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Sub-prime crisis forces some
movers to offer new service
By Ed Katz
DECEMBER 19, 2007 -- The sub-prime mortgage crisis and its negative effect on home sales is forcing many movers to offer office moving services to stay afloat. According to Linda Darr, new president and CEO of the American Moving & Storage Association, C.O.D. residential revenue is down by nearly 10 percent for the first nine months of 2007 compared to the same period last year.
Jack McGrath, director of the Pennsylvania Moving & Storage Associates notes that military moving revenue is down 23 percent compared to last year.
“Movers are jumping into the office moving arena with little or no training in order to survive this downturn,” said McGrath.
“Companies hiring movers and office building managers need to know that the trend pointsto the potential for lower quality and higher incidents of
damage,” said Ed Katz, head of the International Office Moving Institute.
“Though many movers successfully accomplish both household moves and business moves, the two are nothing alike. For example, a household mover would not necessarily know how to transport computers safely or protect office building walls, doors, floors, and elevators from being damaged. These neophyte office movers are often learning the pitfalls of commercial moves at the expense of both the customer and his landlord," said Katz.
According to the former member of the Atlanta chapter of BOMA, the Building Owners & Managers Association, building managers face their own pressures from eroding occupancy.
"When inexperienced movers trash their buildings, it only gives tenants another excuse to look elsewhere for space,“ Katz said.
GRAEBEL first to offer standard
building protection nationwide
MAY 29, 2007 - A national moving company has become the first to adopt uniform standards to protect building surfaces coast to coast.
GRAEBEL based in Aurora, CO has implemented what they’re calling “best practice methods” designed to minimize the risk of damage to furniture, computers, and office buildings in every major U.S. market.
The move comes after six months of training resulting in every key GRAEBEL employee of every branch nationwide earning a Certified Mover diploma from the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI).
GRAEBEL protects building surfaces with a green-tech device called a Mat-A-Door® to minimize risk of damage and the negative impact that moves have on the environment. The reusable, vinyl-covered door-size panels offer superior protection over cardboard, which most movers use and then discard after each job.
The company also hopes to woo building manager approval by pledging to look after their property in other ways such as not blocking traffic or leaving behind food wrappers.
"As Certified Office Movers, GRAEBEL is the only national moving company that is required to send proof to property managers that they protected their buildings from being damaged, disrupted or trashed," said Ed Katz, head of IOMI and internationally recognized as the expert in office moves. He also holds several patents on building protection equipment.
Besides employee training, the company has also purchased additional equipment. For customers and the buildings they move into and out of, it means a promise of uniform service in every major U.S. market.
Cardboard wrapped around glass entry doors provides no protection and ends up in the landfill after the move.
Reusable Mat-A-Door® panels minimize the risk of damage from inevitable bumps and bangs and produce no disposable waste.
“We’re committed to providing the same degree of consistent service regardless of which of our 52 locations customers contact,” said Chris Kline, GRAEBEL senior vice president.
“GRAEBEL is positioned to seize an opportunity in local office moving,” said Katz.
Coupled with a commitment by GRAEBEL Corporate to supply the tools needed to adopt and implement what they’ve learned, IOMI certification means that branches can now sell value instead of price. The company hopes to parlay their ability to offer uniform standards nationwide into a bigger slice of the national accounts business.
Other IOMI “best practice methods” protect computer components with two layers of bubblewrap. Some GRAEBEL markets also offer “boxless moves” to minimize nonproductive time companies spend packing and unpacking before and after relocating.
Instead of basing estimates on weight, which is customary for figuring the cost to move household goods, GRAEBEL now uses IOMI’s proprietary formula. Customers benefit because moves can now finish on time for the price quoted with greater reliability.
IOMI will monitor all 52 GRAEBEL locations for service standards and consistency for the next two years.
“Each branch of the company will be independently audited to make sure services delivered to the customer match those promised,” Katz said.
BOMA/Kansas City hosts IOMI's Katz
and big guns of building protection
Kansas City, MO/Feb 10, 2005 - Ed Katz, left, of the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) brings out the big guns to help building managers protect their properties. Katz warned that trouble in the moving industry may result in building damage as movers scramble to make up revenue shortfalls in interstate household business by going after local office moves. According to Katz, building managers armed with the right ammunition can mount a proper defense against potential building damage. The founder and former owner of Peachtree Movers in Atlanta offered solutions such as hiring or recommending that their tenants hire a certified moving company specifically trained in extensive building protection to guard against potential repair hassles. Katz began advocating building protection after facing opposition from property managers while running his moving company. Katz addressed more than 100 members of the Kansas City chapter of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) at their monthly luncheon.
Ed Katz of the International Office Moving Institute (IOMI) greets Greg Smith (right), RPA and BOMA/Kansas City Vice President. As keynote speaker at the BOMA chapter's monthly luncheon meeting, Katz offered the property managers solutions from the hassles of building surface repairs.
Also attending the Kansas City BOMA meeting was Jeff Large (right), director of operations, Missouri Division, of Stuart Dean Company. Stuart Dean Company restores and maintains wood, metal and stone for office buildings.
BOMA member and president of Vic's Moving & Storage, Richard Bitterman, gets a thumbs-up from security at the TransAmerica building for using The Mat-A-Door® to protect Kansas City's largest office building lobby-side elevator entrances from damage. Vic's is the only certified office mover in the Kansas City area.
MARCH 10, 2004 -- Victor Perosi (left), CFM, RPA, FMA, with Jones Lang LaSalle accepts a copy of the new book Move Your Business (Without Becoming A Moving Target)from author Ed Katz during the monthly meeting of Greater New York's International Facility Managers Association (IFMA) Chapter. Perosi and Katz shared the podium for the program “When Cream Rises to the Top: Managing Major Change” designed to help facility managers acquire tools for understanding the intricacies of planning and executing corporate moves. Perosi is with Jones Lang LaSalle's project and development services. Katz, president of the International Office Moving Institute and founder and former owner of Peachtree Movers in Atlanta, GA, chose the IFMA event to officially roll-out his latest book.
Solutions
We are 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 office building walls, floors, doors and elevators during tenant moves. IOMI Certified Movers and Certified Project Managers® learn the best practice methods for installing extensive building protection.
• 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®.
