Two years after he was building benches at Calumet Park and Forward Street in Bird Rock, La Jolla native Dash Richardson is on to his next project. This time, he and friend and fellow La Jollan Evan Martin are launching an effort they’ve discussed for years.
“We’ve been buddies since the beginning of middle school, and ever since then, we always talked about … [how] we’re already friends [so] imagine if we could grow up and work together and start our own business,” Martin said.
Earlier this month, the pair did just that with the launch of Windansea Hauling.
The La Jolla-based business offers furniture and appliance removal, garage and attic cleanups, curbside pickups and eco-friendly disposal.
Richardson and Martin landed on offering hauling services after considering solar panel cleaning. But they realized liability and insurance issues posed logistical roadblocks.
As they evaluated other options, Martin suggested starting a hauling service.
“I know there’s so many people who have junk that they want to get rid of [or] want to be moved, and I know they’d pay us some solid money,” Martin said. “I have a truck, so we can go down and grab it. It’s an easy job.”
In their first full week of public outreach, the two secured several customers. The following week, they received about six commissions, all in the La Jolla area.
La Jolla has played a significant role in their lives. Martin attended Bird Rock Elementary School while Richardson went to La Jolla Elementary. From there, they both went to Muirlands Middle and La Jolla High schools.
They became closer when they were in seventh grade and ran into each other at an airport and sat next to each other on the same flight.
After that, they were “COVID buddies” as the only people they saw outside their households during the pandemic lockdowns.
Richardson now is a business finance major and lacrosse player at Chapman University in Orange County. Martin studies real estate and finance at San Diego State University.
Their usual hangouts, which often include surfing, have more recently become brainstorming sessions.
“We obviously hang out every day pretty much,” Martin said. “So now before we go out and do whatever activity we’re going to do that day, he brings over his laptop … and we actually get to work on our business together.”
Their community outreach has been mostly online so far. Richardson and Martin perused Instagram comments for potential clients and created every social media account they could.
The inspiration for Windansea Hauling’s name was their favorite La Jolla surfing spot growing up. Their other idea for a name, Coastal Cleanouts, already was trademarked.
“We were looking at names and I was like ‘All right, I’m kind of done with this. Do you want to go surfing at Windansea?’” Richardson said. “And Evan was like ‘Windansea Hauling!’”
“We’ve grown up there,” Martin said. “We’ve spent every single summer at that beach. It works not only for the company and our name but it also works for our background. It’s like it’s a part of us.”
The launch of Windansea Hauling comes about two years after Richardson built and installed two memorial benches in Calumet Park and one at the Forward Street overlook in Bird Rock for his Eagle Scout project.
“It was a really big pain at the time, but I now go to the park all the time,” he said. “I take my dogs there, I eat all my burritos and tacos there. It’s a really good feeling sitting on your own park bench.”
He took the Eagle project in front of the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board, the San Diego Parks & Recreation Department and the Bird Rock Community Council. It took roughly two years for the benches to be approved and completed.
The same diligence is required with Windansea Hauling.
Richardson and Martin hope to expand their customer base and eventually extend their services beyond La Jolla. During Christmastime they plan to haul trees.
The business could become a family affair, too. Richardson said his return to Chapman in the fall could result in him taking on a more logistical role and his brother Drake may help with the jobs.
“We’re excited to not only expand geographically from city to city, from town to town, but also … just expanding almost into more of a company that can do any task or get anything done that people just don’t want to do or don’t have the time to do,” Martin said.
To find out more about Windansea Hauling, visit @windanseahauling on Instagram or nextdoor.com/pages/windansea-hauling-la-jolla-ca. ♦