Paul Hoffman

Paul Hoffman started his first business at the age of 12. With the support and guidance of his father he went door-to-door, ultimately signing up three neighbors for his lawn mowing service. He couldn’t drive to his clients’ homes, so he used his commercial mower as transportation. This proved to be quite the marketing tool! Hoffman Lawn & Garden’s client list quickly grew from three to 30 homes. Realizing the limitation of a seasonal business, he partnered with a family friend who had 30 years experience in the construction industry. Together, they formed a partnership and built H&M Landscaping and Construction, a full service residential construction company. But Paul, who was born and raised in Erie, had bigger dreams. Where others saw depressed neighborhoods and abandoned properties, Paul saw potential – an opportunity to make a lasting economic impact in his community. In 2016, he transformed H&M Landscape into Hoffman United to deliver new services (construction, property management, and real estate development) to help drive economic growth in Erie and in other communities around the nation. Like most entrepreneurs who can’t stay in one place for too long, Paul hopes to take his three-part business model to other cities that need help, and to channel his passion for community service into a run for public office.