The "Busy Season" of 2008 is turning out to be anything but. After a relatively good start in June, most of you found that your business "flat-lined" during the middle of the month. A brief surge towards the end of June generally has not been enough to foster optimism for the rest of the summer.......
We're hearing a lot of complaints from Office and Industrial Moving specialists these days....It appears that the traditional "mom and pop" HHG agents are flooding the commercial market in an attempt to subsidize their slow first proviso business....These O&I "rookies" are offering cut-rates and poor service by endeavoring to serve the O&I segment without the requisite skills set or expertise........
2008 is a signifcant year for two of the nation's major van lines: ATLAS VAN LINES and NORTH AMERICAN VAN LINES are celebrating their 60th and 75th Anniversaries, respectively......
It can now be made public: DAVID CARUSO and his BEKINS A-1/BEKINS MOVING SOLUTIONS (BMS) empire have reached a milestone: With the purchase of MONROE TRANSFER in Norfolk, VA, Caruso's mega BEKINS agency network has now grown to 20 locations nationwide.........
SPEAKING OF Caruso and BEKINS A-1/BMS, it was recently announced that SCOTT OGDEN has joined that company. Ogden, the current Chairman of the AMSA and 37 year veteran of the moving industry, including tenures as President of two major van lines, joined Bekins A-1 on June 16th....Scott's inital focus will be to head up Pinnacle Acquisition Group, a Bekins A-1 Subsidiary formed to seek opportunities for growth via purchasing moving companies that will blend with Bekins A-1's business mix and objectives.......
IN MEMORIAM........It is with great sadness that we report the recent passing of two well-known and respected industry veterans: REGINALD "REG" LAMMERS and GLYN COOK......
DON'T FORGET to mark your calendars for the week of August 24-30...NATIONAL TRUCK DRIVER APPRECIATION WEEK....I can't think of any other segment of the transportation industry where drivers deserve recognition more than those in the HHG industry.......Other drivers have it easy, all they have to do is deliver the freight.....YOUR drivers inventory, load, unload AND deliver the goods---the household goods---make sure you you honor your drivers this summer........
ALL AMERICAN CORPORATION, a Mayflower Transit Agent in Raleigh, NC, was recently awarded the inaugural "Moving and Storage Agent of the Year Service Excellence Award" by the AMSA........
San Antonio TX has a new AMERICAN RED BALL agent...STEVE STERNBERGER and his SECURITY MOVING CONSULTANTS are looking for big things in the Lone Star State...Check Steve's new company out at
www.securitymovingstorage.com .......
ATLAS VAN LINES has announced the addition of the following companies into their now over 500 agency family network: NASSAU WORLD WIDE, (former United VL agency) BLUE BIRD TRANSFER (formerly ALLIED) and others like DIXIE MOVING & STORAGE (Huntsville, AL), FINNEGAN'S MOVING & WAREHOUSE CO. (Newburgh, NY), HERREN'S TWIN CITY MOVING & STORAGE (Lafayette, IN), and MOVING MANAGEMENT (Flagstaff, AZ)....Nassau World Wide will now be known as SIGNATURE WORLD WIDE RELOCATION.....
BUDD VAN LINES came out on top in the recent TRIPPEL SURVEY AND RESEARCH's Relocation Managers' Survey regarding the service levels of major U.S. Van lines....go to
www.trippelsurvey.com for more information......
RICHARD BEATTY has joined BEKINS VAN LINES as a Regional Sales Director......
BILL LOVEJOY, well-known industry veteran has purchased his own agency....Lovejoy's Family Moving Inc. dba Republic Moving and Storage in Poway, CA is now Bill's baby.......
ATLAS VAN LINES has named VICTOR BAILLARGEON as Director of Internet Sales and Marketing ......
KEVIN CASON has joined RANDY BROWNING and BROWNING MOVING AND STORAGE as GM of Browning's Tallahassee office. Browning is headquarted in Lakeland, FL and is a multi-location agency for UNITED VAN LINES........
HEY, Whatever happened to GLOBAL VAN LINES?...you go to their website and they appear to still be in business but you call the number on your computer screen and it is no longer valid....You try a second listed number and you get a live voice but not much help or clarity in explaining what the status of the van line is......When you go to the "Agent Finder" on the website, you can't find any Global Agents......Sad to see a once great name go by the wayside....ON A RELATED NOTE: SIRVA emerged from bankruptcy on May 12th....here's wishing them the best......
The latest rumor on the street is that SUDDATH is having all of its key employees in all of its branches trained by IOMI, the International Office Moving Institute...check it out at:
UNTIL NEXT TIME........
(Do you have news of interest to your fellow HHG professionals? Drop us a line at markgray@MoverRecruiter.com and we'll be glad to spread the word...all correspendence will be kept in the strictest of confidence)
