We broke the mold
What is ‘Hay Runner’? video by Trent Bell
I realized I was an artist when I was very young. I was drawing with crayons and I figured out that I could make a yellow triangle sunshine on the corner of my piece of paper… a rainbow was every color I had in my box - one on top of another in an arch - and the birds flying by were not much more than a little black “v” in the blue ski. From that moment, I was hooked.
I soon knew I wanted to build things, and eventually, improve space, but I wanted to do it in a way that made sense to me. At the root of it all, I am an artist and a problem solver, and I approach life from that position.
My inspiration arrived when I discovered the story of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Before he became a shipping and railroad tycoon and one of the wealthiest Americans of the 19th century (owning $1 for every $20 in the United States of America), he was a hustler with a vision.
Cornelius Vanderbilt quit school at age 11. As the son of two frugal farmers, he soon started running hay on a little sail boat. Because he wanted more than farming - he wanted to be on the ocean. He intuitively understood the concept of vertical integration and wanted harness the momentum of steam shipping. He saw a way to simplify complex business systems and bring together different industries in a smarter way – the core of Hay Runner.
Today’s system doesn’t work, mostly because people don’t look at home ownership as a complete lifecycle. That’s why it’s disjointed and messy, and it’s why we changed it. At Hay Runner, we simplify the lifecycle of home ownership through buying, fixing up, designing, building, maintaining, and selling – and we work with people every step of the way.
We love what we do, and we want people to feel excited about the functionality and beauty of space.
Zooming out the lens, I encourage people to see the power of space. Don’t let it confine you. Let it inspire you. Be big in life, take up all the space you want, and make it yours.
Shannon Richards
Founder
MORE ABOUT OUR NAME
There once was a boy, born on an island farm. During the war, he began running hay to the mainland to help feed the cavalry. And the horses, they say, won that war. His first boat was a periauger, and he bought it with a loan from his mother, whom he paid back with interest.
He was dependable and capable - he had deep roots and a community. He was aware of the elements, the lifecycle and interdependence of all things. He was noticed by men that mattered. These men had the means to hire him - and they brought to him an awareness of the newest technologies in transportation and shipping. He understood the need of the community and with this, he understood how to simplify and deliver a streamlined business the community desperately needed and wanted - and was ready for. He understood the need so well, not many years later, he owned one dollar in every twenty in the United States of America.
His name was Cornelius Vanderbilt, and, in his lifetime, he achieved great things for himself, his family and the community. He connected and integrated businesses that depended on one another, like a farm. He simplified systems and created efficiencies that the people needed and wanted. HayRunner was named for him - and the idea that we can improve systems and integrate seemingly disparate, but dependent, services.
HayRunner was created to simplify and support the lifecycle of real estate ownership, from acquisition through design, construction, maintenance, furnishing and, eventually, selling. We support all phases of real estate ownership by providing an integrated approach, and expertise for each interdependent layer. Our experience, technology and resources provide clients with a completely individualized, transparent, concierge approach to solving their real estate ownership needs.
