we started Detritus, we decided to start our own assets company because we were getting so much business here in the Savannah area,” said Dane-Kellogg. “That’s when we started working with Chase. He helped us develop a business plan to apply for an SBA loan, which bought us our first dumpsters, our first couple of trucks. It was the birth of what is known as JMS Dumpster Rental.”
With Cowart’s assistance, Dane-Kellogg and Lemaigre secured the SBA loan that allowed them to launch JMS Dumpster Rental and take control of their growing market demand.
“Max and I are business-minded, but scrappy individuals,” said Dane-Kellogg. “Our strengths didn’t lie in putting together spreadsheets or thinking through every detail of a 75-page business plan. Chase brought an attention to detail that we were lacking at the time.”
Beyond securing funding, the UGA SBDC has continued to support Detritus and JMS Dumpster Rental. In recent years, Cowart has provided guidance on implementing HR policies and procedures and identifying office space for their expanding workforce.
When they began working with Cowart, Dane-Kellogg and Lemaigre were Detritus’ only sales staff, sourcing leads from across the country and distributing them to their network of 7,500 vendors nationwide. By 2024, Detritus had grown to over 40 employees and was on track for $24 million in revenue—a 167% increase over two years. At the same time, JMS Dumpster Rental continued scaling its operations, bringing the combined workforce of both companies to more than 50 employees.
“It was very clear upon my first meeting with Max and Sean that they were determined to make both Detritus and JMS Dumpster Rentals successful,” said Cowart. “I was fortunate to meet them when I did, and I have remained impressed as they continue to grow both companies.”
Today, Detritus serves a growing roster of Fortune 500 clients and has strengthened its position as a leading site services provider with a vendor network of more than 10,000. The company’s rapid growth and industry impact earned it a spot on the UGA Bulldog 100 list in both 2024 and 2025. The list recognizes the fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA graduates.
“Growth has been very good for us. The two companies are different scales, but both have been progressively growing at a good click. So, we’ve been doing very well,” said Lemaigre.
To sustain their momentum, Detritus recently hired a Chief Operating Officer to scale operations and workforce, and brought on a Chief Technology Officer to develop the company’s enterprise CRM platform. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its service offerings.
“Heavy machinery is our next focus,” said Dane-Kellogg. “Our goal is to be a one-stop shop for major contractors, offering just about anything and everything they might need on the construction site.”
Through perseverance, strategic guidance and the support of the UGA SBDC, Dane-Kellogg and Lemaigre have built two sustainable and high-growth businesses.
“Even though this was our business and our industry, Chase got us to think about different aspects of the business that we might have overlooked. Chase and the UGA SBDC are definitely part of our business success story.”
All programs of the UGA SBDC are open to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The University of Georgia
Small Business Development Center
382 East Broad Street
Athens, GA 30602-5412
P: (706) 542-2762
