Omar Soliman (born May 10, 1982) is an American entrepreneur who co-founded College Hunks Hauling Junk, a national junk hauling and moving franchise headquartered in Tampa, Florida.[2] He is the co-author of the book Effortless Entrepreneur[3] and the co-executive producer of the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker, and the executive producer of the 2022 feature film Bezos: The Beginning.[4]
Omar Soliman | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 10, 1982 Washington D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Bachelor of Business Administration[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Miami[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and CEO of College Hunks Hauling Junk |
| Known for | Co-founder and owner College Hunks Hauling Junk[2] |
Early life and education edit
Soliman was born and raised in Washington D.C. He started his marketing, sales, and deliveries career at the age of ten, assisting his mother in her furniture shop.[2] He attended Sidwell Friends School[5] and went on to attend business school at the University of Miami where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2004.[1]
Business career edit
Soliman founded College Hunks Hauling Junk, named by his mother, with Nick Friedman in 2003 while they were attending college. After working that summer with the business, he returned to the University of Miami for his senior year of college.[2] In 2004, he entered the Leigh Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition in Miami,[6] a business plan competition. His business plan won first place and an accompanying award of $10,000. A year after graduation, he became a member of the advisory board of Marsh & McLenan,[2] a healthcare research firm in Washington D.C.[1] A short time later he partnered again with Friedman to revive "College Hunks Hauling Junk", then moving furniture under the name "College Hunks Moving."[7]
In 2009, at the age of 27, Soliman was named to the 30 Under 30 List by Inc. Magazine.[8]
Soliman was the co-executive producer of the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker.[4]
In 2011, Soliman co-authored the book Effortless Entrepreneur with Nick Friedman and Daylle Schwatrz.[9] He was nominated by Ernst & Young for the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011.[10]
Television appearances edit
In 2009, Soliman appeared on the series premier of ABC's television show Shark Tank to pitch a sister concept called College Foxes Packing Boxes. Soliman and Friedman turned down the Sharks offer of $250,000 for a 10% stake in their existing College Hunks business.[11][12] Soliman turned down the offer received from the Sharks as under the terms of the offer, he and Friedman would have had to turn over partial control of the business.[13]
Soliman appeared on a season premier of BRAVO's Millionaire Matchmaker.[14] He also appeared on AMC's The Pitch in 2013[15] and on MTV's Jobs That Don't Suck in 2014. He was also on the series premier of CNBC's Blue Collar Millionaires in July 2015.[16]
Soliman has been a guest on the Fox Business Network[17] and MSNBC speaking on the topics of business and entrepreneurship.[18]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Category | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 - 2011 | The Millionaire Matchmaker (16 episodes) | Himself | TV series | |
| 2012 | Beware of Mr. Baker | Documentary | Co-executive producer | |
| 2013 | The Pitch (01 episode) | Himself | Documentary series | |
| 2014 | Jobs That Don't Suck (01 episode) | Himself | TV series | |
| 2015 | Blue Collar Millionaires (01 episode) | Himself | TV series | |
| 2015 | Military Makeover with Montel | Himself | TV series | |
| 2019 | Shark Tank (02 episodes) | Himself | TV series | |
| 2021 | Wake Up America (01 episode) | Himself | TV series | |
| 2022 | Undercover Boss (01 episode) | Himself | TV series | |
| 2023 | Bezos: The Beginning | Movie | Executive producer |
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Successful Entrepreneur Shares Start-Up Experiences With Fellow Alumni and Students". University of Miami School of Business Administration. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Heath, Thomas (22 September 2008). "Building Piles of Trash Into Heaps of Cash". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Fenn, Donna (7 September 2010). "Advice From College Hunks: How To Start A Company With Your Best Friend". CBS Money Watch. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ a b Leydon, Joe (1 April 2012). "Beware of Mr. Baker". Variety Magazine. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ Heath, Tom. "Value Added: The Hunks' Way of Doing Things". The Washington Post. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Gill, Dee (30 September 2008). "Hauling Junk With A Touch Of Class". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Heath, Thomas (1 August 2016). "Duo behind College Hunks moving company ditch a digital path for old-school success". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ "30 Under 30". Inc. Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Effortless Entrepreneur". Random House. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Lifetime Achievement Honoree and Award Finalists". Ernst & Young. 16 June 2011. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "IMDb Filmography Omar Soliman". IMDB. 7 November 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Plumb, Tierney. (7 August 2009). "College Hunks Hauling Junk Founders Jump In Shark Tank". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Mui, Yian Q. (6 June 2010). "Whatever Happened To – The College Hunks And Their Junk Business". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Omar: Junk In the Trunk". Bravo. 19 January 2010.
- ^ "IMDb Filmography Omar Soliman". IMDB. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "IMDb Filmography Omar Soliman". IMDB. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "College Grads Forced To Start Own Companies To Find Jobs". Fox Business. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ Saha, Mousumi Kumar (2 April 2012). "Nick Friedman & Omar Soliman, The Founders Of College Hunks Hauling Junk". Success Stories. Retrieved 8 November 2012.