Start a College Hunks Hauling Junk Franchise Business

TAMPA, Fla. (July 7, 2008) -- From Washington D.C. with nothing, to $3 Million in three years, and now to Tampa, 26-year-old President Nick Friedman and CEO Omar Soliman, have found a new national headquarters for the junk removal company they refer to as their “baby.”  They’re armed with a fast-growth success story, a proven model, an informed plan, not to mention junk removal franchises popping up all over the country – College Hunks Hauling Junk will now be running that operation from their new national hub at the West Shore Club on West Gandy Boulevard.

With a memorably quirky name, logo, phone number, overt color palette, and bright, glossy trucks, they’ll be hard to miss – in addition to the new Tampa-based headquarter, the Tampa franchise, the company’s twelfth, is getting off the ground this month.

‘College Hunks Hauling Junk’ originated when two college buddies set out to earn extra money during summer vacation – they did.  After graduating and some stints as executives, they decided the corporate culture wasn’t for them, so they “blew the dust” off an award-winning business plan created in school based on their “extra money” venture.  The company hauls large unwanted items of virtually any sort, then everything is properly recycled, disposed of, or donated (over 60% recycled).  Additionally, they donate a portion of revenue to local college scholarships, and they offer pro bono services including ongoing programs for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Though the name is playful, the professionalism is not.  Principals explain that ‘hunk’ is a subjective term, and in their application they refer to such traits as “clean-cut, hard-working pleasant, educated, friendly, personable, courteous,” contributing to a professional brand that is of utmost importance to their success, and applying a clean, crisp image to work that is not traditionally glamorous.  In terms of who makes up the ‘Hunks,’ the company includes men, women, undergraduates, non-students, graduates, athletes, law and med students, and more – as long as they adhere to the “clean-cut” persona.

Company principals are prepared to establish 12 more franchises over the next year and to have franchises in every major metropolitan market at their five-year mark. 

The Tampa franchise is owned and operated by Faisal Ansari, 26, who graduated from University of Miami in 2000, and opened the Orlando Franchise in 2007.

And why they’ve come to Tampa to further their national growth – the call centers.  Their phone number, 1.800.JUNK.USA – bought from a doctor’s office for about $14,000 – is a key marketing tool as it connects callers with national dispatchers.