Startup Spotlight | Hello Gravel
Interview with Co-Founder, Daniel Crowley (Tulane B'11)

Pictured, Daniel Crowley (bottom center) with Hello Gravel team members.

Hello Gravel is bringing e-commerce to the sand, gravel, and crushed stone marketplace. The New Orleans–based company allows customers to instantly price and order bulk materials online, replacing outdated systems like phone and email orders. The company delivers nationwide using a proprietary tool for dynamic regional pricing. 
 
Co-founded by Daniel Crowley (B’11), a serial entrepreneur and Tulane alum with a background in logistics and government contracting, and Alan Kofman, an e-commerce expert with a decade of experience scaling direct-to-consumer brands, Hello Gravel is often described as “1-800-Flowers but for gravel.” 
  
The leadership team also includes Tulane graduates Michael Brubaker (Head of Sales, B’11) and Andrew Dunn (Head of Data & Corporate Relations, MBA ’10). In March 2025, Tulane Ventures invested in the company to help accelerate its growth. We sat down with Daniel to learn more.  

Pictured above, The Crowley Holdings team

Hello Gravel was launched in 2023. Was there a particular project or moment that sparked the idea and made you all realize the future of gravel delivery could look very different? 

The story of Hello Gravel begins with our first company, Crowley Holdings, which we founded in 2016. Inspired by a book and movie where the protagonists build a business around government contracts, we were intrigued by the idea of serving an established customer with a specific need.    


We started exploring government contracting through sam.gov, where we first bid on a gravel contract. Although we didn’t win the first bid, we learned the process, continued submitting proposals, and eventually secured our first contract in early 2017. Crowley Holdings grew from there and today operates with a small team. Through that experience, we developed deep knowledge of gravel, aggregates, and logistics, which directly informed the launch of Hello Gravel. 
 
Hello Gravel has been described as the "1-800-Flowers for gravel.” What does that analogy mean to your team?   

 1-800-Flowers built a model that takes ownership of the customer experience—including delivery and quality control—while partnering with local florists. We approach Hello Gravel the same way. We work with local suppliers to fulfill orders, which benefits both the customer and the community. Because aggregates are heavy, sourcing locally also makes delivery more economical. 
 
Hello Gravel recently opened its first office in Uptown New Orleans. What inspired you all to plant roots here, and how does the city influence the company’s culture or operations? 

I’m originally from Massachusetts, but after graduating from Tulane, I chose to stay in New Orleans. Working at locally founded companies like the Receivables Exchange and Smoothie King helped build my love for the city’s culture as a young entrepreneur outside of the university.    


Opening our office in a historic building on my favorite street, Magazine Street, has been a dream. We’re hiring local talent and believe New Orleans is a great place to launch a startup. Uptown offers walkability, creative energy, and great coffee shops, restaurants, and retail—all of which make it an inspiring place to base our company.    

Hello Gravel has now fulfilled gravel orders in all 50 states, including North Pole, Alaska. Who is the typical customer today, and has that audience surprised you?    

It’s true—we’ve delivered gravel everywhere, even to the North Pole! Our customers range from local businesses and community spaces, such as a temple in Hawaii, to homeowners transforming their yards. What has surprised us most is the range of our audience. We expected to serve primarily small contractors, but we’ve seen everyone from first-time DIYers to professional landscapers using Hello Gravel to make their projects easier. That mix has shaped how we’ve built our service: approachable, helpful, and flexible—no matter where the order is headed.   

As hardscaping becomes more prominent in design trends, are you all seeing homeowners and landscape architects turning to gravel for its beauty, not just its utility? 

Absolutely! Many of our customers are purchasing gravel and other materials for very practical needs, but we also have a significant portion who are looking to beautify their outdoor spaces. Often, they get to achieve both! As we grow, we plan to expand our offerings to become a comprehensive educational resource for our customers. We want our customers to come to us for guidance on their options, including which materials might meet their design needs and which will provide the functionality they are looking for. Gravel and stone can significantly enhance the outdoor aesthetic and value of a home.    

What does the team look like today, and what roles or skills are you all hoping to bring on as Hello Gravel continues to grow? 

We have a small executive team and a handful of amazing team members who have joined us earlier this year across sales, operations, and technology. We enjoy, as well as the networks of others within the company, has being together in person as we build this company from the ground up and begin to scale. As a startup, the roles and skills we hire for are mainly dependent on our plans for growth or execution, which are constantly evolving. Generally, we expect additional growth in technology, sales, and operations. We value a self-starting disposition, strong work ethic, and a positive attitude.   

Four of your team members are fellow Tulane grads. How did your time at Tulane influence your mindset as a founder, and how has that network shaped Hello Gravel? 

Much of my network and the networks of others within the company have been shaped by our time at Tulane. Many entrepreneurial individuals emerge from the school, and numerous people work across the country in various industries. Tulane graduates tend to love the school and the city (just like we do!), so it’s a great network to be part of. We also know how to have a good time and having that energy and positivity in our company culture is important to us. Tulane and New Orleans play a role in that.   
 
What advice would you give a Tulane student who’s sitting on an idea in logistics, infrastructure, or even construction tech, but isn’t sure how to get started? 

Go! That is our first core value as a company. You often hear businesspeople and entrepreneurs in the media sphere talking about “just getting started,” and it is true. Start small, test the market, find traction, and then start executing. When you’ve hit on something, you’ll know! Beyond that, using your network and asking questions of people you admire or who work in the space can be incredibly helpful. Most people who have started companies will be very willing to help because they’ve done the hard work themselves and know what it takes.