By popular belief, the term “meathead” conjures up visions of an excessively muscular guy, who cannot spell “protein shakes”…but consumes them regularly. Aaron and Evan Steed, Founders/CEO of Meathead Movers (Santa Ana), have a new take on the term. Their moving company hires competent student athletes who are concerned with providing great customer service at a rapid pace to move families all over California. But their story has even more muscle behind it.
While in high school, Aaron and his brother Evan needed a job that was both flexible and also fit with their sport schedules. They began letting their friends and family know they were available to help people move, only taking what payment was offered. This was the perfect job for two boys deep in the throes of sports and homework. Not only could they essentially workout while getting paid, but they could pick their own schedules and have other athletes help them in order to expedite the process.
Word spread and the opportunities grew, because in order to save time the athletes would run back to the truck to grab another load to be moved. The athletes were able to combine workouts with work. This unique style of honest effort was a live advertisement as people drove past the truck, piquing the curiosity of those in neighboring communities. Soon their little part-time job turned into a booming business. By hiring other athletes, they could expand and accommodate the calls that started pouring in.
At one point the brothers began receiving phone calls from victims of domestic violence who needed to get out of their homes quickly and into a safe environment. Not knowing what to expect, Aaron and Evan would show up to the home of someone in distress and rush to move them before the abusive spouse appeared.
“We would get calls and hear the story through trembling voices,” said Aaron. “We knew we needed to help.”
Together, they decided they would help the victims without charging them. They understood the gravity of the situations on the other end of the phone line and knew that helping them for free was the only option.
When a toaster oven was thrown at them by the abuser who showed up unexpectedly, it became apparent that even though Aaron and Evan desperately wanted to help these victims, they needed to find a safer way. They decided to team up with the local women’s shelters in their area to offer free moving services, as long as the shelters would provide the screening necessary for their safety.
For 19 years their generosity went under the radar. The student athletes, along with Aaron and his brother Evan, served hundreds of men and women living with domestic violence. They began “Move to End Domestic Violence”, a campaign to end domestic violence, welcoming other businesses to join the local shelters to help. Not only do the victims of abuse get help, the impressionable student athletes see firsthand the devastating consequences of domestic violence.
Three years ago Meathead Movers, headed by Aaron Steed, opened an office in Santa Ana, CA. People in Orange County have taken notice. Aaron is looking to hire 80 athletes by the end of 2016. Families who use Meathead Movers can trust these athletes because each employee has been drug tested, screened, and fingerprinted. These friendly athletes make their own schedule, get paid to work out, acquire skills for their next career, learn problem-solving and management under high stress situations, and above all else, learn that “Real men help people out of unsafe situations”.
To learn more about Meathead Movers and their “Move to End Domestic Violence,” please visit their website at www.meatheadmovers.com
Photo by Joan Fuller Photography
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