Omar Soliman

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. He attended Sidwell Friends School{{cite news | last =Heath | first =Tom | title =Value Added: The Hunks' Way of Doing Things |newspaper =The Washington Post | url = http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2008/09/value_added_the_hunks_way_of_d.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110519105510/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2008/09/value_added_the_hunks_way_of_d.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = May 19, 2011| access-date =8 November 2012 }} and went on to attend business school at the University of Miami where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2004.

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. In 2004, he entered the Leigh Rothschild Entrepreneurship Competition in Miami,{{cite news | last =Gill | first =Dee | title =Hauling Junk With A Touch Of Class |newspaper =The New York Times | date=30 September 2008 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/business/smallbusiness/01junk.html?_r=3&re&oref=slogin| access-date =8 November 2012 }} 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, a healthcare research firm in Washington D.C. A short time later he partnered again with Friedman to revive "College Hunks Hauling Junk", then moving furniture under the name "College Hunks Moving."{{cite news|last1=Heath|first1=Thomas|title=Duo behind College Hunks moving company ditch a digital path for old-school success|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-college-hunks-moving-company-success-heath-20160801-story.html|access-date=2 October 2016|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=1 August 2016}}

In 2009, at the age of 27, Soliman was named to the 30 Under 30 List by Inc. Magazine.{{cite news | title =30 Under 30 | newspaper =Inc. Magazine | url =http://www.inc.com/30under30/2008/profile/1920-friedmansoliman.html | access-date =8 November 2012 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042326/http://www.inc.com/30under30/2008/profile/1920-friedmansoliman.html | archive-date =4 March 2016 | url-status =dead }}

Soliman was the co-executive producer of the 2012 documentary Beware of Mr. Baker.

In 2011, Soliman co-authored the book Effortless Entrepreneur with Nick Friedman and Daylle Schwatrz.{{cite web | title=Effortless Entrepreneur | publisher=Random House| url=http://www.randomhouse.com/book/196735/effortless-entrepreneur-by-nick-friedman-omar-soliman-and-daylle-deanna-schwartz| access-date = 8 November 2012}} He was nominated by Ernst & Young for the Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011.{{cite web| title=Lifetime Achievement Honoree and Award Finalists| publisher=Ernst & Young| date=16 June 2011| url=http://www.ey.com/US/en/About-us/Entrepreneur-Of-The-Year/SEA_FL_Article_regional-finalists| access-date=8 November 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019091606/http://www.ey.com/US/en/About-us/Entrepreneur-Of-The-Year/SEA_FL_Article_regional-finalists| archive-date=19 October 2011| url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite web | title=IMDb Filmography Omar Soliman | publisher=IMDB| date=7 November 2009| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3644890/| access-date = 7 August 2015}}{{cite news | last =Plumb | first =Tierney. | title =College Hunks Hauling Junk Founders Jump In Shark Tank |newspaper =Washington Business Journal| date=7 August 2009| url = http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/08/03/daily126.html| access-date =8 November 2012 }} 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.{{cite news | last =Mui | first =Yian Q. | title =Whatever Happened To – The College Hunks And Their Junk Business |newspaper =The Washington Post| date=6 June 2010| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22176385.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160409204355/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22176385.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = 9 April 2016| access-date =8 November 2012 }}

Soliman appeared on a season premier of the Bravo show Millionaire Matchmaker.{{cite web | title=Omar: Junk In the Trunk | publisher=Bravo| date=19 January 2010| url=http://www.bravotv.com/the-millionaire-matchmaker/season-3/blogs/omar-junk-in-the-trunk}} He also appeared on AMC's The Pitch in 2013{{cite web | title=IMDb Filmography Omar Soliman | publisher=IMDB| date=8 November 2014| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3644890/| access-date = 7 August 2015}} 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.{{cite web | title=IMDb Filmography Omar Soliman | publisher=IMDB| date=8 June 2015| url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3644890/| access-date = 7 August 2015}}

Soliman has been a guest on the Fox Business Network{{cite web | title=College Grads Forced To Start Own Companies To Find Jobs| publisher=Fox Business| date=6 June 2011| url=http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/978392567001/college-grads-forced-to-start-own-companies-to-find-jobs| access-date = 8 November 2012 }} and MSNBC speaking on the topics of business and entrepreneurship.{{cite web | last=Saha | first=Mousumi Kumar | title=Nick Friedman & Omar Soliman, The Founders Of College Hunks Hauling Junk| publisher=Success Stories| date=2 April 2012| url=http://www.successstories.co.in/nick-friedman-omar-soliman-the-founders-of-college-hunks-hauling-junk/| access-date = 8 November 2012}}

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Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sidwell Friends School alumni

Category:University of Miami Business School alumni

Category:21st-century American businesspeople

Category:Businesspeople from Washington, D.C.

Category:American business writers