SWAMPSCOTT — In 1999, Todd Flannery was headed to his job at Bertucci’s, running late because of a handyman job he had been at beforehand. His boss told him on the phone that if he wasn’t there on time, he would be fired.
Flannery quit on the spot, went home, and told his wife, Kristyn, that he was going to become a handyman full-time.
“Of course, she thought I was nuts, but she supported me,” Flannery said, laughing. “Now, 21 years later, we’ve got a dozen trucks on the road and it’s busy.”
Flannery, who lives in Swampscott, knew soon after he started his company, Flannery’s Handymen, that he needed the money: he and Kristyn, his girlfriend at the time, had their first daughter, Rylee, on the way. He had originally worked odd jobs with a friend under the business name Two Guys and a Dog, but decided to make it his profession after leaving the restaurant.
Flannery’s Handymen, based in Lynn, offers moving, demolition, clean-out and junk removal services, along with other handyman work. Flannery, who runs the company with his brother, Rory, said that they often work jobs that range from tiny apartments to million-dollar homes, and that he strives to make sure clients feel cared for.
“A lot of moving companies have bad raps. The barrier of communication is kind of hard, and basically, after the move is done, there’s nobody to reach if there’s an issue,” he said. “My cell phone is on every bill.”
That care pays off. Flannery said that most of his business comes from repeat customers or others who were referred by friends impressed with their work.
Beyond their everyday work, Flannery’s also participates in charitable giving and green initiatives. Flannery does his best to find new uses for furniture that his company removes from clients’ homes, and has organized large-scale donations overseas in the past.
In addition, he’s known for some more unique ways of giving back. In 2011, Flannery was walking with his son in Swampscott when he saw a toddler that had crawled out a window onto the roof of a nearby house. He immediately climbed the building to rescue the child, earning himself honors from the Celtics and the Massachusetts state legislature and a “Father of the Year” title from Esquire.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Flannery’s has continued working, offering contact-free junk removal, wearing masks for other jobs and getting tested often. Flannery said that they have been able to keep 12 employees on through the pandemic, and have only missed three days in the past year.
“We’re trying to work with the times,” he said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen, so we’re trying to go along with it.”
Flannery is close with his family, which now includes three sons: Shayne, 12, Ryder, 9, and Broghan, 5. His daughter, Rylee, who was born around the same time he established his business, will turn 19 in August and head off to college.
Flannery said that he can’t believe the way the time has passed. He said that Rylee hasn’t decided yet what school she will be going to or what she will study. He will be OK with whatever she does, and is proud that his business has provided the opportunity for his daughter.
“I just want her to do the whole college thing, because me and my wife never did it,” Flannery said. “I want her to say, at least I tried it.”
