In following their fathers into business careers, Ben Heekin and Syrus Bakkar are not only carrying on a family tradition but advancing a multigenerational friendship as well.
Heekin and Bakkar, co-owners and co-managers of the newly founded American Rolloffs dumpster service, are the sons of local businessmen David Heekin and Ramzy Bakkar.
The elder Heekin and Bakkar, both 49, formed a lifelong friendship after meeting as classmates at Assumption Catholic School, and their sons developed a brotherly bond while growing up in their closely connected families.
For the fathers, seeing their sons launch a business partnership is a source of joy. Ben Heekin is 23, a year older than Syrus Bakkar.
“It’s fun to watch,” said David Heekin, the founder and owner of Heekin Law and Landmark Title.
“Ramzy and I have been friends since kindergarten, and we share the same value system. When Ben and Syrus were growing up, that same value system was instilled in them – the qualities of hard work and doing the right thing and doing what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.
“So I just think it’s going to be fun to watch these two good friends go out there and conquer the business world.”
Classmates and friends
Like their fathers, Ben Heekin and Syrus Bakkar grew up as Assumption Catholic School classmates who became close friends. Both sons and fathers graduated from Bishop Kenny High School, with the Heekins then attending the University of Florida and Bakkars heading to Florida State University.
“We became really close in middle school and then high school, and even more all the way through college,” Ben Heekin said of his friendship with Syrus Bakkar. “I always knew I wanted to do something in business with Syrus.”
The idea behind American Rolloffs came from Ben Heekin, who was doing work that involved junk removal in 2023 when he developed an interest in the companies that were providing dumpster drop-offs and removals at worksites. A roll-off provider delivers empty waste containers to job sites and then removes and disposes of their contents.
Ben sought advice about the business from Ramzy Bakkar, the president of the Jacksonville-based Bakkar Group commercial real estate company. Ramzy offered insights to Ben and introduced him to some of his contacts in local real estate development.
Ramzy also encouraged Syrus to think about entering the roll-off business, and the two initially explored plans to start an operation in Orlando so as to avoid competing with the Heekins in the Jacksonville market.
But shortly after learning that the Bakkars were eyeing Orlando, David Heekin reached out to Ramzy Bakkar with a proposal to partner up in Jacksonville.
“David gave me a call and said, ‘Hey, you don’t need to go to Orlando. Just come in with us,” the elder Bakkar said. “I was honored that he thought of us to include us in his business. I said, ‘Absolutely, that would be great.’ It’s a great pairing of both of us and our expertise, because he does a lot in the residential section and I do a lot in the commercial.”
The fathers serve as advisers in the business and, along with their wives, as investors.
Launching company, planning expansion
After months of market research and preparation, the sons launched American Rolloffs in June.
The sons treat the business as a down-the-middle partnership, with each learning the other’s roles.
“We’re both trying to learn the entire business, so we’re doing everything together,” Syrus said.
“I think our goals will define themselves more as we grow, but right now we want to make sure that if I’m sick, Ben can do my job, and if Ben is sick I can do his job.”
Starting with one truck and one driver, the two are hoping to expand the business by focusing on providing prompt service and customer-friendly touches like mats that protect concrete surfaces from being damaged by the weighty dumpsters.
“The biggest thing is to pick up and drop off the dumpster when you say you’re going to do it,” Ben Heekin said.
“If you say you’re going to pick it up at 12 Wednesday, be there Wednesday at 12. It goes without saying that pricing is huge, and we’re very competitive price-wise, but our focus is to make sure our service puts us above the competition.”
Syrus Bakkar added that another goal was to “make it like we were never there” upon driving away from a site.
“I think that’s a big thing for us – treating everyone’s houses like it’s own house, and making sure that we don’t mess anything up,” he said.
Separating personal and professional
Promotions are part of the work. Ben Heekin said he and Syrus were networking among local real estate agents, contractors, roofers and others who may need roll-off service.
“We do a lot of going into offices in person, dropping off doughnuts and introducing ourselves, getting our name out there and shaking hands,” he said.
“That means a lot more than just giving someone a cold call and introducing ourselves over the phone.”
Knowing that business partnerships can sometimes wreck friendships, both fathers and sons have discussed the importance of keeping their personal relationships separate from work.
“I’ve known him (Ramzy) for 44 years of my 49-year existence, and same thing with him,” David Heeken said. “He knows how I think and I know how he thinks.
“We’re going to naturally have some disagreements, and we’re going to have to work through things. But I think we all bring our strengths to the table, both he and I and the boys. When the time comes and a decision has to be made, we’ll lean on whoever has the most experience dealing with that particular issue, and we’ll be able to move forward and not look back. These are very good guys.
“But I think we all bring our strengths to the table, both he and I and the boys. When the time comes and a decision has to be made, we’ll lean on whoever has the most experience dealing with that particular issue, and we’ll be able to move forward and not look back.”
More than an investment
Syrus earned a real estate degree at Florida State University thinking he would become involved in the Bakkar Group, which his grandfather, Wadie, started in the mid-1970s.
That’s still a possible path for him, but he said he wanted to try something different. Growing up tagging along with his father to sites of development projects, he said, he became interested in heavy equipment and the construction industry.
“It’s kind of cool to really be in that world now, with the Mack truck and the dumpsters and whatnot,” he said. “So for me, this all kind of stems from being a kid and growing up around it.”
For the fathers, American Rolloffs represents far more than an investment. It’s a chance to stay close to their adult sons and continue helping them develop attributes that have helped the older men succeed in business.
“These are my boys,” Ramzy Bakkar said. “I mean, Ben is my son too. He comes to my house all the time and stays whenever he’d like. So I care a lot about both of them.”