Dear HHG and Relocation Industry-Related Professionals: It's August, and we're heading towards the home stretch of this summer's busy season-----a season, that for most of you, has been something less than "busy". Our take on the state of the Moving Industry this summer? Bleak. As stated in our June Newsletter, most movers reported a decent June (or at least they were holding their own) but were faced with a precipitous decline in business for July and August.....So far, those dire predictions were on target. Don't get us wrong, there were pockets of encouraging news throughout the country, even some instances where agencies were seeing a slight improvement over 2008's numbers.....but in all honesty, these fortunate movers were in the distinct minority this summer. Diversification into portable storage options, Office and Industrial business, commercial warehousing and distribution all contributed to helping many of you keep your heads above water this season. One of the biggest questions posed to us in our communications with movers throughout the country is: "Why haven't we seen more agencies closing their doors this year in view of the severe business declines in the moving industry?" Most of your peers with whom we have spoken seem to think that unfortunately the carnage will become more evident AFTER the close of this year's busy season. Those marginal players who, holding out against hope that this summer would stave off the reality of business closure, will quickly realize that the bottom line revenues just weren't there. The companies that are able to weather this scenario are hopeful, if not optimistic. There remains, after all, the traditionally slow winter season to contend with. Faced with these challenges, most of you have pared down, trimmed payroll, instituted salary cuts across the board, increased business diversification and have reduced operating expenses to a minimum. Some of you have endeavored to invest in the future....to bet on a turnaround sooner, rather than later. Those of this mindset are actively hiring heretofore unavailable talent from your competition and are positioning yourselves to be at the forefront once the economy turns. All in all, interesting times. Certainly no one should be predicting the demise of the Moving and Storage Industry, especially not us. No, we see the glimpses of optimism. We're hearing about flooded housing inventories starting to be reduced through increased activity in the real estate market. We see more and more movers diversifying and doing what it takes to not only survive, but allow themselves to THRIVE once the economy turns the corner. Hang in there.  Mark Gray Movers Search Group Professional Recruitment and Staffing Exclusively For The HHG/Relocation Industry
"Moving Companies and Careers Forward"
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HEARD ON THE STREET
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Growing Again?.....Years after selling a couple of his agencies to a well-known SIRVA mover, we're hearing that this FLORIDA MOVER is negotiating to buy some ATLAS VAN LINES agencies in the Sunshine State.......
Speaking of ATLAS VAN LINES agencies.......SUNSET MOVING is growing in FL.....we've been told that they have purchased an agency in the Tampa area and are in the process of moving to their new location........
In these tougher economic times, many movers are outsourcing their claims departments.....this has resulted in many claims professionals establishing home-based operations from which they serve their moving and storage clientele.....Check our website soon for a list of these home-base service providers.......
Regular readers of our Newsletter have been "teased" about this story for the last year and we can now report some of the details: BEKINS VAN LINES has announced the recapitalization of the company and a Board of Directors reorganization......Millions of dollars have been reinvested in the BEKINS brand.....MIKE PETERSON is out as CEO of the van line....A NEW CEO is expected to be announced in the next 60 to 90 days...In the interim, SCOTT OGDEN has assumed the role of CEO and once a new CEO is in place, Scott will remain with BEKINS in the role of General Counsel. Bekins promises upcoming details and announcements regarding the van lines' new national call center, development of Bekins agency web-sites, improvements in revenue distribution and much more.
Announced as BEKINS BOARD OF DIRECTORS were: DAVID CARUSO, BEKINS A-1 MOVERS, BOB LAND, SHOWTRONIX, INC., PAUL LOMBARDO, BOYER-ROSENE MOVING AND STORAGE, DOUG MCGRATH, WORLDWIDE RELOCATION SERVICES, INC., JOSEPH SABGA, BEKINS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND GARY WOLFE, AMS RELOCATION, INC.....CHRIS RAY, Chairman of BRANDON MOVING & STORAGE, was announced as the head of the BEKINS AGENT ADVISORY GROUP.....
SPEAKING OF CEO's and the like, GREG HOOVER, President And COO of ATLAS WORLD GROUP, has resigned......Our phones have been ringing with the "buzz" that this resignation coincides with the BEKINS' announcement (above)...but all of our efforts to confirm those stories have been meet with denials........
ATLAS WORLD GROUP has named PETER WAYMAN as Chief Commercial Officer........
EDC MOVING SYSTEMS of Houston and Dallas TX, long time BEKINS agents, have switched flags and are now flying the ATLAS VAN LINES colors.....
JEFF SHELLBERG has been promoted to the position of Regional VP with GRAEBEL MOVERS, INC...........
JENNIFER BONHAM has been named Director Of Marketing Communications for UNIGROUP, INC..........
WEICHERT RELOCATION RESOURCES INC. has promoted MEREL DE MOTT to client service director at the company's Chicago office....
CINDI CROSS has been named Director Of Business Operations for AIReS' northeast regional office.....
MICHAEL DAMMER has been named Director of Military Services for BEKINS VAN LINES.....
UNIGROUP has named JASON MILLS as Director of Strategic Marketing and Brand Management....
Other announcements from UNIGROUP concerns the naming of nine representatives to its Board of Directors: KEVIN HEAD of Mesa Moving Systems and CHIP DIRCKS of Dircks Moving, Logistics and Real Estate were appointed to the Board.....Re-elected to two-year terms were DAVID HARRISON, Conlon Moving Systems, KATHERINE HOLMAN, Holman Moving Systems, DARRELL HORNE, Horne Moving Systems, DAVID CORRIGAN, Corrigan Moving Systems, STEVE HERMAN, AAction Movers, RICHARD ANDERSON, Armstrong Moving & Storage, and LARRY SMITH, Glen Ellyn Storage. The Board also chose its officers, electing H. DANIEL MCCOLLISTER, McCollister's Transportation Group as Chairman and CEO, CORRIGAN as Vice Chairman, DAVID SABADA, A-Mrazek Moving Systems as Secretary and re-elected HERMAN as Treasurer......
KERRIE LAPLANTE, Manager of Agency Development and Relations for ARPIN VAN LINES has been named Arpin's Positive Performer of the Year for 2009.......
JOHN ALIANELLO, VP Agency Development for BEKINS VAN LINES, has announced the signing of two new HHG Agents: MEYERS VAN LINES, Bronx, NY and WORLD WIDE MOVING SYSTEMS in Denver, CO..............
2010 will be a big year for MIKE SCHAB and his agency MASKELYNE TRANSFER AND STORAGE, as this Walla Walla WA Bekins Agent will celebrate it's 100th Year Anniversary......Congrats Mike!..............
BROOKFIELD GLOBAL RELOCATION SERVICES, an industry leader in corporate and government relocation services, just released their annual Global Relocation Trends Survey and it, not surprisingly, forcasts sharp cutbacks in expat assignments for the coming year.......
In a move that will expand ATLAS WORLD GROUP's presence in the UK, ATLAS INTERNATIONAL sold is Southampton operation, VANPAC INTERNATIONAL LTD., to FOX GROUP (MOVING & STORAGE) LTD., which will become ATLAS' exclusive agent in the UK....The sale creates a strategic partnership that will enable ATLAS and FOX to better serve customers in the European marketplace......
ATLAS WORLD GROUP has formed a new entity, renaming ACCEL TRANSPORTATION L.L.C. as SMART MOVE TRANSPORTATION, L.L.C. to acquire the assets of Denver-based SMART MOVE INC......Smart Move's service is designed around transportable vaults that customers can pack and load themselves........
CONGRATUALTIONS to RICHARD ARNOFF and his celebration of 45 years with ARNOFF MOVING & STORAGE.......
ALL MY SONS MOVING has launched a program that offers pro bono or reduced cost services for select non-profit organizations......
ED KATZ of the INTERNATIONAL OFFICE MOVING INSTITUTE (IOMI) is back in the news again.....ED has been asked to speak at the BEKINS 2009 Convention to be held in Las Vegas......Speaking of Ed, get a load of the usage of his industry-famous invention, THE SPIDER CRANE (R) by JK MOVING AND STORAGE...go to www.officemoves.com for the picture and the story.......
Sorry to hear that Moving Industry supplier A.M. HAIR TRUCK BODY was forced to temporarily cease production last month........
The CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF MOVERS (CAM) has announced that it will hold it's Annual Convention in Toronto November 15-17.......
TRANSPORT TOPICS reported in it's July 13th issue the following revenue differentials for Selected Van Lines/Movers from 2007 to 2008: SIRVA (-30.8%);
UNIGROUP (-9.1%); ATLAS (-3.7%); GRAEBEL (-0.6%); ARPIN (+9.9%); WHEATON (+2.9%) and BEKINS (-20.9%)....For the industry in general, revenues averaged a decline of 17.2%........
LANCE GROOMS has been promoted to Senior VP of Sales and Marketing for the BEKINS A-1/BMS group of companies......JIM JENTGES has been promoted to VP of Commercial Sales and will report directly to GROOMS.........
BUDD VAN LINES is now the #1 volume carrier for CARTUS by maintaining a "top block" rating of over 85% (excellent)....For their performance, CARTUS will award BUDD the Platinum Award for excellence.....
Laid off due to downsizing?....Haven't had a resume for a while?...Check out
The Resume Man .....This website is kind of fun, but it's serious business....With the help of some very qualified HR and resume experts, your resume is updated to make sure that is show's you in the very best light for potential employers....
That's it for this month's edition of HEARD ON THE STREET...If you have news or items of interest to the industry, drop us a line. If need be, your communication wil be kept in the strictest of confidence.....REMEMBER, this column is only as good as you, the readership, provides....So let us hear from you! Email your item to MARK GRAY
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Mark Your Calendars
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Upcoming Industry Events:
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SEPTEMBER 2009
12
North Carolina Movers AssociationBoard Meeting
Wilmington, NC
13 - 15
Washington Movers ConferenceLeadership
Conference & Exposition
The Davenport
Hotel & Tower
Spokane, WA
14 - 16
PRISM InternationalJoint European Conference
Rome, Italy
Sheraton
Roma Hotel
14 - 17
AMSA Board of Directors and Committee
Meetings
Ritz Carlton Pentagon City Hotel
Pentagon City, VA
17 - 18
FMWASales Operations Conference
Longboat
Key Club
Sarasota, FL
17 - 20
Massachusetts Movers AssociationAnnual Convention
& Trade Show
Mount Washington Resort
Bretton Woods, NH
22-23
AMSA Regional
Training
Providence, RI
24
Maryland Motor Truck AssociationManagement Conference
Bedford
Springs Resort
Bedford, PA
28-29
AMSA National
Safety & Operations Conference
Indianapolis, IN
OCTOBER 2009
4 - 6
Claims Prevention and Procedure CouncilFall Convention
Double
Tree, Downtown
Nashville, TN
4 - 7
American Trucking Associations, Inc.Management
Conference & Exhibition
Mandalay
Bay Resort & Convention Center
Las
Vegas, NV
4 - 8
Arpin Van Lines Annual Agent Convention
JW Marriott Camelback Inn
Scottsdale, AZ
7 - 9
Worldwide ERCGlobal Workforce Symposium
Hyatt
Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL
7 - 10
Andrews Van Lines Annual Conference
Location:
TBD
Info:
Arlis Meyer (800) 228-8146
8-10
National Van Lines Annual Convention
Chicago, IL
10 - 13
International Association of Movers47th Annual Meeting
Walt
Disney World Swan & Dolphin
Orlando, FL
21
Minnesota
Transport Services AssociationAnnual Meeting
Twin
Cities, MN
21 - 24
Atlas Van Lines62nd Annual Convention
Rosen
Shingle Creek Resort
Orlando, FL
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| CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
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Movers Search Group...The Country's Leading Name in Recruitment and Staffing Exclusively For The HHG/Relocation Industry
Here's a list of some of the positions we are presently attempting to fill. For the VERY LATEST search assignments, click on our
HOT JOB OF THE DAY
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Administrative Assistant
Lakeland, FL
COD / Private Transferee Sales
Austin
TX
Colorado Springs
Miami (Bi-Lingual)
Orlando
Phoenix
San
Leandro, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Seattle, CA
Tucson, AZ
Vandalia,
OH
CSR
(COD)
Jacksonville, FL
Director Of HHG
Operations
(East Coast Location)
Solid six-figure positions.
Bonus. Profit sharing. Proven track record of performance, P&L
responsibility and history of long tenure.
Director Of O&I
Operations
(Same as above, only for the O&I
Division)
Dispatcher (HHG and Distribution)
San Leandro,
CA
Home-Based Sales Opportunity
Sell business development
programs and services to the HHG Industry
General Manager
(Upstate New York)
Our
client requires a sales oriented go-getter to turn this 1 Million Dollar branch
into a more aggressive player in the local market......
General Manager
(Metro Atlanta)
10+
Million Dollar Operation
General
Manager
(Florida Panhandle)
General Managers also needed
in:
Denver,
Las Vegas
Phoenix
Western TX
National Account Coordinator
San
Diego
Chicago
Office &
Industrial Sales
(Any major metropolitan location in
U.S......Immediate needs in Milwaukee, Chicago, Bay Area of northern CA,
Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, DC area, Tampa, Dallas, Harrisburg, PA, Chicago,
Houston, Norfolk, Nashville, Seattle, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange
County, CA, Bay Area, CA, Milwaukee, WI, No. VA, Tucson, AZ). The value for
good O&I Sales reps has never been higher as more an more HHG movers are
seeking to diversify in order to survive this economy.
Operations Manager
Norfolk,
VA
Chicago
Atlanta,
Tampa Bay Area of FL
National Account Sales
Yes Virginia,
there is still national account business to be had out there and we've got many
clients located in most every part of the country who still want to invest in
solid sales performers with a history of production.
GSA/GOVERNMENT Sales
If this is your forte,
we want to talk with you. Home-based opportunities
available.
Regional Director of Sales for Van
Line
Dallas, TX area
Sales
Manager
Phoenix
Las Vegas
TX
Locations
Indiana
Telemarketer (O&I
Sales
Chicago
Third Proviso Sales
Any home-based
location
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