Our Franchisees in the Field
With a dynamic and purpose-driven culture that revolutionized the nation’s junk hauling and moving businesses, College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving’s entrepreneurial leaders and staff strive to make a positive impact both in their businesses and communities every day. Founders Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman wouldn’t have it any other way. When they started the company more than a decade ago, they knew its catchy name would have appeal, but they wanted College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving to stand for more than just an amusing idea. It would carry a message and a promise that would differentiate the company from its competition and serve as an inspiration to those who work for the franchise, its franchise partners, and its customers. HUNKS stands for:
- H - Honest
- U - Uniformed
- N - Nice
- K - Knowledgeable
- S - Service
“This is our brand promise and what everyone who hires us can expect. Our culture not only supports this promise – it creates and duplicates it on every level,” Friedman said. “We are committed to ‘moving the world’ every day in more than one way. In a literal sense, we move belongings and junk – but we go several steps further. We impact people’s lives when they are going through stressful, often life-changing events, as they move their homes by removing as much stress from this process as possible. We do this by going above and beyond in service for them. It makes a difference.” This promise – delivered time and time again – has led to our success. Listed within the top 3% of all franchise opportunities in the United States is not something we take lightly.
Despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving and our franchisees were able to increase revenue, jobs, efficiency, the number of franchisees, and our community outreach programs – a huge victory for our entire brand. This success happened day after day, as College HUNKS franchise partners and the corporate team lived the company’s four core values during unprecedented times:
- Building leaders
- Always branding
- Creating a fun, enthusiastic team environment
- Listen, fulfill, and delight (the WOW effect)
“These core values have been critical to the growth of College HUNKS since day one, and help drive our franchise partners’ success,” Soliman said. “By combining them, we help support our company mission and purpose, which is to ‘move the world’– both as a moving company and a junk removal franchise, and emotionally as a world-class leader in the customer service industry.” So, what does ‘moving the world’ look like for College HUNKS’ partners and employees? It takes on many forms.
We have been long-term partners with Feeding Children Everywhere, now U.S. Hunger, because we know that food meets a fundamental need and when this need is met, it can restore families. For every moving or junk removal service completed by any of our locations, we provide two nutritious meals for a hungry child. In 2019, we reached the one million meal mark and are thankful for every job and customer and what that means we can do for our communities.
Additionally, College HUNKS has ongoing partnerships with Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Pickupmydonation.com, and the Goodwill Industries that allow us to donate a large part of the items we collect during junk removal jobs. These items are given a second life in the homes of their owners. It’s a winning combination for everyone.
One moment in College HUNKS’ culture of caring about people went particularly viral on social media. In Spring 2014, Cesar Larios, a College HUNKS team member and student at The Art Institute of Florida, was inside an elevator with a 79-year-old building resident when the elevator got stuck. The resident started to worry as she didn’t think she could stand long enough to wait to be rescued. So, Cesar dropped to his hands and knees to turn himself into a human bench – with a big smile. As the elevator opened, someone took a photo of the resident perched on Cesar’s back, posted it on social media, and it was shared over and over again. This anecdote clearly illustrates what we hope sets College HUNKS apart. Our team strives to make tense and difficult moments better by solving problems associated with them and having fun in the process.
During the pandemic, College HUNKS pivoted quickly to implement new best practices that limited the spread of the COVID-19 virus and kept customers from worrying about having to compromise their safety to receive services they desperately needed, in some cases. Starting with Brand Central and trickling down to every location, we made a few tweaks to our business model to adjust to the new normal for our industry and the world. College HUNKS franchisees and corporate headquarters provided thousands of meals to those in need, moved medical equipment, stored donations to be given to non-profits that were temporarily closed, and helped students, families, and domestic violence victims who urgently need to move during the pandemic. Everyone from college students needing to move out of dorms in a hurry to frontline healthcare workers needing extra support were thankful to have the HUNKS at the ready.
So many moments have impacted our communities and our HUNKS team – creating memories to treasure. Take a look at these images curated from just a few locations.
“The secret sauce to all of this business and community success is really our partners and employees,” Friedman said. “Our culture places a premium on mentoring and coaching for our franchisees, who then mentor and coach their young, entrepreneurial-minded employees – helping them learn what it takes to succeed in both business and life.” Going above and beyond for customers, leaving them with a smile, and experiencing growth as leaders and entrepreneurs are the experiences that College HUNKS partners and staff say they appreciate most about their work with the company. The opportunity to have fun and friends in a supportive family-like work environment is the reason why many choose to thrive in the College HUNKS culture of personal and professional betterment.
Currently, College HUNKS is offering franchise territories in the United States and Canada, including opportunities in some major cities. Contact College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving to learn more about franchise opportunities.