Our Story
How We Got Started
Home for the summer between his Junior and Senior year at the University of St. Thomas, Jerad Poling was asked to help family friends move into a new house. He gladly accepted, started preparing for the move, and at the end of it all, was compensated for his efforts. An idea was born. He and his friends decided to help others in the Eau Claire area move for the remainder of the summer.
In his last year at St. Thomas, Jerad recognized a win-win-win situation related to the experience he had the previous summer: College students want to make money, stay active, and work with their friends. Being a mover would provide just that – that’s win number one. Folks that need help moving don’t want to hire someone that takes frequent breaks or complains about their back, and many college students are able-bodied, energetic and resilient – that’s win number two. Finally, the demand for moving services in the Midwest is greatest in the summer, when college students have the most time – that’s win number three. And so, a name was born: College Muscle Movers.
The following summer, Jerad decided to stay in St. Paul and officially start his own professional moving company with some help from his close friend, Tim Olson.
2008
The Beginning
Jerad and Tim graduate from the University of St. Thomas and start College Muscle Movers.
2008
The Beginning
Jerad and Tim graduate from the University of St. Thomas and start College Muscle Movers.
2009
Enter Cameron Carson
Cameron joins the team as the first unpaid intern. He spent a good chunk of his time early on setting up formal accounting and important processes that are still in practice today.
At this time the company was being run out of a loft in St. Paul, renting trucks from Penske and storing their moving equipment in the formerly functioning Muscle Van parked outside the loft.
2009 – 2011
The Early Years
Similar to most other professional moving companies, a service was booked and immediately after Muscle Movers would be called until they had the necessary crew scheduled. Often times, Tim, Cameron and Jerad would end up out on services – whatever it took to make sure they never missed a service.
After a few years Jerad’s interest in College Muscle Movers was waning, but Cameron saw a lot of potential in the idea. So, Cameron approached Jerad about purchasing the company in early 2011.
2009 – 2011
The Early Years
Similar to most other professional moving companies, a service was booked and immediately after Muscle Movers would be called until they had the necessary crew scheduled. Often times, Tim, Cameron and Jerad would end up out on services – whatever it took to make sure they never missed a service.
After a few years Jerad’s interest in College Muscle Movers was waning, but Cameron saw a lot of potential in the idea. So, Cameron approached Jerad about purchasing the company in early 2011.
2012
Ownership Change
On January 1st, 2012 Cameron takes full ownership of College Muscle Mover and moves the company into its first official warehouse on Carroll Ave. It was far cry from the ideal situation (you had to walk through a bathroom to get to the back entrance), but it was at least a warehouse.
Cameron also restructured the scheduling process to further ensure we never miss a service, provide more availability and provide a more predictable schedule for our Muscle Movers.
Andrew Roth joins the team as an On-Site Estimator.
2013
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Andrew Roth joins as an owner.
Cameron and Andrew set out to create an opportunity for young professionals to gain general job experience many entry-level jobs require, develop important skills, and act as a strong referral for employees as they enter their preferred career paths. This program continues to grow and remains a primary focus of the College Muscle Movers team.
College Muscle Movers moved to its current location, a proper warehouse, at 720 Prior Ave N, in St. Paul, MN.
2013
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Andrew Roth joins as an owner.
Cameron and Andrew set out to create an opportunity for young professionals to gain general job experience many entry-level jobs require, develop important skills, and act as a strong referral for employees as they enter their preferred career paths. This program continues to grow and remains a primary focus of the College Muscle Movers team.
College Muscle Movers moved to its current location, a proper warehouse, at 720 Prior Ave N, in St. Paul, MN.
2015
Three’s Company
Former Muscle Mover, Cameron Gillette, joins Andrew and Cameron as part owner.
College Muscle Movers starts offering storage solutions for everything from overnight holds to long term storage.
2016 – 2020
Dan Kerrigan, another former Muscle Mover, rejoins the team and serves as President.
The College Muscle Movers fleet continues to grow as do our storage capabilities.
We could not be more proud in what we’ve accomplished in our time as a company and we look forward to many more years of growth, exceptional services for our customers, and work and development opportunities for young professionals in our community.
2016 – 2020
Dan Kerrigan, another former Muscle Mover, rejoins the team and serves as President.
The College Muscle Movers fleet continues to grow as do our storage capabilities.
We could not be more proud in what we’ve accomplished in our time as a company and we look forward to many more years of growth, exceptional services for our customers, and work and development opportunities for young professionals in our community.
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When You're Not Sure Something Will Fit
There are times when a furniture item will not fit where you want it to go. The most common situations where this happens are with couches, large bed headboards, and queen sized box springs going around tight corners and up stairs with low clearance.
You can measure your items and the space they are moving through to see if they will fit in advance. Keep in mind that the clearance of a staircase with a sloped ceiling is not from the ceiling straight down. You should measure from the lowest part of the ceiling at a 45 degree angle down to the stairs.
Queen box springs can be tilted at an angle to get a little more clearance, but many smaller houses with converted attic bedrooms will not fit a queen box spring up those stairs. You can purchase queen box springs that come in 2 small pieces if necessary, and many modern bed designs don't use box springs at all. King beds always use 2 twin box springs and should fit, though the mattress may need to be folded and forced up the stairs, which is not recommended for mattresses with metal springs in them.Couches are more difficult to judge because they are a unique shape that can be lifted and twisted around corners that at first seem too tight. The legs of the couch should be removed if possible to give the item more clearance. Some refrigerators, freezers and exercise equipment may also not fit in some spaces, like down narrow basement stairways.
If there is a questionable turn that, even after measuring, you aren't sure your couch will fit around, we recommend that you have a backup location for the couch to go in case it doesn't fit. If your home has a walk-out basement we may be able to bring an item through that door instead of moving it down the stairs.
Our movers are experts at fitting items through tight spaces, so if it is possible we will get it there. We will not, however, hoist items up to balconies or use ladders to bring items to an upper level. If it is a really tight fit and our movers think that we may damage the item or the home while moving, we may require a risk of damage acknowledgement to be signed.