This summer, more than any summer in recent memory (and this is our 14th year or recruiting for the moving and storage industry), movers are asking us what we're hearing from other movers as to how others are fairing business-wise. We can't give an all-encompassing answer, because there isn't one! It truly depends upon who you are talking to as to whether business has been up or down this busy season. Generally speaking, the private transferee/COD market IS down....fewer home sales and the mortgage mess have contributed to the decline.....BUT you'd be surprised by the number of movers who have told us that this has been a banner year insofar as the National Account and other market segments have shaped up.
One valued client tells us it's not the summer that was the issue, it's what lies ahead for the fall and winter of '08 that has him worried....We suspect that this is the case for most of you out there. Many of you, although prosperous this summer, have not experienced the surplus generally needed to help carry you through the slow times that are now facing us all......
One thing is for sure, it's been harder and harder for most of you to turn sales dollars into profit. Frozen rate contracts are killers in times of escalating costs. Labor, especially good labor, is very scarce. Same with good drivers.
On the internet side of things, a lot of internet pricing...It is puzzling how some of these shady movers can do a move of 5000 lbs. or more without doing a physical estimate....
OK, enough of this. Let's get on to some of the other stuff we've HEARD ON THE STREET:
Van Line For Sale? We're obligated to continue to keep this story under wraps, but we can tell you that negotiations, ultimatums, and now, another potential suitor are all part of the big picture concerning the possible sale of one of America's best-known names in the Moving Industry...Even if the sale doesn't go down, we can also tell you that the makeup of this van line will undergo a dramatic change due to the fact that it's largest agent may be moving to another van line or perhaps even go out on their own....More to come as we reach the point that we can share the details......
Many movers in the Chicago market, specifically the Chicago market for some reason, have closed doors or have experienced a dramatic downsizing...In particular, two UniGroup agents have been part of this HHG industry's "retrenchment" in the Windy City......
As far as we can tell, those nasty rumors about the ultimate demise of one of the country's top ten multi-location agents is NOT TRUE....this major player is simply weathering the storm like the most of us out there.....
SIRVA has announced the appointment of WES LUCAS as CEO...Lucas succeeds ROBERT TIEKEN who led SIRVA through its successful financial reorganization. Lucas' previous positions were as Chairman and CEO for SUN CHEMICAL...........
Speaking of SIRVA, we're hearing good things about old friend JOE HARDMAN who is successfully recruiting agents for SIRVA througout the Northeast.......
WHEATON VAN LINES has announced the addition of three new agents into the Wheaton family: TURNER MOVING & STORAGE (Napa County CA), QUIST MOVING & STORAGE (SW Minnesota) and AMWAT MOVING & WAREHOUSING (Tallahassee, FL).......
ARPIN GROUP, INC has hired PAMELA RYAN as Director of Human Resources.....
NEAT STUFF DEPT. .......GRAEBEL, as part of their GRAEBEL UNIVERSITY training and educational effort, has begun posting on-line "Webinars" on their website. Guess who's the subject of their first on-line effort? ED KATZ of the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI)......Check it out at
www.graebelwebinars.com ........
We are saddened to report the recent passing of one of our HHG Headhunter bretheren; BOB POE...........
ENCOURAGING NEWS? The U.S. Govt. reported that existing home sales hit a 5 month high last month....unfortunately, this news applies only to existing homes....numbers remain flat for new housing.......
The ERC reports that transferee's homes' "days on the market" have jumped dramatically over the past three years....The average number of days that transferees' homes were held in inventory in corporate homesale programs increased nearly 21 percent (from 115 days to 139 days) between 2005 and 2007........
Dying Cities?......MSN reports that the five (5) fastest dying American cities are: 1. Canton OH 2. Youngstown OH 3. Flint, MI 4. Scranton, PA and 5. Dayton OH..........
JOHN C. MURPHY MOVING AND STORAGE (Brewster NY and New Milford CT) has joined BEKINS VAN LINES......
STEVENS VAN LINES is growing, having recently announced the following agent additions: ALL THE WAY WITH BILL VERNAY (Ft. Myers FL), TAMPA BAY M&S, JET M&S (Russellville, AR), LAS CRUCES M&S, BROWN LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS (Columbus OH), A BETTER WAY SALKA & SONS (Hartford CT), THE MOVERS (Muncie IN), RUTS MOVING & DELIVERY (St. Louis), CLINTON M&S (Utica, NY), COMMERCIAL STORAGE & DISTRIBUTION (Shreveport, LA), TWO FELLAS AND A BIG VEHICLE (Tulsa and OKC, OK), JENKINS QUALITY MOVERS (Redding, CA), FISK VL OF UPSTATE NY (Watertwon, NY), NEW YORK MOVERS (Brooklyn, NY), A PIONEER MOVING (Philadelphia, PA) and BLANES M&S (Petoskey, MI).........
LIBERTY MOVING AND STORAGE or Hauppauge, NY has begun construction of a new state of the art headquarters....The building will be done in the 1st quarter of 2009 that will conveniently coincide with the 70th anniversary of the company...Congrats to MIKE FEDERICO and his folks......
EFFORT TO PROTECT AGAINST ROGUE MOVERS: The CA M&S Assn., the IL Commerce Commission, the WA Public Utilities Commission and a growing number of other regulatory bodies and Movers' Assn's are taking proactive steps to have the popular CRAIG'S LIST websites post a caveat about unlicensed movers on the "Moving & Storage" pages of Craig's List in different parts of the country...for more info, contact ALAN JOBE of the CPPC at
cppc@claimsnet.org or PAT MCLAUGHLIN of the IL Movers and Warehousemen's Assn. at
psmith@imawa.com.......
DON RANKIN has been named VP of Business Development for GRAEBEL MOVERS INTERNATIONAL.....GMI has also named MYRLA J. LANCE as VP of Customer Care and CRAIG CHAPMAN as VP of International Sales.....
ALTAIR GLOBAL RELOCATION, Dallas, has named GEORGE POWDAR as a VP......
MOBILITY SERVICES INTERNATIONAL, London, has named HARVINDER RANDHAWA and KATE CAVANOUGH as International Assignment Managers.....
MOVE IT NOW, (recently ranked the 46th fastest growing TOP NEW FRANCHISE in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine) has announced their expansion into the Richmond, VA market....for more details, go to
www.moveitnow.com ...........
UniGroup companies UNITED VAN LINES and MAYFLOWER TRANSIT have now associated with GEEK SQUAD to provide shippers with technology services and support, ensuring that items such as computers and home theaters are "up and running" in the shipper's new homes as soon as possible......
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! 2008 marks the 25th Anniversary of MIDWEST MOVING AND STORAGE (metro Chicago), the 60th Anniversary of ATLAS VAN LINES and the 75th continuous year of business for northAmerican Van Lines....congratulations all!...........
DOUG HOLMES has returned to the business development side of the industry as a representative of CLARK & REID.....Doug will be based out of the Atlanta, GA area......
ROGER WISE has joined STEVENS VAN LINES in the capacity of Western Regional VP......
LINDA DARR, President and CEO of AMSA, JACK MCGRATH, Director of the the PA M&S Association and others are telling us what many of us already know: COD and military revenue is down compared to what was enjoyed last year....AS A RESULT of this downturn, movers who traditionally thrived on that business have turned rapidly towards the O&I market in an attempt to suvive this downturn. Professionals like ED KATZ warn against the potential for lower quality moves and higher incidents of damage...Katz says that HHG and Office Moves are nothing alike...The result? Katz fears that the Professional O&I Industry as a whole will get a black eye as clients and building managers see this infusion of cheap rates and inexperience ending up costing the clients AND the facilities managers more money in the long run.....ALL THE MORE REASON for Movers such as Graebel and now SUDDATH UNITED to professionally train and certifiy their ENTIRE O&I Divisions through an organization like Katz' IOMI.....YOU TOO should consider this for your moving company...especially if you are considering delving more into the O&I arena...Check out Katz and his IOMI at
www.officemoves.com .....
Speaking of SUDDATH....BRAXTON DAILEY is the new GM for Suddath at their Atlanta location......
ASPEN M&S, an ATLAS agent in Basalt, CO, was recently acquired by BRIAN WATSON from former owner GRANT COHEN....STEVE WALTERS will oversee the daily operation at the agency.......
Lisle, IL based VANTAGE BLUE (aka Suburban Moving & Storage) has sold its record storage division to document management specialist VANGUARD ARCHIVES. The recently completed transaction was the second such acquisition by Vanguard, and the company seeks to purchase additional record storage businesses from moving & storage companies around the country.
