2019 40 Under 40: James Stevens, 37

SBJ photo by Wes Hamilton

After walking away from a 15-year career the restaurant industry in 2015, James Stevens is now working for himself.

He first started mold remediation business Dog Gone Mold, then followed with Dog Gone Junk, a trash removal venture he started in 2017 with his brother, Dominic. Dog Gone Mold has grown to 11 full-time employees from its start with just Stevens and two part-time employees. Stevens says Dog Gone Mold’s revenue last year tripled from the close of its first year.

He has volunteered at homeless shelters for years and serves on the board for the newly formed Middle of the Road Drop-In Shelter & Recovery Center, a nonprofit that provides street outreach for the homeless.

What was your first job? A bus boy. By the time I was 15, they gave me the nickname general manager.

What are you doing to make the Ozarks better? My wife and I donate to many local organizations to help the homeless and the domestically abused.

What about your job would shock people/clients? The amount of mold and debris we find in crawl spaces every day is pretty amazing.

Have you ever met a celebrity? Artists Selena Gomez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Coolio and Salt-N-Pepa, DJ Diplo, ESPN analyst Chris Mortensen, NFL coaches Dick Vermeil and Doug Pederson, and NFL owner Jerry Jones. I worked in the restaurant industry … and I have a good friend who has worked in radio.