A Bellhops rickshaw in ChattanoogaBellhops, the tech-enabled moving company, is branching into local delivery service.
The Chattanooga startup also has launched free downtown cycle-rickshaw rides courtesy of its local college movers and soon with the pedal power of about 30 interns it expects to take under its wing this summer.
Bellhops quietly began marketing the local delivery service in the Scenic City on March 1 and has had about a dozen customers. A few weeks later, the company expanded the service to Birmingham, Ala. The same college students who get paid for their manpower handling moves for the company will pick up and drop off items that fit in the back of a small truck for $30 per delivery.
The service is geared toward people who, for example, buy furniture off of Craigslist, but can't transport it themselves. "Some of our bellhops have pick-up trucks, so this is a service we could offer," said Bellhops Chief Operating Officer Matt Patterson.
The business concept arose from demand. "A lot of these same people who have just moved are purchasing furniture or want to sell furniture," Patterson said.
It's not yet clear when Bellhops will move beyond the pilot phase or when it might expand into any of the more than 125 other cities across the nation where it offers moving services. The company first wants to test the delivery service with more customers in the two cities, Patterson said.
The startup expects to have about 30 interns this summer -- a remarkable number considering it has 70 employees at its headquarters. The rickshaw rides, which started this past weekend near the Tennessee Aquarium, constitute "about 1 percent" of the interns' programs, Patterson said. Most of the interns will focus on operations, along with marketing and business development. A few will focus on technology.
Bellhops provides the students with housing at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and gives interns a stipend of $200 a week. Most internships last about 12 weeks. This year's program has drawn students from Georgia Institute of Technology, James Madison University, Oklahoma State University, University of Houston and University of New Mexico, among others. Bellhops staff come from across the country as well.
Bellhops had 11 interns last summer and offered five of them full-time positions, Patterson said. All five eventually came on board, he said.
Bellhops grew out of a college-campus moving service in 2011 and since has locked in investors locally and in New York and California. The startup contracts with more than 10,000 trained college students who handle loading and unloading furniture and boxes for small- to medium-scale residential moves. Software engineers automate the company's communications and operations to connect the college movers with customers.
Contact Mitra Malek at mmalek@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6406. Follow her on Twitter @MitraMalek.