Boyhood friends Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman were home from college one summer when they came up with an idea to earn some extra spending money. They would borrow Omar’s mother’s cargo van and remove unwanted items from commercial and residential locations for a fee. By the end of the summer, they had made a tidy profit. But more was in store.
Soliman wrote a formal business plan and won first prize in an entrepreneurship competition. But six months after college graduation, they both decided to leave corporate life and go back to junk hauling.
In only six years, the company College Hunks Hauling Junk has expanded to more than 35 locations in major metropolitan cities.
CHHJ constantly promotes and enhances the company’s brand. Standard uniforms and colorful junk-hauling trucks are a trademark, as is its clean-cut and playful aspect. At the end of a job, customers are encouraged to vote on CHHJ’s website to vote for the College Junk Hunk of the Semester. Every year, the company holds a “College Reunion,” an annual meeting with employees from across the country, which features a trash toss, truck push and Olympic events.
Currently the largest employer of college students, the company has a vision of becoming the nation’s No. 1 junk-removal company and brand. Soliman, CEO, and Friedman, president, hope to do so by building customer loyalty, profitability, teamwork and a responsibility to supply the most affable and clean-cut collegiate teams to provide the highest level of satisfaction and peace of mind.
Several green initiatives focus on opportunities to reduce costs. Some of these include partnerships with Goodwill Industries, other nonprofit organizations and recycling companies. As a result, the diversion rate to landfills has been decreased by some 80 percent.
CHHJ also contributes to College Bound, a charitable program it established to increase the opportunities for underprivileged youth to obtain a college degree.
How to reach: College Hunks Hauling Junk, (800) 586-5872 or www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com
