News/Blog

As a kid, I grew up watching the Air Force’s “Blue Angels”, both in person and on television perform the most extraordinary maneuvers with their aircraft. They would accomplish things with their aircraft that does not look possible but they made it look easy. They clearly showed the world they were the “Best of the Best”, the Top 1% and the class act of their industry.

As the Commercial Relocation Network (CRN), we are the “Best of the Best” in our industry. When a potential client looks at an office mover or a commercial mover, they might think of a company that can move some desks or file cabinets from one location to another. We are so much more than that. If you look at the makeup of the team of professionals that make up the Commercial Relocation Network, you see a team of individuals that represent over 1500 years of commercial moving experience. In addition to moving the offices, file rooms, libraries and conference rooms for corporate America, We have the expertise to move a myriad of assets, not the least of which include:

1. Sophisticated Cancer and other research Labs across the country with specialized refrigeration.
2. City and county libraries consisting of 2-3 million volumes.
3. Large inventories of manufacturing product with, in excess of 180,000 SKU’s.
4. Large educational facilities such as 300,000 square foot High Schools.
5. Moving a 5000# magnet across the country.

When you look for the “Blue Angels” of the Commercial Relocation industry you need to look at the Commercial Relocation Network, your team of talented individuals, with a huge infrastructure of assets, to provide service for you anywhere in the world.

Craig Mervine, CMC
Vice President Business Development
Daryl Flood Relocation & Logistics
Agent for Mayflower Van Lines
cmervine@darylflood.com
972-989-7995

Think back to your last office move.  Who was in charge?   Who formulated the plan?  Who directed traffic? If it was your office manager, it's most likely your move could have been smoother and less costly.

Office managers are, without a doubt, versatile and invaluable members of your team when it comes to your business running smoothly, but when it comes to relocating your business there is no substitute for an experienced move manager.  Just as an office manager brings together the members and functions of an office, a move manager coordinates the efforts of all participants in relocation.

All Commercial Relocation Network members are equipped with move managers; each trained to know exactly what steps should be taken to make sure your move is performed at peak efficiency.  An experienced move manager can form a plan of action based on origin and destination drawings, properly identify and mark all traffic areas, and take proactive measures to minimize costly downtime. Vendor collision, scheduling of elevators, scheduling with building managers are examples of items often missed when a company tries to manage their own office move.

Move management starts long before your employees start packing their belongings.  Pre-move meetings with office staff help reduce risk of injury or loss during the packing process and prepare all members of your team for move day.  Meeting with IT and other contractors will allow your move manager to organize the efforts of all parties involved so that move day is free of congestion and unnecessary traffic also prevent costly vendor collision.  With a final prep meeting, the move schedule can be reviewed and any pre-move questions can be answered.

The stakes are high for the individual chosen to lead the company’s office move as this individual’s career path is often determined by promotion or termination based on accomplishment of the office move. The company usually has made a big investment in these selected leaders and utilizing a CRN Move Manager will not only reduce your cost but help you retain a key employee.   When proper planning has such a great impact on relocation success, selecting a move manager may just be the biggest decision your company can make.  Starting with the Commercial Relocation Network will get you going down the right path.

Chuck Roach

Admiral Moving Services, Inc.
Agent for Mayflower Transit

664 W. Ash
Fayetteville, AR 72703

479-442-4631 local
800-844-6870 toll free

If you've been tasked with planning an office move it is a good idea for you to reach out to your local Commercial Relocation Network (CRN) member for advice.  You can locate members at www.officemovingcrn.com and type in your zip code to find your local representative.

I'd like to share some of my own experiences dealing with customers who did not fully plan every aspect of the move logistics or allow us to assist in the full scope of the office moving plan.  

1. Create a move team within your own organization to meet and discuss the move with.Also, make sure that there is a clear “leader” (i.e. single point of contact) that is the final decision maker within your organization if any questions arise.
2. When will your company have a full “Certificate of Occupancy” at the new space you have secured?  Your entire move timeline and logistics is dependent upon this date/access.  
3. If your company is purchasing new furniture, when will the goods be delivered from the manufacturer?  If your move timeline is shifted or derailed for any reason, what is your contingency plan for this furniture?  Will you require storage?  Does your move plan allow time for the new furniture to be installed before the move of your data, servers, contents, and computers?  You don't want multiple companies trying to access entryways, elevators, or dock space at the same time.
4. Have you established a relationship with a local mover for moving & storage services?  If not, this would be a good place to start.  It is smart to establish rates for moving & storage services in advance of your needs.  This prevents any last minute negotiating and also provides you a resource/relationship that can assist you in planning or when you're in an office move coordinating pinch.  Working with your local mover as early as possible in the planning phase may help you understand additional services the mover can provide you in the future.
5. Ask for a key to lockout the elevator at both origin and destination facilities. Many elevators have this and it helps ensure you have access to the elevator during your office move.
6. DO also ask for a phone number for an elevator service technician in case an elevator "trips out" during the move process.  Having no elevator access can bring your office relocation to a halt.
7. What is your plan for data back-up on your servers?  Talk to your IT staff.  If you don’t have an IT staff, there is a company called Virtual Move (as well as others) that will allow you put your information "in the cloud" with fully encrypted secure access.  This will allow your employees to work during the move of server racks.  Your company does not have to be inoperable during the move.
8. Who will be your new data service provider?  Make sure the service providers providing you phone and data are scheduled to have everything in place before your physical office move is to occur. 
9. Who is disconnecting your individual computer systems?  Your employee or the moving company?  Most moving companies offer computer disconnect & reconnect services as a very cost effective amenity to their service.  This can also assist with proper preparation and planning since you don't want this to be misunderstood going into the process.  It’s not advised to surprise your mover with PC disconnects on move day.  This would be a potential disaster if the proper planning or team preparation is not in place by your mover.
10. What type of boxes will you use to move?  There are several styles of moving boxes that serve different needs. If you plan to pack, move, and unpack in a two week window I'd suggest you utilize plastic e-crates. These are ergonomic, reduce risk of injury, reduce waste (support Green Initiatives), and in my opinion reduce your overall move cost.   I would only suggest utilizing corrugated boxes if there are items that need to be packed well in advance of the move, do not need to be unpacked well after the move is complete, or that you plan to store (such as records you need to keep for year).  There are also computer moving crates.  I don't suggest using these due to the space they take up.  However, the do reduce handling required by the mover and also reduce risk of moving related damage.
11. Have a pre-move meeting with your staff!  Perhaps the single most important thing you can do is educate your staff about their responsibility during the move process.  Discuss proper packing techniques, proper labeling, and where to find information they need such as their new office number. 
12. Assign personnel to pack common areas such as kitchens, reception areas, file rooms, storage rooms, etc. Get a head start in the weeks before your move by emptying your refrigerators.

These are just a few tips from lessons I've learned about office moving.  As the premier service provider in my area and a member of the Commercial Relocation Network, I'm confident that if you address these office move planning tips it will greatly assist you with your upcoming relocation.

Brad Murphy 
Vice President
Armstrong Relocation
Huntsville, AL

Name: Brandon Stephens
Title: National Account Manager/Business Development and Account Maintenance
Company: Dircks Moving Services

Introduced to the industry while still in high school, Brandon has been in the moving business for 17 years, 12 of them with Dircks which has an annual office moving production of $4.5 million. Brandon has been involved with CRN for 4 years and is grateful to be a member. He and his wife live in Phoenix with their daughter and two dogs.

Highlight one of your projects or accomplishments from your career:
Brandon is particularly proud of his successful involvement with the US Airways-America West merger. It was a huge project that involved making sure seats ended up in the right buildings and managing items from all over including model airplane memorabilia to an old propeller from D.C.

Describe one of the funniest or most creative ways you were able to book a piece of business. 
A project required storing and moving ancient ceramic artifacts for a museum. Brandon's team created a special photo-based inventory system for managing the treasures. They got the job!

Who is the person that most helped you to be where you are at and how did they help you get here? 
"Rick and Chip Dircks gave me an opportunity and hired me and they weren't out looking for anyone"

What do you like most about being a member of CRN?
"Having the resource network to go to for questions and to bounce ideas off of when you have the audience of 65 of the best of the best to go to. . ."

Selecting a quality commercial relocation company is a critical decision to insure a successful transition into your new office.  Preparing a well drafted Commercial Relocation RFP/RFQ (Request for Proposal or Qualifications) will help with this decision process and hopefully weed out the unqualified bidders. Here are several components and questions that you may want to include for Quality responses within your RFP/RFQ.

1. Background History of Bidder (years in business, locations, owner, number of employees, amount of equipment etc.)
2. Affiliations of Bidder (VanLine, BBB, Professional organizations like CRN etc.)
3. Applicable licenses and authorities (DOT, ICC or other)
4. Scope of Work- the best way to compare “apples and apples” is to clearly define the scope of work and tasks to be performed.  Some items to consider are:
   • schedule of move (be specific on days and times of activity)
   • packing and unpacking (who is responsible for which areas, customer vs. mover)
   • PC’s disconnections and moving (who is doing this?)
   • Cubicle disassembly and assembly, reconfigurations?
   • Packing materials (corrugated boxes or rental crates)
   • Itemized inventory of furniture to be moved, or at very minimum know what to show the bidders during the site visit
   • Post move fine tuning (is this needed, how many men for how long?)
   • Insurance requirements (movers minimum liability vs. higher declared value)
   • Egress out and into buildings should be reviewed, along with buildings management requirements
5. Require that no bids will be accepted with out a site survey
6. Request that the bidders provide a written narrative of how the move will be performed.  Crew sizes, equipment requirements, truck requirements, hours and days of operations, tasks to be completed on each mobilization, techniques and procedures used for safe moving.
7. Ask for qualifications and names for key personnel (project manager and lead foreman)
8. Bidders standards for other personnel (trained, full time, drug tested, background checked, US citizens etc.)
9. Request hourly rates and/or confirm type of quote (fixed bid vs. estimated cost)
10. References- ask to provide 3 references within the last 1-2 years of similar sized projects

These 10 items are a fairly basic starting point and should be easy for a quality commercial relocation company to respond to; in fact they probably would provide this level of information in a standard response without an RFP.  I believe the scope of work is critical.  If you are unsure of what the requirements will be then certainly the bidder is not going to know.  This will often lead to disparity in the quotes and could cause issues on moving day.  Choosing the best commercial relocation company is not like buying “Coke or Pepsi” and price is not the best criteria when business disruption is at stake.  Your well thought out RFP/RFQ will help insure that all your goals and objectives are 100% satisfied.

Finding the best office moving company these days is easier than you might think. In the past, people relied on the phone book to try and find someone that could move their office. There were no reviews to read or a way to know which company was right for you. Today, it is as simple as heading to your favorite search engine.

When you search for “office moving company”, chances are pretty good that you are going to come across the Commercial Relocation Network’s website – officemovingcrn.com. Clicking on that website, you will be able to search across the United States and Canada for an Office Moving company close to you.

CRN makes it very easy to learn all about the moving companies in your area. There are two ways to find your local business relocation company. First, you can put your zip code into our dealer locator on the homepage. Second, CRN has a convenient map that shows all of the locations of our members. Some searches will yield more than one CRN member, but you can rest easy knowing that the Commercial Relocation Network is a membership organization made up of the largest and most successful office and industrial relocation companies in North America. You can’t go wrong with any CRN member!

Now that you have found the company you are interested in working with, the next step is the fill out the online contact form or call our 800 number. It is up to you which method to use, but either way you will be contacted by the CRN members in your location.
So you can keep that phonebook in the closet now that you know the best way to find a company who can handle all of your business relocation needs. Get online today and contact the CRN member in your area. We look forward to moving you!

You’ve gotten the last box unpacked. Every last piece of electronics is plugged into its respective socket, even if you had to buy three more surge protectors than you thought you needed. Even your coffee maker is working. It’s time, at last, to relax.

Not so fast. If your previous lease is like many other commercial leases, you have an obligation to return your previous office space into a previously agreed upon condition. And depending on how long you resided in those premises, that could be quite the tall order.

This is a service where a credible commercial relocation service comes in extremely handy. If you are working with experienced office movers, then this aspect of the move can even be a built in part of the contract. Decommissioning an office can entail anything from replacing tiles in the ceiling to even removing your old Internet cables, and it would be really easy to miss something if you aren’t working with experts.

If you’ve ever installed new carpet in your office, and moved out all of your furniture prior to the installation, then you have known a serious amount of pain, and we applaud your efforts. But, in the future, consider this: it’s now possible to simply lift all of your furniture while the new carpet is installed.

OK, that may sound like something only possible for the Incredible Hulk, but it’s no science fiction. Here at Office Moving CRN, we’ve perfected the use of hydraulic lifts to allow your business to seamlessly transition in a new carpet through lift and lay moves. While you should almost certainly unplug your electronics, and ensure that your personal belongings are stowed away, we can lift all of your major pieces of furniture so you don’t have to find some way to fit it through a doorway intact.

A huge linchpin in the scenario would be making sure we can coordinate with whichever company is installing your carpet. As long as we can coordinate which pieces of carpet will be installed each day, we can make sure that your 600 pound desk never has to leave your office again.

Packing is never something people look forward to, unless the reason involves the Bahamas and several Pina Coladas on the horizon. There’s just something daunting about staring at countless piles of books, papers, or office supplies and knowing that somehow they need to come with you to your destination.

If there’s something we’ve learned about organization, it’s that steps help. To ensure that you pack effectively, efficiently, and with as little trouble as possible, just follow these steps. You’ll be on a trip to your own personal Bahamas in no time.

• Use packing as a time to edit. There’s nothing more useless than carrying items you don’t need through years of moving. That stack of books that decorate your office wall that haven’t been opened in six years? Toss them. The old computers that you’re upgrading in a month? Think about recycling them.
• Pack by type. Office supplies should go together, old electronics should go together, and kitchen supplies should go together. What kills people during moves is discovering that similar items are split between several different boxes, so finding them during the unpacking phase is a pain.
• Outsource. To be honest, there’s no way to make packing really fun. If you find it’s too much of a pain, then hire someone to do your packing for you so that you can worry about the more important aspects of your office move.

We are currently experiencing environmental change that is unprecedented in modern history, and as a nation, we have begun to respond by focusing on staying “green”, or, in other words, environmentally aware. While Kermit was correct in saying that it isn’t easy being green, it is an important step for anyone thinking of conducting an office move.

One of the big things that sets us apart at Office Moving CRN is that focus on making sure your move impacts the environment as little as possible. Frankly, moving something as big as an office, if done incorrectly, can cause environmental issues, whether it’s because of electronics being disposed of incorrectly or because of too many truck trips back and forth because of poor packing.

We take this issue seriously, and make sure that we have the tools in place to keep your Carbon conscience clean. If you have furniture, electronics, or even basic recycling to dispose of during your office move, we will take care of it for you to ensure that you walk into your new office as unencumbered as possible.