Moving a business, and the office that goes with it isn’t as easy at it used to be.
With miles of computer cords, phones, files, and faxes, keeping everything straight and in some sense of order is a challenge — even for the most organized executive.
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That’s where Move Management steps in. The Providence-based company that specializes in helping other businesses move from one location to another — in a short amount of time.
“We do the dirty work,” said Craig T. Custer, president of Move Management. “We minimize the risk for companies by taking everything into consideration.”
From cubicles to boxes and back to cubicles, Custer said his company can provide businesses with a plan of action for moving — from the initial set-up procedures down to picking out furniture and colors for the new office.
“We understand what companies need and what they get from us is an integrated package,” he said.
According to Edward Katz, president of the International Office Moving Institute in Catersville, Georgia companies across the country and around the globe are looking for companies just like Move Management, companies that can do the work for them.
“The risk in moving today is greater than it was ten years ago,” he said. “Today, everyone has a desktop and what looks like a small CPU may be a $50,000 server. In addition, today’s technology such as flat screen computers is more susceptible to damage.”
Gone too are the days when companies moved themselves, Katz said. As workers’ compensation laws and other insurance regulations have been passed, neither company owners nor potential landlords will take the risk.
“If a company destroys something like an elevator or a doorway trying to move in, they don’t have the insurance to cover and neither does the landlord,” Katz said. “Most often in today’s market, landlords won’t allow anyone but a moving company to do the work, it’s just too risky.”
“Companies often leave the entire move in the hands of the controller, office manager or even the highest ranking secretary,” he said. “They have to plan the move while at the same time doing their everyday work. It’s too much.”
According to Katz, there are three major benefits to hiring an office moving company. First, he said it minimizes the downtime, or the non-productive time before and after a move packing and unpacking, and removing files.
Secondly, he said it minimizes the risk to both the old and new buildings, as well as company equipment. And finally, he said a moving company adheres to a schedule.
Custer said what has made his company so successful over the last seven years is understanding that each client has different needs. His client list, which includes both educational facilities such as Roger Williams University and Bryant College, and high-tech companies like Cookson America and Log On America, each has its own set of guidelines.
“There is no one solution,” he said. “There is no chair, there is no one desk. We need to understand the culture of our clients to know what they need.”
For example, Custer said a smaller company that is moving to expand wants to really define itself by its surroundings, often opting for a cool-cut setting. In contrast, he said an adolescent or infant company moving into its first office, possibly from a home office, wants to keep it simple. And the larger company that has been around for a longer period of time wants its office to reflect how the company is “managing its success,” and is among the “key players” in its industry.
Katz said timing is everything. According to Katz, an office with 20 employees or less usually does its moving during the week, after 5:00 p.m., and though larger companies may do the same, he said, oftentimes they will shut down for one whole day to make the move.
“Movers are learning to accommodate to the schedule of their clients,” he said. “It’s part of adjusting to their needs.”
