universitybrand - Featured in London's Small Buisness Centre

universitybrand Movers and Junk Removal

Tell us about your business and how it was started:

 

My partner (Kevin Houben) and I started Universitybrand in my basement in March 2010. We began with a little truck and trailer in the junk removal sector hauling junk in London for the first summer. We expanded into Moving in London Ontario shortly after, and today we have a fleet of 12 vehicles, 4 full time salaried employees with benefits, and a team of over 35 employees in our peak time periods. We have grown organically to offer a complete suite of residential and commercial full scale moving, junk removal, and cleaning services, and have recently launched another home services division for concrete and asphalt driveway sealing. We are awaiting our registered trademarks in both the US and Canada and are gearing up for a Canada-wide expansion via franchising.

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What drew you to becoming an entrepreneur?

I come from a family background of hard working middle class laborers. When you are young you don't really see this until you start to want things. I was fortunate at a very young age to move 800 km away from home into a strict environment surrounded by extremely wealthy people. At this stage I knew there was something more than working in a factory and sitting behind a desk. I remember one trip to my friend's house on a long weekend getaway in grade 10. His house took 3 years to build, and on the Sunday—with no one around—we were there joyriding his father's farm combines (in his dealership), and racing golf carts through the factory in which they had been made. It was my first taste of financial freedom and I wanted the same. After that I took the usual path of jobs—swinging right back into the status quo of things—first at Dairy Queen, and then selling knives. But along these paths I was led to my first real epiphany for entrepreneurship and the Canadian Dream. While visiting Grand Bend, I bumped into my old Dairy Queen owner who was restocking his ATM machine outside of his store. He told me he was easily making a killing there. One year later, using unsecured lines of credit and spare pocket change, I owned my first business: three machines in the Grand Bend and London area. There's nothing more exhilarating than walking around Grand Bend during the May 2-4 weekend with $40,000 in twenty dollar bills in your pocket when you are 21 years old.

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What business resources (book, blog, website) have you been influenced by?

There are two resources I would recommend prior to getting into business or even thinking of entrepreneurship that could be paramount to one's success. The first is Michael Gerber's book E-Myth Mastery: it truly explains everything you need to know. The second is an audio session called Mind and Emotions by George Zalucki. I see both of these as a must, and the ideas I got from these resources are a huge part of my life.

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What advice would you give to someone starting a small business today?

Business at first is not easy; nor is it pretty. Entrepreneurship is lonely, and sometimes you will wonder if it's still worth it. Be prepared to miss birthdays, Sunday picnics, and celebrations. Be prepared to be distant from your normalized social sphere while you go and build your dream. 120 hour weeks are normal, vacations are non-existent. Most businesses fail because they don't stay at things long enough to succeed. For people to be truly happy, what they CAN become, they MUST become – be sure you are becoming what you must become.

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What is in the future for Universitybrand?

Universitybrand is always seeking talented individuals to enable us to keep a stride ahead of the competition. We are expanding our London business while getting the necessary processes ready for a North America-wide expansion. We may be piloting a project territory in the Toronto area this coming summer in order to gather more data for our upcoming full blown expansion. Universitybrand is driven by its people, culture, and customer service, and we hope to become Canada's and eventually North America's largest home services provider.

Moving with Movers in the Fall in London Ontario?

Moving with Movers in the fall in London Ontario?

universitybrand offers a comprehensive and professional moving and cleaning service for London Ontario and surrounding areas.  We specialize in residential home moving and apartments.  The unique program we offer our clients is the support from our other divisions housed under the same brand and culture.  for the complete moving, moving supplies and junk removal experience, visit us at www.universitybrand.com

Local London Moving and Junk Removal Firm donates $500 to Soup Kitchen

universityrband  - Local Moving and Junk Removal Company in London Ontario Donates $500 to the Sister's of St. Joseph Hospitality Center (Soup Kitchen) on Dundas St.

Chris Boundikas, Chief Experience Officer at universitybrand, is seen here presenting the check and cash donation of $500.

After a successful e-waste collection campaign, the crew at universitybrand in London Ontario showed their commitment to the community.  Congrats all team members for making this day a great day to remember!

universitybrand- a moving and junk removal company London Ontario

Movers and Junk Removal London Ontario :

Kevin Houben, Chief experience officer at universitybrand, a moving and junk removal company

kelly.pedro@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/KellyatLFPress


As a boy growing up on his family’s hog farm in Kerwood, Kevin Houben learned to work first and play later.
“We’d go over and visit friends and their dad would make us sweep the barn out before we could go out and play,” says Houben, chief experience officer at universitybrand.
“It was definitely different because growing up on a farm, hard work was driven into me when I was younger.”
It turns out sweeping barns would give Houben a taste for what was to come.
As co-founder of universitybrand, a moving and junk removal company, Houben has done his fair share of hard work.
He and business partner Chris Boundikas started the business in March 2010 with a pickup truck and trailer removing junk.
On their first job, they took away an old mattress.
Since then they’ve seen everything from a 1.2-metre-tall rocket and Second World War helmets to an old set of dentist’s teeth.
“Sometimes you just never know what you’re going to get into,” he says. “We just try to be professional with whatever they want to remove.”
Their offices are furnished with desks and chairs that other people have tossed away.
The company, which began as University Junk Removal, quickly grew to include moving supplies and movers, as customers asked for more services.
“It’s just kind of been a progression,” Houben says.
It recently underwent a brand change to bring all the different branches of their businesses under the one name — universitybrand.
For Houben, the mission isn’t just sending junk to the landfill.
The company works with Try Recycling, salvages what it can and pays to remove freon from old fridges so it’s not released into the atmosphere.
Its efforts have been lauded.
The company won the London Chamber of Commerce’s Environmental Leadership Award earlier this year.
“That’s something we’ve been doing since we first started the business, so it’s nice to get recognized,” he says.
And they’re doing even more to reduce their footprint, moving to a paperless billing model where customers sign off on their bill online and are then e-mailed a receipt.
Universitybrand was also a finalist in Venture London, the city’s premier business competition, this year.
While the business is entering its fifth year, Houben and Boundikas have known each other much longer.
They both earned hockey scholarships to attend Culver Academy in Indiana, a private military high school where Houben says he learned discipline on the 720-hectare lakeside campus.
The academy was a good experience, says Houben.
“It really opened my eyes to the possibilities out there because I’m from a rural area,” he says.
After high school, he returned to Ontario where he played for the Strathroy Junior B Rockets, chasing a boyhood dream to play professional hockey.
Later, he and Boundikas attended Western University, where they ran a College Pro painting franchise together, before they branched out on their own.
He added to his business acumen working for a small business in Sarnia that was trying to create a machine to wash transport trucks.
After university, he and Boundikas went their separate ways and Houben began working for a Toronto-based company that looked for ways businesses could save money.
For two years he lived in “an airplane and hotel room,” he says, jumping from work sites in California, Chicago and Houston.
Looking to set down roots, he reconnected with Boundikas about five years ago and the two started the company part-time.
“The good thing when you run a business is that you’re creating growth,” he says.
As universitybrand gained traction, the pair worked on the business full-time in its second year.
And just like their commitment to the company, universitybrand’s tag line is “integritas et industria” — integrity and industry.
“One of the reasons we came up with that was really about following through with our commitments and service to our clients,” says Houben.
Now, they have nine trucks on the road and in the summer, their workforce increases to about 35 employees.
While the company also hires full-time employees, most of its workforce is made up of young and energetic university and college students who bring excitement to the workplace, he says.
“That’s a big part of our culture within the organization, that people enjoy coming to work,” says Houben.

London Ontario Mayor visits universitybrand at the LSTAR event

Movers and Junk Removal London Ontario

universitybrand movers and junk removal - LCC 2014 Winners Environmental Leadership Award

 

Moving in London Ontario? Junk Removal in London Ontario?

Last nights awards ceremony was a shocker! Little David (universitybrand) took down Goliath (Goodwill) for the 2014 London Chamber of Commerce Environmental Leadership Award in Canada's largest business event hosting over 1000 people.

Moving and Junk Removal Revolution

One brand, one culture, one phone call.  Call us today and see what London is buzzing about... 519-204-5865

A Different Experience - Movers and Junk Removal London Ontario - universitybrand

Movers London Ontario

Junk Removal London Ontario

           As a recent graduate from Western University, I had always striven and continue to strive to reach my maximum potential in both my personal life, as well as with my career aspirations. I have had many experiences and adventures in my life, and each of them has helped shape the person I am today. I have worked part-time and odd jobs since the age of 13, I’ve volunteered my free time, and traveled the world; always giving 110% in all of my endeavors, being constantly reassured by family and friends that hard work will eventually pay off. They were right.

            Life is always full of firsts: first day of school, first day of university, first real relationship, or your first day of a new job. Firsts always give you a new and exciting feeling, each and every time. Your mind is full of so many questions and scenarios. They introduce you to new adventures and experiences that will be remembered for the rest of your life. In May of 2010, I began a whole new  sequences of firsts.

            It was the summer between my first and second year at the University of Western Ontario (now Western University) and I was online searching for a summer job to help relieve student debt, and keep me occupied over the summer months. I replied to a job post for a company called University Junk Removal (UJR) for a position as a general laborer. I thought it would be a great summer job, physically demanding and outdoor work, and after watching shows like Storage Wars, I thought maybe it would be something similar. After a couple of days of not hearing back, I followed up with UJR in an attempt to show my genuine interest in working for their company. Still nothing. After multiple follow-ups with no reply, I finally received a message from Chris, the current co-owner of what is now universitybrand. He questioned me on why I was so adamant about working for their company, and I simply explained that I needed a summer job, their company appealed to me, and that I would be an excellent asset to their team. Chris finally agreed to bring me in for an interview. My perseverance had finally paid off.

            In May of 2010, I arrived at the UJR headquarters, which at the time was just an office in Chris’ basement. Nervous and intimidated, I sat in the office with both Chris and Kevin, owners of the company. They asked me simple questions about my work history, my education and my long term expectations. They also asked me questions that seemed irrelevant at the time, but looking back now, I understand their intention. They asked questions about academic achievements, athletic and sports endeavors and questions about my social life. In this first job interview, I was asked questions that I myself might not have even known the answer to, but the culture and experience Chris and Kevin were attempting to promote through their questions forced explanations from me. Luckily I answered all their questions appropriately and I was offered the position of UJR’s first employee on the spot.

            I started later that week, doing odd junk jobs around London, ON for a couple hours a day; cleaning out basements, attics, garages and homes. I was learning more about the company day by day and the experience that UJR was trying to offer their clients. I grew quickly within the company and the company quickly grew itself. Before I knew it, we were hiring more people to replace my position, and I was quickly promoted to drive the junk removal vehicle and venture off without any supervision to provide my own experience to our clients on a daily basis. I was expected to teach and train new employees, and provide them with an experience of their own. This new role started off stressful and sometimes overwhelming, but, also very rewarding. I saw definite growth within the company and it was exciting.

            Soon thereafter, we began to expand, growing from a simple one truck junk removal operation, to a multi-truck junk removal and moving company. The company expanded from being simply University Junk Removal, to other subsidy companies like University Mini Movers, University Alumni Movers, and University Green Bins. Because I was operating full-time in the junk removal vehicle, Chris and Kevin were able to focus their time and effort back into the company and open a fully operational moving company. University Mini Movers was focused on offering moving services to smaller homes, apartments, and students. University Alumni Movers was focused on full home moves, offering services to commercial and residential clients. At this point, everything was happening so quickly and we had grown exponentially since my first day on the job. It was an amazing and fulfilling feeling knowing that I had helped contribute to the continued growth of this operation. Something that had initially been a simple part-time summer job had begun to encompass multiple facets of my life. I quickly became involved more intimately with the company, focusing a lot of my time in offering my services to my employers. I began operating moving trucks and junk trucks, based on company needs. We hired several new seasonal and full time employees, which had a main focus on employing students and recent graduates to develop a core student workforce. This allowed us to play a role in helping to alleviate student debt, promote beneficial work ethic and offer young local students the ability to achieve valuable work experience and job skills. Needless to say, at this point I was very proud to see what the company has developed into, and anxious to see what the next step would be.

            Of course within any service industry company, it’s going to have its ups and downs. We ran into many roadblocks, including unruly and disgruntled customers. Dealing with confused or conflicted clients had never been a situation I had been forced to address, but within this new position as a team leader, it was my responsibility to approach and alleviate any issues clients may have had with the service we had provided. Our staff and crew were always trained to be professional and careful with the relocation or removal of items, but accidents do happen, and I was expected to deal with that.

            Most recently, in May 2013, I was a part of the re branding of University Junk Removal / Mini Movers / Alumni Movers and Green Bins, to a simple umbrella corporation called universitybrand. This was a very exciting time, as it was another beginning and slew of firsts for all of us within the company to experience. We redesigned our company’s overall image, from name, logos, websites, to general company policies regarding how we operate the business. We purchased additional trucks, hired additional employees, and put our foot down as one of London Ontario’s premier moving and junk removal companies. The summer of 2013 was an amazing time. With multiple trucks on the road and a solid core student workforce, universitybrand was unstoppable. Like a snowball down a steep hill, we just kept growing and growing into the company we are today, and we are showing no signs of stopping.

            In January of 2014, I was promoted into the role of the Assistant Operations Manager. I currently oversee the day-to-day operations of the company, including scheduling, truck maintenance, hiring and training, social media, and more! It has been a long whirlwind of experiences with universitybrand, but I was confident that what I had always been told was true; hard work pays off. You get everything out of a company that you put into it. universitybrand has been a testament to that, giving me an opportunity that is unexplainable. universitybrand is quickly growing, expanding, and experiencing a variety of new firsts that will prove to be exciting in the near future, and I for one, look forward to being a part of that!

DP

Moving in London Ontario - The universitybrand Experience

Moving London Ontario Movers





universitybrand Movers in London, ON

If you're from London, Ontario or the surrounding area, you know the long and frigid winter season we have, and with that, the heaps of snow  and the forty below temperatures we receive each year.

Of course, that doesn't stop us here at universitybrand.

Rain, shine, hale, sleet or snow, you can depend on universitybrand to come prepared to face anything Mother Nature might throw our way. Our team at universitybrand strive to make sure that you, the client, has the most stress free and enjoyable moving experience with us ever.

Our trucks come fully loaded with floor mats, road salt, shovels, and extra blankets to ensure a safe and smooth experience on the big day. Our movers come prepared with layers of warm clothes and an eagerness to help you with the relocation of your items.

Winter moving in London, Ontario is never a walk in the park. It is cold, wet, windy, and often very slippery. Side roads are often unplowed, and are narrow due to building snow.   Thankfully, our team at universitybrand are professionally trained to overcome these and many more obstacles and provide you with an unforgettable experience with universitybrand. 









universitybrand moving in London, ON