Moving companies are not exactly companies you think of every day nor do many of us even know any local moving companies. But, in the last few years movegreen has come on the local scene and there’s a reason they’ve quickly become the go to company for the Tri-Counties.

Movegreen puts their money where their mouth is and are truly Eco-friendly – they use biodeisel trucks, recycle their  boxes and materials, and take numerous measures to reduce the carbon footprint behind every move. It seems to me they’re pioneering the industry.

In the company’s infancy they made it a priority to get certified as a green business and can actually boast of being our County’s 3rd certified company. They  were green before it was cool.

Founders Patrick and Erik went to school together in Bend, Oregon. Patrick then moved to San Luis Obispo and owned a Pita Pit franchise. He later moved to Santa Barbara after purchasing the Pita Pit in Isla Vista and randomly bumped into his old friend Erik. Both ended up working for a local moving company to make some money and both  really enjoyed the work, particularly providing a more satisfying feeling than serving pitas all day. As time went on Patrick and Erik realized there was room for improvement in the move industry and felt it important to be more than just a moving company with good service; and thus the idea for Movegreen was born.

What strikes me most about this company is not only that the founders are young and passionate, but that they “get it”. They get the big picture and are more concerned with doing what’s right than doing what’s profitable. Fortunately, they’ve found a way to do both and there philosophy appears to be working  because I think they’re already expanding the company nationwide.

Last fall, movegreen delivered nearly 10,000 Axxess Books to local schools who were fund-raising with Axxess. They donated their time, their energy and their trucks to help us help the schools. It was extremely generous and I was extremely thankful that for the first time in 7 years I didn’t have to deliver boxes in my own car! (Thank guys.)

An Eco Friendly Tip!

I’ve been so busy lately I don’t think I’ve posted anything in weeks. I feel like a sinner: Please readers (all 3 of you!), forgive me as it’s been nearly four weeks since my last post.

I’ve been wanting to share with you some stories and background on some of the businesses that you see in the Axxess Program. Prior to my life as “the Axxess Guy” it  never crossed my mind that each business in the world has a person or multiple persons behind it. It’s not that I’m a numskull or that the concept is hard to grasp, it’s just something that didn’t cross my mind. I always felt that a business was something bigger than me and over time I unknowingly or unintentionally developed sort of an adversarial attitude towards them.

For example, at a sandwich shop maybe I (or someone you know) would take a second refill at the soda machine when refills were not allowed. Who cares right? Or maybe I got arrested when I was 16 for shoplifting at Nordstroms. Again, who cares? It just never crossed my mind that each penny or dollar that I might have unjustifiably taken – was taken one in way or another directly out of the pocket of another person. Not that John Nordstrom was going to miss the $60 shirt I might have tried to walk out with – but certainly those types of “losses” add up. And had  I known or been friends with Mr. Nordstrom I’m quite sure that incident never would have happened in the first place. (And it didn’t! I’m just using this as a hypothetical example. And even if it did happen I was proabbly a minor at the time so I shouldn’t have any police record of such an incident anyway.)

Whether it’s the local deli or the local CostCo – the result of what you’re seeing and where you’re spending your money started out  simply as an idea by a regular person just like you or I.  So every time you’re in a store, big or small; Axxess participant or not – remember that the store, like every individual person, has a story to tell.

So stay tuned as I share some stories with you over the weeks to come in an attemp to connect you with local “merchants”.

This did not happen to me!