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Homes For Our Troops

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:50:00 GMT

Allied Van Lines: Caring for Heroes

Allied Van Lines Owner/Operator Mike Westfall is Helping Severely Injured Veterans through Homes for Our Troops

CHICAGO (Dec. 1, 2011) – For some people, the war in Iraq means simply words in a headline. But for newly returning veterans, the tragedy of war is part of their daily reality.

For Allied Van Lines Owner/Operator Mike Westfall and his wife Ricki, it wasn’t enough to just watch injured veterans come home from war; he felt compelled to do something about it. After their veteran son-in-law returned from Iraq with a buddy who lost his legs, the Westfalls got involved with Homes for Our Troops, an organization that helps build houses for severely injured soldiers. While the homes are built entirely through donations, the cost of a move can be an added burden to families who are already juggling financial pressures.

That’s where Bailey’s Moving and Storage, based in Englewood, Colo., comes into the picture. Without any way to get their belongings from their current living situation to their new house, veterans and their families can face quite a struggle. “We moved someone last week who lost both his legs, and they made the house wide enough with automatic doors so he can get around and function,” Mike explains. “Homes for Our Troops builds the homes, and we just come in behind them and move the veterans in. We’re moving about three of them a year now. We plan to continue this service as long as we can.”

When asked what he would want to convey to others about Homes for Our Troops, Mike is filled with compassion as a disabled veteran himself. “They return home to the U.S. and although they might get a little stipend, Homes for Our Troops is building homes and trying to help them – but it’s only done with money and support,” he states. “They accept donations, but also appreciate volunteer time. I’ve seen people landscaping and some just come to help them unpack. I think that when you give of yourself, it just comes back twofold.”

The Westfalls’ work does not go unnoticed. “We’re so grateful as a company to have Mike and Ricki as part of the Allied Van Lines team -- finding meaningful ways to give back to our communities, as well as our servicemen and women who’ve sacrificed so much for our nation’s freedom,” says a proud Kevin Beckstead, president of Bailey’s Moving and Storage. “Mike and Ricki’s service with Homes for Our Troops fits with our corporate philosophy of trying to give back to our communities. They are an example to many people who want to help. They found a genuine need, and a way to fill it. They are an example to us all.”

About Homes for Troops

Homes for Our Troops (www.homesforourtroops.org) is based in Taunton, Mass., and was founded by John S. Gonsalves in 2004. Homes for Our Troops’ mission is to build specially adapted homes for service members who have been severely injured in combat operations since Sept. 11, 2001. All homes are built at no cost to the veteran through the generous support of individuals, foundations, and corporate contributors.

About Bailey’s Moving & Storage

Locally owned and operated, Bailey’s Moving & Storage was founded in 1952 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colo. Today, it is a multi-million dollar enterprise with multiple locations throughout Colorado and Utah, including Denver and Salt Lake City. It specializes in short- and long-term storage solutions, as well as intrastate, interstate and international relocation for residential and corporate customers. As an interstate agent for Allied Van Lines Inc., Bailey’s is part of an extensive network of locally owned moving companies in the U.S. and the world.

About Allied Van Lines

Established in 1928, Allied Van Lines, with more than 400 agent locations in North America, is an experienced leader in household goods moving and specialized transportation services. Allied is one of the world’s largest moving companies and one of the established global brands of SIRVA Inc., a leader in providing relocation services to corporations, consumers and governments around the world. For more information about Allied Van Lines, visit www.allied.com.

About SIRVA Inc.

SIRVA Inc. is a leading provider of relocation solutions to a well-established and diverse customer base around the world. The Company handles all aspects of relocation, including home purchase and home sale services, household goods moving, mortgage services, and home closing and settlement services. SIRVA conducts more than 300,000 relocations per year, transferring corporate and government employees in addition to individual consumers. SIRVA’s well-recognized brands include Allied, Allied International, Allied Pickfords, Allied Special Products, DJK Residential, Global, northAmerican, northAmerican International, SIRVA Mortgage, SIRVA Move Management, SIRVA Relocation and SIRVA Settlement. More information about SIRVA can be found on the Company's Web site at http://www.sirva.com.

The History of Bailey’s Moving and Storage

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:33:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered how a company got started? Many people accept that business are just in business and never stop to think about their origin! Bailey’s Moving and Storage has proudly been doing business since 1952, and this is how it all started:

In 1952, using his garage as an office and warehouse, Cliff Bailey and his son Jay Bailey started Bailey’s Moving & Storage in Orem, Utah. Their first piece of equipment was Cliff’s pickup truck. They mostly performed local moving with some distribution. By the end of 1950′s they had moved their warehouse operation to Bailey’s current location in Orem, Utah, and had become affiliated with Allied Van Lines.

In 1961, Bailey’s Moving branched out to a warehouse location in Ogden, Utah. This operation remained open until 1977. In 1963, Bailey’s expanded to the Salt Lake City area, with a warehouse location in North Salt Lake, Utah. At this time they also made their North Salt Lake location their corporate headquarters. In 1971, an aging Mr. Bailey and his son Jay, having other business interests, sold the business to a group of employees, Bob Linnell becoming President.

In 1984, Bailey’s Moving & Storage was sold again to employees Dennis Slater, John Walker, Dan Bain, Ron Whitehead, and Jimmy Slater. Dennis became President and oversaw operations; John was Vice-President and General Manager; Dan was Vice-President of Special Services; Ron was Vice President of Sales and Marketing; and Jimmy was Vice- President of Accounting. In 1988, Jimmy Slater sold his stock interest to the other four partners, remaining on as an employee.

Having been successful in Utah, and with a large pool of employee talent, Bailey’s expanded in 1989 to Denver, Colorado. Later that summer they purchased All Methods/Merritt Allied in Denver and Colorado Springs, with Bailey’s taking their office and warehouse space. In 1990 they opened an office in the Washington D.C area and later that year also expanded to St. George, Utah. Their next expansion took place in 1992 with the purchase of Buhler Moving & Storage, a Mayflower agent in Boulder, Colorado. In 1993 they opened an additional office in Fort Collins, Colorado and by the end of 1993, Bailey’s had eight warehouse operations divided between Colorado, Utah, and Washington D.C. In 1994 they expanded further in Colorado with the acquisition Berkeley Moving & Storage in Denver and Grand Junction, Colorado, giving Bailey’s Moving then ten locations.

John Walker and Dan Bain purchased Dennis Slater and Ron Whitehead’s stock interest in Bailey’s in 1991. In 1992, John and Dan started selling minority stock interests to several key employees. By 1995 there were thirteen employees owning stock in Bailey’s Moving with John Walker and Dan Bain still having controlling interest, and in 1995 Bailey’s sold their St. George operation to a former partner, Dale Slater. Several other changes took place in 1999. Bailey’s consolidated the Fort Collins and Boulder, Colorado offices to the Berkeley location in north Denver. Five of the partners in Bailey’s Moving purchased the stock interest of the other two partners, leaving just five owners. Bailey’s also did a major overhaul in their clerical and administrative positions, creating the posture of doing more with less. During 2001, one other partner’s interest in Bailey’s was purchased by the other four. In the first quarter of 2002 Bailey’s consolidated their Berkeley warehouse to its Englewood, Colorado location.

Today, Bailey’s Moving & Storage has five locations, North Salt Lake and Orem, Utah, and Englewood, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction, Colorado. Bailey’s Moving currently employs around 500 people, with around 600+ employees at the summer peak. Bailey’s is a top-five Booker and Hauler within the Allied Van Lines System. They are one of the largest moving and storage companies in the Rocky Mountain States.

We are proud of our heritage and look forward to many more years of business!

Customer Letter – Marjorie Anderson

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:59:00 GMT

We’re glad this move went well for you Marjorie, Thank you for using Allied Van Lines and Bailey’s Moving and Storage! We strive to live up to the phrase, “Relax. We carry the load.”

______________________________________________________________________________

“Thank you so much for making my move to Casper so “easy”. I have never had to move before so I had no clue about moving. I appreciate your help by bringing boxes and answering all my questions. I was so pleased with the driver, Dick, who came with his two men to load the truck. They treated my antique furniture with care and all arrived in excellent condition! The men who loaded were so efficient, I had to watch myself to keep out of their way! I was surprised that they were loaded in 4 1/2 hours and I was left with an empty house!

Dick called my sister when he arrived in Casper and they got everything unloaded and in place in my retirement unit the next morning. The Casper crew were just as efficient as the men were in Arvada.

My thanks to you and Allied for the work, support and efficiency making my move to Casper, Wyoming, smoother than what I thought it would be.

Sincerely,

Marjorie D. Anderson”

Customer Letter – Mike, Mark and Robert

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:58:00 GMT

Moving! The very thought of it can bring either fear or joy to the ears of him (or her) who hears the term. Many times, the difference is in the people who help; from local friends helping to load a truck to a professional crew unloading at destination, the experience can vary greatly on the people who handle your life’s memories and comforts.

Mark Freund, Mike Parker and Robert Johannsen were that crew that made my move go great! They were courteous, attentive and willing to go the extra mile to ensure my moving went better than expected. It all started with the extra care they took to protect my home, and ended with moving my furniture sometimes 3 and 4 times just to make sure it was right where I wanted it, with everything in-between.

I appreciate the time and care they took to ensure that my furniture made it in the house safely and quickly.

Thanks guys!

Jake

Denver Moving Coordinator recognized by Allied Van Lines for Exceptional Service

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:58:00 GMT

Congratulations Marianne!

On behalf of the Allied Agents Association, the AAA Quality Committee and Allied Van Lines we would like to thank you for your continued support of our Better Together initiative. You have been recommended for this special recognition by Chris Jorg from North Coast for always being very helpful andextremely positive when dealing with North Coast Moving. In his words “She does a great job representing her agent and Allied Van Lines”. As a small token of our appreciation we have enclosed a bunch of neat stuff. What we encourage you to do is to take a few items for yourself, and hand out theremaining items to those people around you that have helped you along theway, paying it forward so to speak.

You will probably notice too that most of the items have the words “BetterTogether” on them. Since we truly do rely so heavily on each other to besuccessful the better we are all able to work together, the more successful we will become.

Lastly, we would also like to possibly recognize you with a picture in Inside Allied. If you could take a picture of you and your team opening the box and sharing the items to Pat Riddleat pat.riddle@alliedvan.com it would be much appreciated.

Thanks again for your continued support and have fun sharing.

Bill Lyon- Tom Oakley- Paul Baker- Pat Riddle

Patriotic Award – Baileys Moving and Storage

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:57:00 GMT

At a ceremony held on April 8, 2011, on behalf of Bailey’s Moving & Storage, Steve Termath received the Patriotic Employer Award from the the Department of Defense and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Oklahoma Committee (ESGR). This award is given to employers who go above and beyond to actively recruit and employ Reservists as well as cultivating their ability to advance in civilian ranks.

Patriotic Award

The Secretary of Defense and the National Chair of the ESGR have also recognized Bailey’s Moving & Storage as an organization of support for Reservists of all branches of the military.

Steve Termath and his wife represent the Oklahoma City, OK location for Baileys Moving and Storage General Electric Appliance Delivery. “One mark of a potential new hire I keep an eye out for is military experience. Perhaps it correlates to my own tenure in the US Army, but I feel as though we all can do our part on a small scale to help those who serve our country. Unfortunately, many companies do nothing. I have worked hard in various ways on behalf of Bailey’s to assist all Reservists that have become our employees. One of these members of the Bailey’s team has recently been deployed overseas. I also have another Bailey’s employee due to deploy imminently,” said Steve in response to receiving the award.

We at Baileys Moving and Storage are proud to support our nation’s military.

Customer Letter – April 1, 2011

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:57:00 GMT

Customer Letter:

“I just wanted to give you some feedback on how the move went last weekend. Although we moved everything into storage therefore had no opportunity to see if anything is broken or lost but I can certainly comment on how the crew (Augustine, Claudia, Caesar) worked. These guys were very polite and accommodating. They arrived in time. They did all the work with a smile and did not waste any time. They worked fast; especially Augustine (he nearly worked non-stop!). It felt like we were moving with the help of friends. They put a smile on our faces on a very stressful day.

I would like to extend our thanks to you all and to the crew!”

2011 Utah Jazz Basketball Clinic – Bailey’s Moving and Storage

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:57:00 GMT

The 2011 Utah Jazz basketball clinic was a huge success! see photos on our facebook page, and like us to get updates as we post more photos and status upates!

view the Photo album for the 2011 Utah Jazz Basketball clinic here!

See our Facebook page for more images!

Customer Letter – Grand Junction

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:56:00 GMT

“I had a move in early Oct 2010. Long story short: Wasn’t a big move, under 1000lbs, but it was everything I owned. The professionals made my move as smooth as could be under extreme measures. The people are the ones that did not give up searching for my lost personal treasures. I lost every picture album I had over a 50 year lifespan.. and counting. The box was forgotten in my haste to check the boxes off according to the contract.

I called Ron and Gary in frustration and they kept in contact with updates, let me know how they were tracking and were honest to tell me they were doing all they could,, but without a box #?? The chances weren’t good.

Yet, here I sit tonight, looking at pictures of my relatives and friends, thanking God from the bottom of my heart, for people like these two gentlemen, who never gave up on the “little customer”

Thanks Guys”

We’re glad we could resolve this problem!

New addition to our Sales Team – Chris Barrett

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:56:00 GMT

Bailey’s Moving & Storage is pleased to announce that Chris Barrett has joined the sales staff in the North Salt Lake office.

Chris started with Bailey’s in June of 1985. Chris has worked in all aspects of the business. He has worked on the moving crew, in the warehouse and in the office. Most recently Chris has worked in the accounting department. Chris has been an accounting department manager since 1994. He has worked in billing, accounts receivable, and van line reconciliation. He has been a very integral part of the accounting team, working through two computer system conversions, where he was responsible for the migration of accounts receivable between systems. Chris has a wealth of knowledge in the moving and storage industry and we are pleased to have him join our sales team, where his background and knowledge will be valuable to provide the best moves for our customers.

Chris enjoys spending time with his family and working around his home in his spare time. We are very happy to have Chris on our sales team.

Customer Letter – Salt Lake County

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:55:00 GMT

“Dear [Bailey's Moving];

On behalf of the Center for the Arts, we extend a hearty Thank You for the use of your packing blankets during our recent sound system testing at Abravanel Hall.

Your packing blankets were used to mimic the absorption of sound by bodies sitting in seats and were critical in helping us test potential sound systems. We anticipate the new sound system being installed over the summer and ready for use by September 2011.

Thank you again for your contribution to this important project. We hope to see you at Abravanel Hall once the system is installed and hope you will enjoy the new sound!

Best Regards,

Phil Jordan – Division Director

John Duffy – Facilities Operations Manager

Jeff Gwilliam – Rose Wagner Production Manager

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