Lend a Box, an Arlington-based company that provides reusable plastic tubs for moves in order to keep cardboard boxes out of the moving industry and out of landfills, is having a huge month. The company has doubled in size, has opened a second office in Reston, and by cofounder Janice Gambaccini's calculations, has kept 13 tons of cardboard out of area landfills since launching the business
last year.
"That's a huge amount and a really cool number," Gambaccini says. "And, in April 2014 alone, we did more business than we did all of last year."
Gambaccini founded Lend a Box in 2013 with her sister Stephanie Zimmermann. The pair just hired their first two employees—one to focus on business development and the other to serve as warehouse manager—ahead of summer, typically a busy time for the moving industry. In addition to a small warehouse in Herndon, the company expanded into a second warehouse in Sterling.
She attributes Lend a Box's growth to two factors. "We've hired someone to work on our SEO [search engine optimization] and he's done a phenomenal job to help us increase our presence online," Gambaccini says. "We've also networked with professional organizers, decorators and remodelers. We love working with them because they know exactly [how many boxes] they need."
Moving forward, Lend a Box wants to "get through the busy season and provide the same level of service" they have been providing to customers. Plans are in the works to roll out a "pack and store" program for college students. College students with stuff to store over the summer will be able to use Lend a Box's totes for the duration of summer break. Gambaccini and her crew will drop off and pick up the totes, and will even provide the storage if students need it.
"We have good connections with George Mason University [right now]," she says, "but we haven't just settled on Mason." The college summer storage program will roll out in spring 2015.