The International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) is not an alliance, a trade association, or a moving company, but an independent, unbiased office moving resource and training organization beholden to no one. We accept no advertising. The links from within our pages to other web sites are reciprocal.

For more than a decade, many in the moving industry and companies planning a move have come to rely on officemoves.com as a steadfast source of best practices. We advocate, and through the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI), teach:

• Minimizing the risk of damage to walls, floors, doors and elevators during your move. IOMI Certified Movers and Certified Project Managers® learn the best practice methods for installing extensive building protection.

• Minimizing the risk of damage to furniture and computers during your move. IOMI Certified Movers and Certified Project Managers® learn the best-practice methods for wrapping every monitor, printer, CPU, server, and copier with two layers of anti-static bubble wrap (with the bubbles facing the bubbles) instead of pad-wrapping computers with filthy furniture pads.

• Timing is of the essence on your office move. If your mover doesn’t finish the job on time, it can cost your company thousands of dollars of nonproductive downtime. IOMI Certified Movers and Certified Project Managers® learn an estimating formula that’s based upon man-hours instead of the unreliable method typically used on household moves that's based on weight.

The IOMI proprietary estimating formula is uncannily accurate because it factors in not only volume but the unique logistics of both the building you're moving from and to.

• How can you verify a prospective mover or project manager is IOMI-certified?

If they can't produce credentials, check our list by clicking the appropriate orange or green button below. If they aren't on our list, they aren't an IOMI-trained Certified Mover or Certified Project Manager®.
VIC'S Moving & Storage kicked off 2007 with its third Recertification Training session in as many years. Richard Bitterman, lower right, owner of VIC'S, which stands for Very Important Customers' Solutions, welcomed Ed Katz, standing, of the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) for the annual refresher for employees of the Kansas City mover. Inset: During the equipment inspection portion of Recertification, Richard Bitterman shows Ed Katz several hundred of the company's rubber capped four-wheel dollies with non-marring rubber casters.  VIC’s uses the IOMI best-practice method of keeping the furniture on the dollies on the floor of the truck; no double handling and no stacking from floor to ceiling means less risk of damage and a more efficient office move. 
Chicago Title demands a "boxless" move, and gets it
SEPTEMBER 22, 2006 - It was just a small move, only down the street, and all the more reason Chicago Title didn't want to empty their lateral files.

Vic's called for Spider Crane®, and before you could say ShaaZam, the lateral file cabinets were in their new location, the contents just as before, nothing lost or mixed up. And everyone could go back to work immediately.

Vic's calls it their "boxless" move and they're the only Kansas City mover who offers it.

"Boxless" moving isn't new to Chicago Title, which is why Vic's got the nod to relocate them again. The largest title company in the U.S. chose Vic's for the cost saved in employee downtime.

"Not having to stop and pack saves a lot of money in employee lost time," said Richard Bitterman, president of Vic's Moving & Storage. "It's all the justification companies that are moving need to not go with the lowest bid."

When you've been in the records business since 1847 as Chicago Title has, you know a thing or two about the best way to handle valuable files. For instance, back in '71 - that's 1871 - the title abstract business in Chicago was forever altered by the Great Fire. After forcing a passing wagon driver at gunpoint to load his records, one company official would thereafter be remembered for more than simply arranging legal conveyances. The dramatic rescue of title books proved invaluable when all official land records were lost.

Many years later, under more tranquil conditions, Chicago Title reenacted the historic records rescue for the cameras by moving some of its old abstract books in a horse-drawn wagon. A Werner Bros.- Kennelly Co. truck advertising storage, moving, packing, and shipping followed closely behind.
With a long tradition of newsworthy records relocations, it's no wonder Chicago Title chose Vic's and its Spider Crane®. Vic's contribution to protecting the environment was also a plus.

"Vic's was the only mover to submit a bid that included not putting the furniture on a truck and driving one block. We just dollied everything up and floated it down the sidewalk." Bitterman said. "Our "boxless" move techniques are earth-friendly, and so is not driving from one end of the block to the other when it's not necessary. It makes us a green-conscious mover."
Before the move can begin, Vic's minimizes the chance of damage to the building's glass entryway with The Mat-A-Door®.
Out comes the Spider Crane®, which lifts a fully loaded lateral file cabinet with suction then lowers it onto a specially designed steel dolly.
Richard Bitterman of Vic's takes instructions from the Chicago Title staff.
Ed Katz, left, with the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) observes Vic's during the move as part of the company's annual recertification training as a Certified Mover.
Ed Katz, right, goes over recertification performance with company owner, Richard Bitterman, before certifying Vic's for the third year in a row.
Vic's backs pledge of great service with training
“I expect nothing less than great customer service.” And with that came a commitment by Vic’s President, Richard Bitterman, to back up his promise with employee training.

For the second time in 12 months, Vic’s Moving hosted three intense days of re-certification training by the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI). Vic’s goal? To minimize damage and downtime, complete jobs on-time for the price quoted, and to become the best, most user-friendly mover in their Kansas City market. It seems to be working. Already, building managers and homeowners have praised Vic’s methods for minimizing the risk of damage to their buildings and homes during office and residential moves.


Vic's movers train in the finer points of the "boxless" move.


Preparing a Space Gobbler™
 Training isn’t new at Vic’s. According to Bitterman, “Training Tuesdays” are a weekly staple and feature hands on, one-on-one sessions designed to greatly reduce damage to furniture, keep the movers from getting hurt, and help give customers the best service in Kansas City.

“Weekly, ongoing training, unheard of in an industry that’s notorious for on-the-job training at the customer's expense, has helped Vic’s set moving-industry standards in metropolitan Kansas City," said Ed Katz, re-certification trainer and head of IOMI. “Vic’s takes training so seriously that they’ve reorganized their office just to create a training facility. I’m very impressed,” Katz said.

“The new training center helps employees consistently maintain a high level of service. That’s a top priority at our company,” said Keith Moyer, Vic’s vice president.

“Morale is very high because our employees see the value of being trained. It makes their jobs easier and safer and makes the customer happy, too,” said Bitterman. “Everyone wins. A satisfied customer means repeat business and referrals, which means more hours, pay, profits and bonuses.”

Vic’s considers Katz and the Georgia-based IOMI its greatest outside training resource.

“IOMI re-certification means that Vic’s continues to estimate jobs accurately so that moves finish on time for the price quoted. It allows us to take the load and stress off the office or facility manager. And, nobody in Kansas City will do as thorough an inventory. It also means we have adopted the latest techniques and use the most modern equipment for preventing damage to furniture, computers and facilities,” explained Bitterman.

“Vic’s is the only office mover in their market to offer the “boxless” move where they move the contents in the furniture instead of the contents and the furniture.

Katz, former owner of Peachtree Movers in Atlanta, GA and founder and president of IOMI, is internationally recognized as the guru of office moves.

Katz teaches Vic’s employees to dolly and transport a typical office desk while avoiding damage to the furniture and building surfaces.


Carefully loading computer components minimizes damage.






Vic's movers learn to move fully loaded lateral file cabinets using a Spider Crane®.

 He has authored three books on office moving and his patented devices are changing the way businesses move.

“He’s a natural teacher. His experience and knowledge are unequaled in the moving industry and why his visit to Vic’s was a highly anticipated special occasion,” said Moyer.“ This, his second training visit, will not be his last. Mr. Katz is going to be a fixture at our company. As long as we are striving to train the best movers possible we are going to bring Ed in to teach every year.”

Katz’ intensive training covered employee conduct, how to handle difficult situations on the job, and how to minimize damage to furniture and real property. He also trained each Vic’s employee to perform his famous “boxless move.

Vic’s management credits IOMI training with systematizing their household move procedures and heading them in the right direction to grow their office moving business.

“We knew what we had to do but didn’t know how to do it. Ed taught us in three days what it took him years to figure out,” Moyer said. “

“Having Ed train us for the second time was invigorating. When someone with his status talks, everyone listens and learns,” said Marty Barney, longtime Vic’s employee. Katz’ feelings about Vic’s are mutual.

“Richard Bitterman is one of the best students I have ever taught. He’s a visionary, has a great entrepreneurial spirit for he makes good decisions and has a backbone to back them up, and is one of the few movers that I know who believes in ongoing employee training. Always wanting to do the right thing for his customers, employees, and vendors makes Richard an exceptional person in my book,” said Katz.

“I have a great vision for our company,” said Bitterman. “I expect nothing less than great customer service and I mean it with all my heart. Customers develop a sense for a company’s integrity and compassion by their experience. Unfortunately, most people are conditioned to expect an unpleasant ordeal at best from service providers in our industry. We want to change that. I believe employee training and leading by example produces the kind of experience I want for our customers. My employees, without exception, are great people. Not only would you invite them once into your house or business to move furniture, you will invite them back again for your next move.”
Kansas City, MO/July 13 - 15, 2004 - Besides bringing to mind a Rock 'n Roll standard, going to Kansas City means remembering a world-famous shoot-out, visiting world-famous landmarks, and eating world-famous barbeque.

Kansas City claims bragging rights to at least one more thing -- Vic's Moving.

Keith Moyer and Richard Bitterman bought Vic's five years ago when it was doing around $300,000 in revenue. This year they expect to reach nearly a million in local residential. The duo has parlayed their assets into a reputation as the premier local residential mover. After three intensive days of training with Ed Katz of the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) and Certified Mover status under their belt, Vic's is poised as the next thing around Kansas City to be called world famous.
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 IOMI instructor Ed Katz (left) schools Vic's personnel.
A role-playing session led by Katz (center) teaches supervisors how to handle their crews and deal with customers.
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 All that learning makes a fella hungry. Here Keith Moyer and Richard Bitterman of Vic's Moving leave Arthur Bryant's, one of the most famous barbeque places in the nation. They're especially famous for their smoked brisket.
Prior to purchasing Vic's, stints with Two Men & A Truck and a freight forwarding company gave Richard Bitterman the solid experience he would need to become an owner.

"I now realize that the key to a great company is learning how to train, measure, evaluate and manage--Ed taught us all of the above. What I really liked about his seminar is that instead of making us dependent on him by just giving us fish, he taught us how to fish.

Ed is the consummate professional. Light-hearted enough to make everyone sit up and listen and serious enough to get his point across.

Keith and I can't wait to adopt and implement what we learned during Ed's seminar. Thanks to him we learned how to be successful office movers. So much of what he taught us will make us better businessmen . . . I'm amazed at how much of his process applies to our local residential business." 

Richard Bitterman
Vic's Moving
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Ah, time to eat! Gates Barbeque is especially famous for their dry rubbed ribs and "burnt ends." When Ollie Gates (inset photo), owner of the Gates chain, heard that partners Richard and Keith of Vic's Moving were in his restaurant, he just had to come out meet them.
Kansas City's world-famous Union RR Station was a vibrant hub of middle-America transportation in 1933 when one summer Saturday morning it became forever linked to one of the most notorious crimes in U.S. history and a watershed in American crime fighting. A bronze plaque on the site tells of the horrible event.

Machine gun bulletholes from what became known as "the Kansas City Massacre" still scar the outside wall near the east entrance of Union Station.
IN MEMORY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS KILLED IN THE "KANSAS CITY MASSACRE"
June 17, 1933

Raymond J. Caffrey
Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Otto Reed
Chief of Police, McAllister Oklahoma
William J. Grooms
Detective, Kansas City MO Police Department
Frank Hermanson
Detective, Kansas City MO, Police Department

Near this location the above named officers were slain and FBI Agents Francis J. Lackey and Reed E. Vetterli were wounded while transferring federal prisoner Frank Nash, who had been apprehended the previous day, to the Federal Penitentiary, Leavenworth, KS.

While in the parking lot at Union Station these officers were attacked by Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, Vernon Miller and Adam Richetti, who intended to free Nash. Nash was unintentionally killed in the hail of tommygun and shotgun fire.

This incident so outraged the American public that new Federal legislation was enacted the following year. Such crimes as bank robbery and extortion became Federal offenses and FBI agents were authorized to carry firearms.

PLACED BY THE SOCIETY OF FORMER SPECIAL AGENTS OF THE FBI
OCTOBER 1991
When not in mover training or eating barbeque, Vic's Richard Bitterman (right) shows IOMI's Ed Katz another world-famous Kansas City landmark, one of its many fountains. This one is in the Country Club Plaza section.
Keith Moyer, whose background is engineering, worked for a large aluminum manufacturer before purchasing Vic's.

"Not only did Mr. Katz teach us his amazing ideas but he taught us how to adopt and implement them, too. Thanks to him we now know that we'll be able to outmarket and outperform our competition in the office moving arena, too."

"Mr. Katz is an excellent teacher and a brilliant thinker."

"Mr. Katz' thoroughness is incredible--He leaves no stone unturned and no question unanswered. Every idea, concept and answer were practical and logical. He's an encyclopedia of knowledge on both office moving and business management. I'm amazed that so much of what he taught will also makes us better residential movers, too."

Keith Moyer
Vic's Moving
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 Ummmm, what's on the menu at Hayward's Pit Barbeque in Overland Park, Kansas? Vic's Overland Park office is located near the famous eatery in case Richard or Keith get hungry.
Learning that the owners of soon-to-be-famous Vic's Moving were about to dine in his restaurant, Hayward Spears, Sr., owner of Hayward's Pit Barbeque, came out to meet them. (L-R) Keith Moyer, Hayward Spears, Sr., Ed Katz, Richard Bitterman.
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 Before the barbeque places open, famous Winstead's is the place for breakfast.
As Kansas City's only company certified in both office and residential moving, Vic's Moving's Keith Moyer and Richard Bitterman see a bright future for their growing company.
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Why hire an IOMI Certified Office Mover?

1. On time for the price quoted

One of the biggest complaints about movers is that they often badly underestimate the cost of a move and then don't finish on time. An International Office Moving Institute (IOMI)-trained mover learns a formula for accurately estimating cost. By calculating the number of trucks and movers for how long, IOMI Certified Office Movers can base estimates on man-hours, volume, and logistics, and not weight, which household movers typically use when quoting an office move. As a result, the chances of a move completing on time for the price quoted is greatly improved.

2. Minimize risk of damage

IOMI Certified Office Movers learn the latest techniques to minimize risk of damage to furniture and computers, and are trained in extensive building protection to minimize risk of damage to carpet, walls, doors, and door jambs.

3. Minimize downtime

There is a better way! IOMI Certified Office Movers understand that their customers can't afford to shut down operations during a move, and are trained in techniques to keep client employees working. Many IOMI graduates offer the "Boxless" move -- moving the contents in the furniture instead of the contents and the furniture.

Learn More About Becoming An IOMI
Certified Office Mover
Call 1-800-464-8688