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College Hunks Hauling Junk
College Hunks Hauling Junk
College Hunks Hauling Junk
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College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving is a North American junk removal and moving company with headquarters in Tampa, Florida.[citation needed] The company provides junk removal, local and long distance full service moving and office relocation services including in home donation pickup services for non-profit partner organizations. The company became operational in 2005 and began franchising in 2007.[1]

Key Information

The company's services are available to both commercial and residential clients, with up to 70% of the "junk" collected being donated to charities such as Goodwill Industries, recycled, reused or incinerated as fuel through Reworld.[2] As of 2025, College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving had four company-owned locations and nearly 200 franchised locations in the United States and Canada.[3]

History

[edit]

College Hunks Hauling Junk began operations in 2004 after co-founder Omar Soliman won $10,000 in the annual Leigh Rothschild Business Plan Contest.[4] Upon graduating from the University of Miami, Soliman and partner Nick Friedman moved to Washington, D.C., and expanded the company into a full-scale operation. In its first two years, the company hauled away more than 4,000 tons of junk, and as of 2010 was hauling away an average of 10,000 tons each year.[5]

In 2008, the company moved its headquarters to Tampa, Florida and began franchising. The organization expanded and appeared on the Inc magazine's 500 Fastest Growing Companies list in 2009.[6] The company was ranked No. 30 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 50 New Franchise Rankings in 2009.[7]

In mass media

[edit]

In September 2008, Friedman and Soliman tried but failed to secure funding from investors for a new business concept called College Foxes Packing Boxes, a full-service packing and professional organizing company.[8] The company attempted to gain an investment of $250,000 for 25% for the "foxes", on the very first episode of the ABC investment television show Shark Tank.[9] The investors requested equity in College HUNKS Hauling Junk instead, with an offer of $1,000,000 for 10%. The show's investors ultimately rejected the offer, except for Robert Herjavec who offered $250,000 for 50% of the Foxes and 10% of the Hunks, which was later rejected by Soliman and Friedman.[citation needed]

Soliman and Friedman were contestants in the third-season premiere of Bravo TV's Millionaire Matchmaker hosted by Patti Stanger.[10] Friedman and his girlfriend appeared on HGTV's House Hunters, in an episode that aired on July 7, 2013. They have also appeared on Undercover Boss, The Pitch (TV series), Jobs That Don't Suck, and Below Deck.

College Hunks Hauling Junk was one of the first companies involved in a NIL deal, signing an agreement with then University of Miami quarterback D'Eriq King.[11]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

College Hunks Hauling Junk

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving is a North American franchise headquartered in Tampa, Florida, specializing in junk removal, full-service moving, donation pickups, and labor services, founded in 2003 by college students Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. The company's name incorporates the acronym HUNKS, which stands for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Service, reflecting its emphasis on professional and reliable customer interactions. The business began as a summer side hustle when Friedman and Soliman, both 21 years old at the time, borrowed a cargo van to haul junk and earned $8,000 in their first season. After winning a $10,000 prize in the University of Miami's Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition for their business plan, they transitioned from a local operation to a scalable franchise model, expanding services to include moving in later years. In 2009, the founders pitched the company on the debut episode of ABC's Shark Tank, seeking investment but ultimately declining an offer to maintain full control. As of 2025, College HUNKS operates more than 200 franchised and company-owned locations across the and , generating annual revenues exceeding $250 million and employing thousands of service professionals. The company has been recognized for its growth, with its franchise locations ranking on the Inc. 5000 list multiple times and earning spots on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 and Top Franchises for Veterans lists.

History

Founding and Early Years

College Hunks Hauling Junk began as a summer in 2003 by college students Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman in the suburbs of The idea emerged when Soliman, working at his mother's furniture store, noticed customers frequently requesting junk removal services during deliveries, prompting the duo to start operations using a borrowed cargo van from Soliman's mother. Without prior experience or a formal plan, they launched by distributing flyers and handling local junk hauling jobs. That inaugural summer, the venture generated over $8,000 in earnings from junk removal services, providing the young entrepreneurs with an initial taste of business success and motivating them to formalize their efforts. In 2004, Soliman entered their into the University of Miami's Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition, where it won first place and a $10,000 prize, offering crucial seed capital to develop the concept further. The company's name, College Hunks Hauling Junk, incorporated the HUNKS, standing for Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable Service, to emphasize their commitment to professional and reliable customer interactions. Following their college graduation in 2005, Soliman and briefly pursued corporate jobs but quickly transitioned to operating the business full-time after realizing the corporate path did not align with their entrepreneurial drive. This shift marked the company's evolution from a seasonal gig into a dedicated enterprise, setting the stage for sustained growth. Early media attention on their unique branding and student-led model began to build public interest, paving the way for prominent television features in subsequent years.

Expansion and Franchising

In 2007, College Hunks Hauling Junk relocated its headquarters to , and launched its franchising model to facilitate nationwide expansion. This shift marked a pivotal transition from a local operation to a scalable , building on the founders' early vision of creating opportunities for entrepreneurs through a service-oriented company. In , the company was acquired by 1-800-Junk-USA (now part of O2E Brands), consolidating the brand under a larger parent company to support nationwide reach, while co-founders Soliman and remained involved in . The franchising approach drove rapid growth, with the company expanding to over 200 locations across the and by 2025. This development positioned College Hunks as a leading player in the junk removal and moving industry, emphasizing territorial availability in more than 400 markets. In 2021, Susquehanna Growth Equity made a strategic in the company to fuel further scaling efforts, including enhanced support for franchisees and . This capital infusion aligned with the brand's goal of accelerating growth while maintaining operational standards. By 2024, the franchise system achieved $250 million in annual , reflecting the model's success and the collective performance of its locations. The company marked its 20th anniversary in 2025 (counting from full-time operations in 2005), commemorating two decades of entrepreneurial innovation and brand evolution.

Business Operations

Services

College Hunks Hauling Junk provides a range of services centered on junk removal, full-service moving, donation pickups, and hourly labor to assist with residential and commercial needs. The company's offerings emphasize convenience, with uniformed, licensed, and background-checked crews delivering professional assistance. Same-day service is often available depending on location and scheduling, allowing for prompt handling of urgent tasks. The primary service, junk removal, involves the collection and disposal of unwanted items from homes, offices, or properties, including yard waste and large appliances. Pricing is determined by the volume of items, their size, and the presence of hazardous materials or , with free on-site estimates provided at the start of each job to ensure transparency. Items are sorted eco-friendly, prioritizing donation to charities, where possible, and responsible disposal for the remainder, aiming to divert up to 70% of junk from landfills. Full-service moving packages cater to both residential and commercial relocations, encompassing packing, furniture disassembly and reassembly, transportation, unloading, and unpacking at the destination. These services cover local and long-distance moves, with additional options for selling packing materials directly to customers for preparation. Pricing accounts for distance, job duration, and access challenges, without hidden fees, and can be bundled with junk removal for combined efficiency. Donation pickups facilitate the removal of usable items like furniture and appliances, partnering with organizations such as Goodwill and to provide tax-deductible contributions. Complementing these, hourly labor services support tasks such as loading and unloading vehicles, , furniture rearrangement, light , assembly, and yard cleanups, billed by the hour based on crew size. This flexible option allows customers to hire assistance for specific needs without committing to a full package. Through its franchised expansion across the and , College Hunks Hauling Junk enables nationwide access to these services.

Locations and Reach

College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving operates over 200 locations, the majority of which are franchises, including a few company-owned, across the and as of 2025, providing junk removal and moving services to customers in both countries. The company's headquarters is located in , which serves as the central hub for franchise support, including training, marketing, and operational guidance for its network. These locations span major urban areas such as , New York, , , , and , with a primary focus on serving residential customers in homes and apartments as well as commercial clients in offices and businesses.

Leadership and Company Culture

Founders and Executives

College Hunks Hauling Junk was co-founded in 2003 by Omar Soliman and Nick Friedman, who were college students at the time seeking to earn extra money during the summer. Soliman, a business management graduate from the , initially used his mother's cargo van to offer junk removal services in the area, generating $8,000 in revenue that first summer. Friedman, an economics graduate from in , joined as co-founder after helping develop the , which won $10,000 in the Leigh Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition. Both continue to serve as Co-Founders and Visionaries, guiding the company's strategic direction. The company's early experiences as a student-run operation shaped its mission to provide reliable, customer-focused services while creating job opportunities for young workers. Roman Cowan serves as President, overseeing day-to-day operations, franchise growth, and ensuring financial transparency across the organization; he previously held roles as Financial Controller and . In April 2024, the company announced the formation of a new senior executive team headed by Cowan. The corporate team at College Hunks Hauling Junk comprises a diverse group of professionals with extensive backgrounds in business , legal, and operations, emphasizing entrepreneurial talent to support the franchise network. Post-founding, Soliman and have pursued roles in public speaking and entrepreneurship education, appearing on programs such as and to inspire aspiring business owners. co-authored the The Effortless Entrepreneur: Work Smart, Play Hard, Make Millions in 2010, drawing from their experiences scaling the company.

Core Values and Mission

College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving operates under a mission to help people live the of owning a and making a positive impact in their communities. This purpose-driven approach emphasizes entrepreneurial opportunities for franchise owners while fostering community-oriented service that alleviates stress during moves or junk removal. The company's foundational principles are guided by four core values that shape its operations, employee development, and customer interactions. The core values include Building Leaders, which focuses on inspiring team members and clients to reach their maximum potential through entrepreneurial and growth opportunities. Always Branding promotes consistent positivity, , and a commitment to 100% client satisfaction in all branding efforts. Creating a Fun, Safe, Winning Team prioritizes employee safety, optimistic team dynamics, and ensuring customer comfort to build a supportive work environment. Finally, Listen, Fulfill & Delight underscores proactive by attentively addressing needs, exceeding expectations, and delivering exceptional satisfaction for both clients and team members. Central to the company's culture is its emphasis on employing college students and young professionals as "HUNKS" crew members, providing them with professional training, hands-on experience, and a launchpad for future careers in or . This approach cultivates a fun, safe, and energetic atmosphere that aligns with the collegiate roots of the business, originally founded by two college friends, while reinforcing the core values through daily operations.

Philanthropy and Sustainability

Charitable Initiatives

College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving maintains partnerships with several nonprofit organizations to facilitate donation pickups, redirecting usable items away from landfills to support community needs. Key collaborators include , where the company has hauled over 6,000 truckloads of donations in the past year alone, and ReStore, which benefits from fee-based pickups that fund initiatives. Additionally, through PickUpMyDonation.com, College HUNKS connects with hundreds of independent nonprofits to ensure items like furniture, clothing, and household goods reach local shelters and families in need. The company's philanthropy extends to structured giving programs, including an ongoing commitment to donate two meals per completed job to U.S. Hunger, culminating in over 5 million meals provided to combat child food insecurity as of 2025. Franchises contribute through annual targets such as increasing donation volumes and volunteer participation, with employee volunteer hours focused on community cleanups and supply distribution. Under the "HUNKS Giving Back" banner, initiatives emphasize local community support and disaster relief, such as debris removal and essential supply delivery following events like Hurricane Milton in 2024. The "Safe Moves. Strong Voices" campaign, part of the broader Moves That Matter program, provides free or discounted moving services for survivors, having assisted over 300 individuals by 2022 and continuing annually during Awareness Month, with recent efforts supporting 20-25 survivors in select regions in October 2025. These programs reflect a core value of community impact, with franchises encouraged to exceed prior years' contributions in donations and hours. In recognition of its corporate giving, College HUNKS received the 2022 Corporate Award from the Business Journal for outstanding contributions, including milestones in volumes and financial support to regional causes.

Environmental Practices

College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving implements a policy focused on donating usable items, materials, and minimizing use during junk removal processes, ensuring that non-hazardous waste is handled responsibly. This approach involves sorting items at the company's facility to identify and separate reusable goods for or , rather than direct disposal. The company aims for high diversion rates from landfills, with up to 70% of hauled items being recycled or donated, which significantly reduces the environmental impact of waste accumulation. This sorting process supports charitable donations as one key outcome, while prioritizing material recovery to keep unnecessary items out of landfills. In moving services, College HUNKS integrates green practices by recycling or donating up to 70% of removed items during relocations, promoting waste reduction alongside efficient transport. The company emphasizes eco-conscious operations, such as using sustainable packing options where applicable, to align with broader sustainability goals in logistics. Overall, these environmental practices form a core element of College HUNKS' responsible service model, committing to disposal methods that prioritize and over traditional waste hauling.

Media and Recognition

Television Appearances

College Hunks Hauling Junk first gained significant national exposure through its appearance on the premiere episode of ABC's in August 2009, where co-founders Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman pitched an extension of their junk removal business called College Foxes Packing Boxes, seeking $50,000 for 10% equity but ultimately declining offers from the investors. This early television feature highlighted the founders' entrepreneurial origins as college students and boosted the company's visibility, contributing to its subsequent growth into a national franchise. In January 2022, the company was featured on the season 11 premiere of CBS's , with and Soliman going undercover separately at franchise locations to assess operations and employee experiences firsthand. The episode showcased the company's day-to-day junk hauling and moving services, emphasizing its emphasis on , , and a positive work culture among "HUNKS" employees. The company was featured twice on in 2007, including episodes where they helped clear hoarder houses, underscoring themes of youth and in the service industry. Additional television spots, including features on HGTV's , MTV's Jobs That Don't Suck, and Bravo's , further enhanced the brand's credibility in the early , attracting franchise interest and solidifying its reputation as a reliable junk removal and moving provider. These appearances collectively amplified the company's media presence and played a key role in its expansion.

Awards and Achievements

College HUNKS Hauling Junk and Moving has received numerous accolades for its business performance, franchising model, and leadership. In 2023, co-founders Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman were named Entrepreneurs of the Year by the International Franchise Association, recognizing their visionary contributions to building a national franchise from a college dorm-room startup. The company has consistently ranked among top franchise opportunities in the junk removal and moving industry. It placed No. 244 on Entrepreneur magazine's 2025 Franchise 500 list, an improvement from No. 276 the previous year, based on factors such as financial strength, stability, and growth rate. In 2025, the company was named to Entrepreneur's Top Franchises for Veterans list. Additionally, seven of its franchise locations were honored on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list, which identifies America's fastest-growing private companies by percentage revenue growth over three years. Celebrating 20 years of operation in 2025 despite being founded in 2003, the company achieved over 200 locations and exceeding $250 million in annual revenue, as of 2025. College HUNKS has also earned recognition for innovations in and . In , it won two inaugural Franchise Innovation Awards from Franchise Business Review, including for Most Innovative Franchisee Support, highlighting its training and operational systems that enable rapid franchise launches. The brand was named to the Franchise Times Top 400 in 2023, underscoring its scale and efficiency in the moving and storage sector. Furthermore, it has been ranked in Franchise Business Review's Top 50 for franchisee satisfaction multiple times, reflecting strong support for owners and high standards.

References

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