Readers Digest: Dreamers – Hunks of Junk

COLLEGE HUNKS HAULING JUNK was recently profiled in the April 2009 Reader’s Digest edition – titled ‘Dreamers: Hunks of Junk’. The article gets into some more details about College Hunks Haulling Junk got its start and also has a great Q&A with CEO, Omar Soliman, and Nick Friedman, President. Some of the Q&A is excerpted below for your reading pleasure.

Q. What did friends say when you quit your jobs to start College Hunks?

A. Nick Friedman: They thought we were crazy. They said, “What about your résumé?”

Q. Any regrets?

A. Nick Friedman: No. I felt like I was stuck in a rat race at the consulting company. There was just too much time in the workday. Now that Omar and I have our own business, there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything we want to do.

Q. What’s the strangest thing you’ve found in someone’s junk?

A. Omar Soliman: There was the very long boa constrictor. We’ve also picked up World War II ammunition, a vintage set of Playboy magazines from the 1960s [the employee who found the collection sold it on eBay for $300], and baseballs signed by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, which we keep on our desks.

Q. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned?

A. Omar Soliman: People don’t fail-systems do. If something goes wrong, you can’t blame an employee. You ask, What in our system went wrong?

Q. What are the pros and cons of hiring college kids?

A. Omar Soliman: They’re energetic, not as likely to complain or file grievances. The con is they’re likely to go out partying the night before and not show up for work.

May 4th, 2009