In the past couple of weeks my colleagues at Barrett have shown some incredible creativity when it comes to helping out in our communities. It’s a tough time for charitable organizations, and for the companies and individuals that support them. I’m proud that we’ve found ways to help two important organizations in our community.

PROP Food Relocates with Barrett Help
When Minneapolis Barrett Account Executive Terry Black heard that PROP (People Reaching Out to Other People) was moving from its long-time basement location at the Eden Prairie, MN City Hall to a new building a short distance away, he contacted Janet Palmer, Operations Manager for PROP, and offered to help.

Terry worked with Bill Johnson, Vice President & General Manger for Barrett’s Minneapolis-St. Paul agencies, and John Orme, Minneapolis-St. Paul Vice President of Sales, to get two trucks and drivers, and volunteer labor from his fellow salespeople. With skill, efficiency and a lot of good nature, Barrett helped PROP move into their new building on Martin Drive in Eden Prairie on Friday, June 5th. Janet Palmer said, “Barrett has just been fantastic.”

PROP’s mission is to compassionately provide our neighbors in need with food and financial assistance and to provide support toward self sufficiency. You can find more information about their organization at www.propfood.org. Barrett volunteers included John Orme, Brian Denning, Brigitt Berlin, Terry Black, Ed Fitzgerald, Bill Johnson, Chad Helgemo, and Mike Effler.

Walking Like MADD
Barrett formed a Walk Like MADD team this spring and raised over $1,000 for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (http://www.maddmn.org). Eleven Barrett employees and family members walked, raised money, and made our company team among the five top fund raisers for the event, which was held at Hyland Lake Park Reserve on Saturday, May 30th. April Rupert, our top virtual walker, raised money from friends and family and is among the top five virtual walkers! Barrett rounded out our contribution, helping us to get past the $1,000 mark with an additional contribution. Barrett walkers included John Orme, Cyndi and Carter Priest, Linda Olson, Laura Langer, Eliza Freiday, Larry Swanson, and Debra Ham.

I’m proud that individuals in our organization got together to raise money and awareness for these two Minnesota organizations. It shows what we can do when we are challenged beyond the usual, personally and on a corporate level.

by Eliza Freiday

Being a senior and moving is a stressful step in your life, but there are ways to make it a little less stressful for you! If you live in assisted living or a senior residence, it’s always a good idea to tell your building manager that you’re moving. If they are aware of your move date and involved in helping you make arrangements for parking, elevators, stairs, or other access, it will all go more easily.

Many times building management can be a key contact for you and for your movers. The movers may ask you if a tractor-trailer will be able to access your building. They may need to know what the hours are for the elevator. Maybe your building has set times for moving in or out. The building management will know all the answers.

Make it easier on you, your family and friends, and your neighbors by involving your building manager in your move. Your Barrett move coordinator can help you anticipate what you’ll need to know, so don’t hesitate to ask for help!

by Eliza Freiday

Your belongings mean a lot to you and your family. The meaning can be in family history – photos, antiques, heirlooms; monetary investment; or just plain enjoyment. When the time comes to move your possessions, we want to be able to help you reduce your risk of damage.

Choosing your mover wisely is the first step in protecting your belongings. Check out each mover’s record of loss prevention and claims. It’s one of those things we don’t like to think about when moving, but it’s important to know that your mover has policies, procedures, and processes in place to prevent damage or loss, and to take care of you if damage or loss happens.

How does the company train its drivers, movers and packers?
Do they have a formal loss prevention philosophy and process?
What is their track record? How many claims for each 100 moves? What’s the average dollar amount?
How quickly do they settle claims?
What options for valuation protection do they offer?

Gathering and evaluating this information is the first step in protecting your belongings.

This fall Barrett van operator Steve Godan and operations manager George Follensbee visited Andrew Cooke Magnet School in Waukegan, Illinois to launch a year of our Discover America program. This is a great program for fourth and fifth grade students – helping them to learn about geography, with doses of math, science and career development. Van operator Godan represented United Van Lines’ “Driver Dave,” who sends the students postcards from each stop on his year-long Discover America itinerary. He’ll also send information about each city as he goes.

Follensbee and Godan brought a United States map with them, and the class will track Driver Dave’s route. The classroom visit includes a chance to climb up in the cab of the truck to see how a truck driver lives on the road. Some trucks have the “basics” – sleeper compartment and room to keep personal items. Others are outfitted with everything from microwaves to DVD players to a window over the kitchen sink. (That’s for real – I’ve seen it!)

The students get to ask questions and that’s where the math, science and career development really get interesting. They want to know everything? What do drivers do when they’re not working? How many miles per gallon does the tractor-trailer get? What’s the difference between regular gasoline and diesel fuel? What’s the most interesting place they’ve ever been? Would they recommend a truck driver’s life? The range of questions is amazing and fun for the van operator who visits the classroom. The teachers appreciate the “real life” geography lessons and the way the program continues throughout the school year.

Driver Dave has traveled to Boston, New York, Chicago, Portland, Washington DC, Denver and St. Louis so far this year. He’s shared his visits to Arlington National Cemetery, Ellis Island, the Oregon Trail, the USS Constitution, the Gateway Arch, the US Mint and the John Hancock Center and lots of other places. Teachers report that their students love getting the postcards from Driver Dave, and plotting his route out on the map.

by Robert Eidsvold, Chairman of the Board

From time to time, people ask what the relationship is between the independently owned, local moving and storage company and the van line name they see on letterhead and on our trucks. In Barrett’s case, of course, the van line is United Van Lines, the nation’s largest.

For a long time most moving companies were owned by a local family who provided transportation within a relatively small area, and might include moving freight from the railhead to businesses and individuals.

Once our country started building a national highway system, truck transportation began to replace railroad transportation, and those small moving companies began to think about expanding. But, they didn’t want to find their truck and driver (who was sometimes the son of the owner like me!) stranded in Denver with nothing to bring back. So, enterprising movers started up what were called “return load systems,” and so the national van lines were born.

In the 1930s, the Interstate Commerce Commission was formed to regulate these new services. Most of them operated regionally through the years of World War II. By the end of the war a few of those, including United Van lines, had emerged as a national carriers. And, that postwar era saw America turned into a nation of nomads. Families packed up and headed for new opportunities all over the United States. People moved in droves to our southern and west coast states for all sorts of reasons, and the moving industry got them there. The local, historically limited scope mover, in cities all over America could now provide efficient long distance service to any place in the United States by qualifying as a member of one of the successful former return load bureaus now turned into the national van line system.

The fact that the original van line structure created in those early years is still the predominant means of family relocation attests to the value the public derives from building a system of local independent ownership within a national, and now a worldwide van line structure. The van line system’s primary purpose is still to operate trucks in a cost effective manner, but in the best van line systems, so much more value is added for the public’s benefit.

United Van Lines pioneered stringent qualifying standards the local agent members must adhere to — financial stability, warehouse facilities, insurance, safety and loss prevention standards, training standards for all employees, alcohol, drug testing and back ground check standards for all service employees. Furthermore, it is the innovative technology created within the van line structure that has vastly improved communication and reliability of service.

The public has been very well served by the efficient and creative van line structure. With escalating costs for equipment, fuel, and labor, no doubt it will be the van line systems that respond with reliable and innovative service offerings needed by their customers.

by Erica Beiser

Recently a customer asked me about the high value inventory form. “What do I need to include on the form?” she wanted to know. I explained that we require our customers to identify items that are worth more than $100 per pound. The reason we do this? It really comes down to communication. We want to be sure that we understand exactly what we are moving for you. When something goes on the high value inventory form, it alerts us that a piece is particularly expensive so not only do we take extra steps to inventory it, but we make sure when the shipment arrives at destination that we have accounted fully for everything that’s on that form. I explained to her that she would have the peace of mind of knowing that items that she had invested in would not only travel safely, and but would arrive for her inspection at destination. In all the rush of move-in day, it’s nice to know that Grandma’s silver set is checked off and just where you want it.

Typically, most people don’t have pages and pages of high value inventory items. Crystal, sterling silver, artwork, and furniture like pianos are among the most common things we see on these inventory forms. Be sure to ask your relocation specialist or your move coordinator for more information if you have any questions. We’re here to help!

Making your valuation choice, by Eliza Freiday

You have lots of choices to make in your move. Whether to pack some or all of your household goods. What day to move. What to keep, what to sell, what to donate, what to store. And, that’s just the move – it doesn’t take into account all the other decisions about housing, schools, transportation, and so on that you’re deciding at the same time.

One decision you will have to make when you move is what kind of valuation coverage you want on your shipment. You have two main options: what we call released valuation and what is termed full value protection. Our packers and van operators are trained to prevent loss or damage, and our claims ratios are very low – among the best in our industry. Still, things can happen and it’s best to be prepared – just in case.

Released valuation is the option that is included in the transportation rates. Currently, coverage of $.60 per pound per article is included. What does that mean? For example, if you have a table that weighs 200 pounds, the maximum coverage for repair or replacement is $120.00 – that’s $.60 times 200 pounds. Many people want to have more coverage in case of damage or loss, so you have another option: full valuation protection. This level of coverage is set by you, the customer, based on what you know about your own belongings. You’re in the best position to know what your belongings are worth, and this options lets you decide. There are minimum coverage requirements, usually teh equivalent of $6.00 times the weight, and your estimator or move coordinator can explain this in detail.

You will have to sign for the type and level of coverage you want on the first day of your move, so give yourself time to think about what will work best for you. And, ask questions of your move coordinator – they have information that can help you compare options and be sure that you get the best fit.

The moral of the story: consider your options, think about your individual and family needs, and ask for more explanation if you need it.

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork
by Erica Beiser

Sometimes when I’m getting a move set up I’m amazed at how much paperwork goes into every single shipment. I thought by now we’d have a paperless workplace, but no such luck. I think if it seems like a lot of paperwork to me – and I deal with it every day – then it must seem almost overwhelming to our customers. They’re working with our paperwork, real estate transactions, and work and school changes – the list goes on and on.

So, I try to make the paperwork process easier by explaining to each customer why we give them various forms and certain types of information, and how it helps in making their move go as smoothly as possible.

Not too long ago new consumer protection legislation was passed – at least partly because of problems that some consumers had with “rogue movers” who might look good on the Internet page, but turn out to be a nightmare for the people who choose them. A lot of our paperwork comes from that legislation, and it’s designed to help our customers understand the process, get clear information, and know their rights and their obligations.

So, when the estimator arrives you’ll get some paperwork. When your move dates are set, you’ll get more. On the day of packing, more paperwork. Day of loading? You guessed it. Paperwork to read, to sign, and decisions to be made.

My advice? Give yourself the time to review the paperwork the estimator sends – it should help you in making your decision about the best mover for you. Review all the paperwork you get with your confirmation letter to be sure that we have accurately represented what you want in your move. And, that paperwork should prepare you for what you’ll see on pack day, load day and at delivery.

Most importantly: Never hesitate to ask your move coordinator questions. We’re here to help you, and we see all this paperwork every day of our work lives so we’re familiar with it. I can’t get rid of the paperwork for you, but I can help you understand it.

Make it a great day!

by Laura Langer

It’s Van Operator Appreciation Week at Barrett and we’re celebrating the hard work our van operators put in all year round. We do this every May, and each of our locations comes up with a lot of fun, games, and recognition – everything from Van Operator Bingo to doughnuts in the drivers’ room to a gift for each van operator.

Two things strike me. It’s a great way to remind our van operators how much we appreciate them. But, it’s also a perfect time for the “rest of us” to reflect on that contribution. Without our van operators, obviously, we couldn’t load or deliver anything. They move people’s memories – pictures, antiques, wedding gowns, and maybe even some of those bronze baby shoes that were so popular when I was growing up — as well as the more mundane necessities of life like pots and pans, linens, beds, and the television. They make sure that everything gets to the right spot, and they do it in every kind of weather and geography.

They also move people’s inventions, and what they’ve manufactured, and the trade show displays that bring those manufactured items and inventions to the attention of buyers. They transport medical equipment to hospitals and clinics, and move offices from one building to another. They transport our national heritage – our nation’s artwork collections, and cultural icons like original the original copy of the Declaration of Independence that is traveling the country right now.

Sometimes the life of a van operator might seem mundane – but what they mean to the people they serve is far from it. Arriving on time, keeping everything safe, and maintaining high professional standards is more than a full-time job – it’s a career.

My hat’s off to all of them.

by Shannon Perri

In the special services world of the moving industry, I’ve gotten all kinds of requests. From moving silverware and china for a wedding reception, to storing dirt in high security vaults. No job is impossible or too off the wall for us to handle.

Storing dirt you ask? Yes!! We had a customer contact us after researching our website, requesting that we assist them with an extremely high value relocation and storage of “dirt” as she called it. It was actually 28 one-ton bags of precious metals that had been extracted from dirt. The bags were changing ownership, and the new owners requested this rather expensive product be stored in high security vaults – the location is, at this time, undisclosed!!

Of course the circumstances surrounding this particular move did catch me off guard at first, but it is very exciting to deal with such a large realm of services and customers. It makes for a very challenging, yet rewarding, day! Barrett is determined to help any way we can with any type of relocation or storage need you may have. Don’t underestimate our ability to service you or your clients!!