Two University of Alabama graduates have become part of the largest franchised moving company both in the United States and internationally, and they are currently part of the company’s expansion to the West Coast.
Two Men and a Truck is the largest mainstream moving company in the U.S. The company currently operates in 39 states and internationally. In addition to mainstream moving, the company sells moving equipment such as boxes and performs over 3 million moves a year transporting items to charities.
“We like to think we’re a customer service business that does moving,” said Jeff Wesley, CFO of Two Men and a Truck. “Our movers are very involved in their communities.”
“We look to be opening probably 10 to 15 stores in the next couple of years,” Wesley said. “We are very passionate about serving our communities and customers. We’re a great opportunity for people like that. We’re seeing a lot of options for young people.”
Joey Hale and David Richardson, franchisees of Two Men and a Truck, met through the Two Men and a Truck system. They had similar personalities, and both were from Alabama, so they became friends.
“We just struck up a friendship and through that different opportunities came up at different times,” Richardson said.
Richardson, a Tuscaloosa resident with a wife and four kids, graduated from the University with a degree in accounting. He runs his franchises out of his office in Tuscaloosa. He also works as a small business accountant.
Hale, a Chattanooga, Tennessee resident with a wife and three kids, graduated from the University with a degree in business management. He joined the Air Force after graduation and became a Two Men and a Truck franchisee in 1999.
“It’s provided me a good living for the last 15 years,” Hale said. “I’ve seen it grow from relatively small, to now we’re over 300 units located in almost 50 states and internationally. We continue to expect growth.”
Richardson’s career at Two Men and a Truck began in 2011, when he bought the Pensacola, Florida, franchise.
“This isn’t a get rich quick scheme,” Richardson said. “You have to put in a lot of work. It takes three to four years in each location. It is a good living for entrepreneurs.”
Hale and Richardson decided to expand Two Men and a Truck to multiple cities on the West Coast, including Livermore, San Jose, Santa Clara and Palo Alto, California.
“When we decided to go out west, it was an opportunity for us to buy out one of the last few major markets in the U.S.,” Richardson said. “Realistically we get to be pioneers because the brand recognition out there is little to none.”
Hale said he has enjoyed the opportunity to start from scratch. “Nobody knows who we are.” he said. “We’ll see if we can make it work and become a household name in California. There are only a couple of franchises out in California and David and I just decided to take a big risk.”
Wesley praised the two men for their work.
“These guys are great assets to our system,” he said. “We’re just blessed to have them as part of our team.”
