Hines Washington, Entrepreneur and Family Man, Helps Move Families

August is one of the busiest months for movers, as Hines Washington, proud owner of Hines’s Family Movers, LLC, knows. Hines, a Fluvanna native and father to eight children ranging in ages from five to 27, stays very busy all summer long helping other families move. Despite a physical disability, Hines had a dream of becoming a family mover—a physically demanding job he seemed ready to tackle—to provide more for himself and his family.

While Hines knew how to start a business, he wasn’t exactly sure how he was going to afford the equipment he would need to become a mover. Hines first heard about Piedmont Housing Alliance through his aunt, who had worked with Piedmont Housing Alliance to buy her first home. Hines was participating in the Community Investment Collaborative (CIC), a local business education program for under-resourced local entrepreneurs, when he decided to reach out directly to Piedmont Housing Alliance to see how they might help him.

Hines was working with Piedmont Housing Alliance when he learned about and enrolled in the Virginia Individual Development Account (VIDA) program to start saving money with the specific goal of opening his business in mind. Hines took financial management classes through Piedmont Housing Alliance and worked with Shelley Murphy at the Alliance to save $1,500. The VIDA program matches each dollar of participant savings with up to $8, up to a maximum of $4,500, to be used towards education, home ownership, or a business. VIDA participants saving as little as $500 can receive a total of $4,000 in matching funds. Between his savings and the VIDA match, Hines had $5,500 in funds to help him grow his business. He purchased a 26-foot moving truck so he could take on bigger moving jobs without the expense of renting a large truck. This, in turn, generated more cash flow to stabilize and grow the business.

Hines said, “I had such a good experience working at Piedmont Housing Alliance with Shelley. She was patient and understanding and ready to advise you and help you look at things in a different way.”

Hines’s business is growing quickly and he is thankful for this opportunity. One of his older sons has started helping out with the business, and people are starting to learn about him through word of mouth. Hines prides himself on his customer service skills and his commitment to honor his word. Hines is proud to be able to make plans to pass his business down to his older son one day. Without his supportive wife and family, Hines says he couldn’t be doing this kind of work successfully.

We wish Hines, a true entrepreneur and dedicated family man, the best luck and look forward to hearing more from him in the near future!