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S AT U R DAY, J U LY 11, 2 0 2 0
‘One truck and a dream’ Movegreen continues moving forward even in the midst of a pandemic
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
Thanks to a PPP loan of $5 to $10 million to the professional group that employs Sansum Clinic healthcare providers, the clinic can now keep employees on the payroll and continue to provide medical care for the community.
SB companies receive millions in PPP funds Sansum Clinic and Sientra Inc. among those to receive biggest loans By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
COURTESY PHOTOS
Started in 2007 with just one truck, Movegreen now owns a fleet of 20 service vehicles, 20,000 storage units and serves five counties across California.
By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
While some companies are trying their best to simply stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, others are making the most of their situation and even taking some big risks. Take Movegreen, for example. The award-winning ecofriendly moving and storage company based in Santa Barbara announced on Thursday that they acquired two storing and moving powerhouses, La Habra Relocations and Watford Moving and Storage. Located in Orange County and Santa Clarita, respectively, the acquisition of these two locations allows Movegreen to move deeper into the Southern California market. “This is significant growth for us,” Erik Haney, CEO and founder of Movegreen, told the News-Press. “Within the moving business, 20 to 30 miles is kind of your maximum radius where you can be serviceable and efficient for customers. So now with our locations we can really provide service to anyone from Solvang to Laguna Beach.” Mr. Haney began Movegreen in 2007 and had a simple — or difficult depending on how you look at it — goal: to reinvent the moving and storage business in a more “socially responsible way.” “We wanted to minimize the impact on our environment … that really was the foundation,” Mr. Haney said. “It started here in Santa Barbara and I like to say it started with one truck and a dream.” What once started with one truck and dream has since evolved to business that has grown tremendously in just 13 years.
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Please see PPP on A7
Movegreen has a number of hybrid vehicles to try to minimize its impact on the environment, including a hybrid diesel truck.
Now, Movegreen has a fleet of 20 vans and service vehicles, serves five counties and owns 22,000 storage units along the South Coast. It has seen a 30% increase in revenue since 2017 and a 40% growth in personnel and in the near future, the company plans to expand into a 33,000 square foot warehouse in Oxnard. “It feels amazing. It’s a lot of hard work over the years but it’s pretty crazy to imagine,” Mr. Haney said. “We really put customer service as number one on our list and going above and beyond anytime we possibly can to do right by the customer to exceed their expectations seems to really
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At least $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program funding was awarded to more than 70 businesses and nonprofits in southern Santa Barbara County to keep workers on the payroll. The forgivable loans were presented in ranges of $1 to $2 million, $2 to $5 million and $5 to $10 million in federal data released earlier this week. The PPP program helped California’s 24th congressional
district, which includes all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and part of Ventura County, retain more than 158,114 total jobs and the assistance totaled over $1.16 billion, according to a statement released by Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara. “This data illustrates how federal resources provided by the CARES Act are being used to preserve jobs and provide businesses on the Central Coast with a safety net as we grapple
be paying off and it’s great.” All of Movegreens trucks have GPS monitors to track their locations. One day, Mr. Haney was looking at those GPS monitors and saw his trucks all across the state of California, from San Francisco to San Diego. “It was a really proud moment for me for sure. I have had staff with me since the beginning so to see that was a pretty surreal moment, but you know we have plans to keep growing and we’re not done yet,” Mr. Haney said. Of course, while the company has seen growth over the past 13 years, it has stayed true to its mission of trying to help the environment. At the company’s inception, it
partnered with a company called Trees for the Future. Through the partnership, Movegreen has a “10-tree program,” which means the company will plant 10 trees for every move made. Through the partnership, Movegreen has helped plant more 100,000 trees. With the quick advancement of technology as well, Movegreen is very close to having a fully digital inventory system, cutting down on the use of paper. Movegreen also has five hybrid vehicles and one hybrid diesel truck and hopes to add a few more over the next couple of years. “We are just constantly trying Please see MOVEGREEN on A8
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
Sur La Table, at 821 State St., has announced it will be closing its doors for good due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
More closures due to COVID-19 Three State Street businesses closing doors due to recent coronavirus spike By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge throughout the county, three local businesses have had to close their doors —
some for good. The Apple Store, located on 928 State St., is among 11 locations throughout the country that is reclosing its doors to support Please see CLOSING on A7
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