Leo Miller has a family history in the moving business. His father owns
a company in another state. Miller himself owns a moving business. "I have
been involved in the moving industry my whole life," he says.
"I run a small company where I have one secretary for all of my office
work. I am the warehouse manager. I employ four over-the-road truck drivers
and two local crews. I have brought my company from grossing $40,000 the first
year to $750,000 in my fourth year."
Those are impressive numbers. But even with a background in the industry,
it was not easy setting up his business. "I have had many setbacks where I
wanted to quit, but things always turned out better," he says.
"I began work the day I got out of college," he says. "I had to open a
bank account with $500 I got from graduating. I could not do any moves in
Illinois the first summer due to not being licensed. I did not have any over-the-road
drivers, so my only income was booking and packing shipments that cross state
lines," he remembers.
"There were drivers quitting in the middle of shipments and I was having
to get it covered to meet the delivery dates. Trucks broke down, and I'd go
on the Internet and find truck repairs or tows in the city it broke down in,"
he says.
"Money was the biggest setback. Every move I did had to bring in money,
so when there was a claim or truck breakdown, it really hurt the cash. My
dad had a lot to do with opening the company. We bought a warehouse straight
truck and forklift. He already had the office equipment. It was in the planning
stage for about six months so it would be ready the day I graduated."
Miller got his start in the industry by sweeping floors, folding pads and
cleaning trailers. From there, he started to move boxes and small items. Eventually
he moved up to moving furniture, packing and loading the trucks.
"I was not totally aware about the business aspect or the customer relations
of the job," he says. "It did matter that my father had already been involved.
I do not believe that anyone could start a moving company from [the] ground
up like we did without the help of another company for backing, money, trucks,
workers, etc."
Running a moving company is a hands-on business. "I have to dispatch local,
[intrastate] and interstate drivers," says Miller. "I have to perform sales
calls, warehouse duties, hire and fire, [handle the] marketing, business decisions,
accounting. I have to be able to pack, do inventory, drive tractors, load
and unload. I deal with risk management, safety, keeping all records accurate
and up to date."
Graham Acreman is the vice-president of a moving business. "I entered the
industry by accident by accepting a temporary job at a junior level in our
finance office and remaining here since," he says. "I have worked my way up
to VP."
What are the highlights of his career? "Each successive promotion, winning
new contracts, recognizing top performers, receiving complimentary letters
from our customers, being elected to...the board of directors, beating budget
numbers."
MaryScott Tuck is the training coordinator for the American Moving and
Storage Association in Virginia. "Having been involved in many aspects of
the industry from daily operations to the executive offices, the main satisfaction
from the point of all members of the moving team is seeing the impossible
customer moved safely, happily and completely," she says.
"This is an industry for people who enjoy challenges, big and small, who
dislike doing the same thing day in and day out. No two days are ever the
same. People in this industry also reap great rewards from a job well done."