From Country Band to Company: How Two Friends Built Amass Solutions
Meet the Founders: James Bramble & Christopher Collier
On a quiet night in Texas in 2016, two friends sat across from each other, exhausted from jobs that demanded everything but gave little back. Both were musicians, dreamers, and problem-solvers—but most importantly, they were partners in a friendship forged through rhythm and resilience.
James Bramble had been trying to build businesses—with limited success—since he was 19. A graduate of The University of Texas at El Paso, James paired his early entrepreneurial drive with a strong academic foundation, later earning his MBA from the University of Houston–Downtown in 2019. His education sharpened his understanding of operations, finance, and leadership, but it was experience—wins, losses, and lessons—that truly shaped his approach to building a people-first company.
Across from him sat Christopher Collier—tireless, devoted, and gifted at turning challenges into solutions. Chris earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Trinity University, a foundation that strengthened his analytical skills and ability to navigate complex operations. While James brought structure, strategy, and long-term vision, Chris brought empathy, financial insight, and an unyielding dedication to execution. Together, they formed a partnership rooted in balance: structure and creativity, analysis and action.
After yet another opportunity slipped through James’s fingers at his corporate job, he leaned forward and said the words that would change everything:
“Let’s just start our own company.”
Bold? Absolutely. Reckless? Maybe. But boldness had always been their rhythm. That conversation sparked the birth of AMASS Solutions.
AMASS—to gather, to build, to accumulate—not just wealth, but trust, purpose, and effort. It was a promise to each other, their future employees, and every client they would ever serve.
The early days were grueling. Chris woke before dawn to manage crews on site, jumped into his HR role, and ended the day helping another startup navigate oil and gas trading. Sleep was a luxury; perseverance was mandatory.
Their first payday was chaos. Checks disappeared in the mail. At 5 a.m., Chris was already on the road, hand-delivering replacements.
“We fixed it fast,” he laughs now. “And learned the value of direct deposit real quick.”
James remembers the panic vividly.
“I called every bank, every client, even our own team at 6 a.m.,” he says. “It was total chaos—but it got done. That’s when we knew we could handle anything.”
Before they were business partners, James and Chris were bandmates in Havoc Wagon, a Texas country band still performing today. Music taught them timing, trust, and rhythm—skills that translated seamlessly into business.
Their breakthrough came quietly. A referral through a contact at Waste Connections opened the door to staffing a residential waste operation in Alvin, Texas. The launch faced early hurdles—delayed start dates and stalled paperwork that nearly derailed the project. But James and Chris stayed closely involved at every level, combining operational expertise, business training, and on-site execution to push the project forward. Together, they turned a fragile opportunity into a successful launch.
“I’ve never seen a small team so relentless,” Bramble recalls. “Even when things went sideways, they didn’t quit. They earned every bit of trust we gave them.”
When the project finally launched, results did the talking. James and Chris were on site early, late, and everywhere in between—ensuring every employee was trained, every client supported, and every issue resolved quickly.
From sanitation routes to landfills, MRFs, and hauling yards, AMASS Solutions expanded rapidly. Through Augment, its sanitation and industrial staffing division, the company provided skilled crews to major environmental operations. Through Augment Professional Services (APS), AMASS supplied highly trained professional talent to organizations such as Meta, Tesla, Burns & McDonnell, and other leading engineering firms—many of whom hired AMASS candidates directly.
AMASS became more than a staffing company. It became an umbrella for two carefully built families—offering opportunity to people of all backgrounds, races, and economic circumstances. Its growth mirrored the founders’ core belief: that strong businesses are built by investing in people first.
Today, AMASS Solutions supports more than 260 sites nationwide across environmental services, manufacturing, logistics, and professional staffing. Yet for James and Chris, numbers are never the primary measure of success. Trust, reliability, and long-term relationships matter most.
They’ve stumbled, made mistakes, and faced sleepless nights—but each setback became a lesson, each lesson a building block. “We’ve made every mistake in the book,” Chris admits.
“But every challenge made us stronger.”
Through it all, their friendship has endured. “We argue, we disagree, but at the end of the day, we’re like brothers,” James says.
“That’s the core of Amass—it’s built on people, loyalty, and heart.”
Amass Solutions isn’t just a staffing company. It’s a community—a collection of late nights, early mornings, and relentless dedication. Two friends and former musicians turned a simple phone call into a nationwide enterprise.
Chris sums it up simply: “We just keep truckin’.” And that, perhaps, is the real secret behind Amass Solutions.
