College students turn a dorm move mishap into RVATotes

James Madison University and Christopher Newport University students Hudson Williams and Evan Scearce launched RVATotes, a Hanover-based reusable moving tote rental company serving Richmond and Central Virginia. The business has grown with help from local movers and Realtors as customers look for a cleaner, sturdier alternative to cardboard boxes.

Why it matters: - RVATotes gives households and businesses a reusable alternative to cardboard boxes, tape and cleanup during moves. - The Hanover company also helps local movers work faster because its totes stack uniformly and load more tightly in trucks. - The service has expanded into a niche around moves, senior transitions, Realtor referrals and business relocations across Central Virginia.

What happened: - James Madison University student Hudson Williams started thinking about a better moving option after a cardboard box failed while he was carrying it down dorm stairs. - Williams called friend Evan Scearce, a Christopher Newport University student, and the two launched RVATotes. - RVATotes is a Hanover-based company that rents reusable plastic moving totes across Richmond and Central Virginia. - Williams and Scearce funded the startup with money from family and launched the company in spring 2026. - The company says it has continued to grow through the summer and fall after a strong first moving season and a five-star Google rating.

The details: - The founders built the business themselves, including the booking system, website, inventory operation and marketing. - With both founders back at school in Harrisonburg and Newport News, RVATotes has hired local students to handle deliveries and pickups in the Richmond area. - RVATotes delivers heavy-duty, stackable totes before moving day and picks them up afterward. - Each tote holds up to 65 pounds and includes an attached lid. - The company says the totes require no assembly and no tape. - RVATotes cleans and disinfects every tote before each rental. - Packages include at least one dolly designed to fit the totes. - Customers can stack several full totes and roll them to the truck in one trip. - The setup is especially useful for families moving a parent into assisted living. - RVATotes is not a moving company. - RVATotes does not pack, load or transport belongings. - Customers move themselves or hire a mover of their choice. - RVATotes supplies the totes and dollies. - Rentals run for two or four weeks. - Two-week packages start at $115 for a studio with 15 totes. - Four-bedroom packages go up to $279 for 75 totes and two dollies. - Custom packages are available for larger residential and commercial moves. - Delivery and pickup are free within 45 driving miles of Hanover. - That coverage includes Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Glen Allen, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Short Pump, Ashland and Petersburg. - RVATotes also serves Williamsburg, Charlottesville and Fredericksburg with a mileage fee beyond 45 miles. - Customers can check their address and book at rvatotes.com. - The company’s social accounts are on Instagram and Facebook.

Between the lines: - Local moving companies have become one of RVATotes’ biggest sources of business. - Movers recommend RVATotes because the totes are a uniform size and stack securely. - Realtors use the company’s subscription program as a closing gift for buyers and sellers. - Realtors also use the referral program to send clients directly to RVATotes. - The company has also found demand in commercial moves. - RVATotes recently supplied 600 totes for a single business relocation. - Businesses use the totes for moves inside the same building, including shifting departments between floors, clearing space for renovations and reorganizing file and storage rooms. - Reusing totes can reduce the need to buy single-use boxes and avoid tape and post-move cleanup.

What’s next: - RVATotes is leaning on local students to keep operations running while the founders are on campus. - The company appears positioned to keep expanding through moving companies, Realtors and commercial customers as it adds more rentals beyond the summer season.

The bottom line: - A dorm-room accident became a growing Central Virginia business built around a simple pitch: sturdier moving supplies, fewer hassles and less waste.