As this year comes to an end, we’d like to take a look back at some of the highlights and memories of 2023.
JANUARY
What better way to kick off the year than by recognizing some of our top-tier van line agents and salespeople?
In January, our executive team announced the 2022 Sales & Hauling Award winners.
Jan. AOM: Harlow Moving & Storage
Jan. DOM: Jimmy Funkhouser, David Engulu, Donald Engle, Elwood Hume
FEBRUARY
A ton goes on in the Wheaton network, but most people wouldn’t know anything about it if not for our marketing team. Madi Williams joined Wheaton as our Communications Specialist in February, jumpstarting our social media content and graphic design efforts. It takes time to settle into a new industry, so Madi spent her first 28 days getting to know her coworkers at the corporate office, the people in our agent network, and the history of the van line.
Feb. AOM: Capital City Transfer
Feb. DOM: Delroy Kennedy, Steve Garcia
MARCH
March might be our favorite month of the year. At our annual Van Line Summit & Awards Gala in Las Vegas, we announced the 2022 Wheaton Agent of the Year, 2022 Driver of the Year and the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient!
The fourth annual Van Line Summit and Awards Gala was hosted at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with more than 125 agent representatives in attendance. The event is an opportunity for agents, drivers, and van line staff to network in person, learn from one another, and receive recognition for their hard work and dedication to excellence.
CEO Mark Kirschner was thrilled to welcome Turner Moving & Storage to the stage to award the longtime Wheaton World Wide Moving Agent the top distinction – 2022 Wheaton Agent of the Year. Watch Turner’s Agent of the Year video on Youtube!
Vice President of Operations Kevin Miller announced Curtis McFarland as the winner of the van line’s 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award to tremendous applause. The lifelong driver’s hard work and quality service over more than three decades have earned the van line numerous repeat and referral customers.
Miller also enjoyed introducing 2022 Wheaton Driver of the Year Marc Bailey to the audience at the Awards Gala. A mover since 1998, Bailey earned two Driver of the Month honors before this top honor in the fleet.
March AOM: Carolina Moving & Storage
March DOM: Daniel Downey
APRIL
Packing is tough. So, you’ll be happy to know that in April the experts at Wheaton World Wide Moving rolled out some new videos to help you pack your belongings for safe transport. Central Regional Sales Director April Milner and Claims Director Laura Pung got in front of the camera to demonstrate how to properly pack books, fine china, handbags and shoes.
Check out the videos here.
April AOM: Grace Moving Company
April DOM: Daniel Vasquez, Heather Maiden, Richard Cruz
MAY
With May being Older Americans Month, Wheaton turned its focus towards older adults. Moving, for older adults, often comes with a handful of both physical and emotional strains. That’s because when they move, there’s a good chance they’ve got more belongings, items of higher value and are in need of more assistance with moving than when they were younger. More than just the items themselves, older adults typically move a lot of memories.
Taking these things into consideration, Wheaton is dedicated and passionate to providing older adults with services that will make their move as worry-free as possible. As a way to educate and enhance our agents’ offerings, we revamped our Silver Certification training. The Silver Certification course provides our agents with skills needed to meet the needs of older adults during a move.
This year, 24 more Wheaton agencies completed this special training. From top to bottom, they are prepared to offer you or your loved one the best specialized service.
May AOM: Delaware Moving & Storage, Inc.
May DOM: Jason Brown, Chuck Meldrum
JUNE
Every year about 3,000 Americans experience moving fraud, and peak summer season is rogue movers opportune time to strike. At Wheaton, we believe informed customers make the best decisions. Knowledge is power, and we want our customers to have that power as they navigate their moving journey.
In an effort to educate customers on how to avoid being scammed, Wheaton developed brand new collateral to explain the issue at hand. These flyers walk customers through what to keep in mind when selecting a moving company, as well as questions they should be asking their movers. [link to Rogue Mover page, include images of flyers]
June AOM: Preferred Movers of TN, Inc.
June DOM: Wade Marks Jr., Robert Kukrecht
JULY
Every year, vendors at the Sweets and Snacks Expo donate their leftovers to Give Kids the World (GKTW) village to use in their weekly Halloween parties.
In July, volunteers from the corporate van line office, along with agents like Boerman Moving & Storage and Wm. Meyers Movers worked in the background at the Expo to prep boxes, collect leftovers and load them into trucks.
Boerman Moving & Storage and Central Moving & Storage teamed up to deliver a large load of candy and snacks that were gathered at the Sweets & Snacks Expo for the nonprofit resort that hosts children with critical illnesses and their families for weeklong, cost-free vacations. Shoutout to the team for not only providing their trucks, time and talent, but also for making these children’s smiles possible!
July AOM: Olympia Moving & Storage
July DOM: Robert Krumpols
AUGUST
Lights, camera, action!
Wheaton president A.J. Schnieder got in front of the camera to turn our infamous 72 Ways to Save Money on Your Move pamphlet into short videos. These tips are aimed at helping our customers consider a variety of cost factors involved in moving to help reduce their overall costs.
Enjoy some of our favorites below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtEZ_JHJ-w&list=PLkf2qYZ0aRZ1KrUFex9YvtDH4GHICjD8Y
Aug. AOM: Exodus Moving & Storage, Inc.
Aug. DOM: Pedro Castillo, Harvey King
SEPTEMBER
In September, we honored our most valuable assets in the moving & storage industry – our drivers. The Wheaton fleet is stacked with #1 rated drivers (determined by our driver rater system based on customer service, safety, and claims) and only continues to produce them. Our van line has long been one of the safest on the road, winning more than 30 safety awards throughout the years.
In fact, Wheaton earned another honor in September 2023 – the Associate Member of the Year Award from the New Jersey Warehouse & Movers Association (NJWMA). Read all about it on our blog.
Without our truck drivers, there would be no Wheaton. These individuals go beyond the required tasks and truly seek to make the relocation process a success. They act with professionalism and handle each move with integrity.
Sept. AOM: Bell Moving & Storage, Inc.
Sept. DOM: William Labore, Direct Lease Driver
OCTOBER
October saw us in Orlando, Florida for our Partnership Conference. We welcomed 200+ conference attendees for two full days of networking and business sessions.
The highlight of our event in Orlando was being so close to the Give Kids the World campus in Kissimmee – which gave us the opportunity to host our first Florida Truck Pull on the campus at the nonprofit resort.
On Friday, conference attendees boarded the shuttle buses to Kissimmee to enjoy an afternoon at GKTW, some for the very first time. Local Wheaton agent Central Moving & Storage played a key role in the event.
Jason, Christine, Tammie and Cheyenne Fontaine, Nick Benedetto, and all the Central Moving & Storage team solicited sponsorships and recruited participants to fill three of the eight competing teams. They handled the bulk of the setup and cleanup for the event.
It was fitting that one of their teams won the event and the title of 2023 Truck Pull Champions. Congrats to Central Moving & Storage 1, and thank you to the entire Central family for their help in making the event a success.
We were thrilled to bring in more than $40,000 for GKTW at this year’s event!
Oct. AOM: Lake Country Moving & Storage
Oct. DOM: Marc Bailey, Elwood Hume
NOVEMBER
In November, several employees from corporate headed to Kansas City to attend the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (NASMM) Conference. Our very own Senior Moving Ambassador, Todd Emrick, took the stage to counsel senior move managers and professional organizers on the safest ways to pack special items such as lampshades, bulky items and even canoes.
Nov. AOM: Central Moving & Storage
Nov. DOM: Joseph Estrada, Edward Lemmons, Dale Nichols
DECEMBER
It’s hard to believe 2023 ends soon. We’re still wrapping up this month, but we made time to recognize Wheaton employees heading into retirement in the new year. Congratulations:
- Mike Chandler
- Phil Beanblossom
- Mike Lowder
- Jon Magee
- Pam Gabbard
- Howard Jacobs
- Jeff Thomas
- Candy VanDyke
- Leslie Chavez
- Mike Hipsher
- Mary Albertini
Dec. AOM: Quality Moving & Storage
Dec. DOM: Monel Soporean
Wheaton is grateful for every customer, employee, driver and agent that helps make moves happen. Without people like you, we wouldn’t be able to do what we love day in, and day out. We’re only moving forward at this point and looking at opportunities for 2024. This includes what we can do for our customers and our community. While the new year is coming up quickly, we’re thankful we could recap 2023 with you.
We’re wishing you and yours a safe holiday season and prosperous new year.
