TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Franchisee Drew Brooks Finds New Career in Business Ownership

After spending eight years in commercial real estate as an affiliate broker land developer, Brooks knew that having a business of his own with potential for growth would be the right decision for himself, his wife Kristen and their 19-month-old daughter Elizabeth. Through a business consultant, Brooks came across TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, and was sold on the business opportunity after meeting the positive, supportive corporate team behind the moving business and seeing the business’s  potential scalability firsthand. While Brooks lives in nearby Memphis, he chose to develop the brand about two hours away in Little Rock, Arkansas for the area’s untapped market.

Brooks believes there are huge expansion opportunities in terms of development and brand recognition throughout the demographically diverse state. Opened Oct 3, 2019, Brooks’ location has already begun giving back to the local community thanks to partnerships with local charities such as the Downtown Little Rock Partnership and completing moves for Our House, a housing program that rehabilitates people experiencing homelessness and places them into homes of their own.

1851: Tell us a little bit about your background.

Brooks: I was born in Memphis, Tennessee. I went to Christian Brothers High School and graduated in 2007. I went to college at the University of Alabama where I got a degree in urban design with a focus on real estate. I thought I wanted to be an urban planner.

I graduated in 2012 and spent about five months as an intern at Poag and McEwen. It was right after the real estate recession, so I spent some time working unpaid for the experience. I then found my current employer, Loeb Properties, in Memphis. I am an affiliate broker. I work with different retailers like Dollar General, Starbucks and Arby’s to negotiate land purchase contracts for development.

I have one 19-month-old daughter Elizabeth with my wife Kristen.

1851: Why did you choose to go into franchising? What was the trigger moment that led you to become a franchisee with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®?

Brooks: I had reached a ceiling at a certain point in my current job. I was a small-percentage partner, and that percentage wasn’t getting any bigger, so I started looking at opportunities with a business consultant about two years ago. We looked at both family-owned businesses and franchises.

When I went to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s Home Office in Lansing, Michigan for Discovery Day, I had a really good feeling and everyone I met was pretty incredible. It made me want to join the brand. I signed on in September and closed on the actual business on October 3, 2019.

1851: What value do you see your business providing to the community? What plans do you have for growth?

Brooks: We are consistently ranked one of the top franchises in terms of customer satisfaction. I want to maintain that standard of customer service and even go above and beyond it, if possible. 

I would be interested in expanding eventually. The owner of the Memphis TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® agreed to give me the right of first refusal upon his retirement, meaning that I would have the first priority to take over that territory should it become available.

I think this business has a lot of potential to grow within Little Rock. It hasn’t been aggressively marketed there, and the area remains relatively untapped. We will be bringing on a marketing assistant and two new extended cab trucks to ramp up some revenue and grow buzz around the territory. Demographically, Little Rock is very diverse, and I think we are equipped to serve most of those demographics. Then we’ll place another order for another two trucks. There are also several universities in Little Rock, which is great for a moving business.

1851: Do you own, or have you owned, any other businesses or franchises?

Brooks: This is my first.

1851: Do you provide any interesting services, work with any other local businesses, charitable organizations, or prominent individuals in the community?

Brooks: We just participated in the Arkansas Cornbread Festival two weekends ago. We worked with the Downtown Little Rock Partnership and Our House. Our House is a housing program that helps people experiencing homelessness and also acts a rehabilitation program. We conduct their moves out of the housing program into their new home.

We also sponsored the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.