Movers Who Care – TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®

April 12, 2021May 5, 2021 Movers Who Blog Giving Back, Uncategorized

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK partners with First Book to provide books for organizations that support educational equality for children in need

It’s hard to list every way in which COVID-19 has affected our world, but one impact has certainly been on education and schooling for children.

With many schools going virtual or limiting in-person attendance, new challenges have been created for children in low-income communities who don’t have the same access to resources as their more affluent peers, and this can create barriers to learning.

This is why we are thrilled to announce our partnership with First Book.

First Book is building a path out of poverty for children in need through educational equity, ensuring equal access to quality education. They have numerous ways they work to help kids in need improve their education and we can’t wait to join forces with them while using our resources to support this great cause.

As part of our Career Move Month campaign in April – a program we designed to fill open positions in our franchises across the country – we will be donating copies of the children’s book When Grandma Gives You A Lemon Tree for each employee hired during this time.

“First Book believes education is the best path out of poverty for kids in need and providing meaningful books is one step to support these kids,” said Chief Talent Officer Sara Bennett. “When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree illustrates many important life lessons, including using creativity, patience and hard work to turn an unwanted gift into a blessing for many. This message aligns beautifully with our company’s core purpose, to move people forward.”

Twenty-five TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchises have signed up to donate 100 books each and deliver books to organizations in their communities. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s corporate office will also donate five books for each hire these franchise make during this time frame.

Together, we’re looking to donate at least 5,000 copies of When Grandma Gives You A Lemon Tree to organizations supporting the education of children in need. This effort aims to make an impact during the annual summer learning gap for children whose learning may have been impacted by COVID-19.

Stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels for more details on this and be sure to visit First Book’s website and follow them on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram channels for more information.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

An alignment in core values led to a working relationship between Convoy of Hope and TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®

-Written by Erik Sargent

Making a difference in the world is only obtainable when people come together and use the resources around them, and for the faith-based organization Convoy of Hope, this was the exact mindset that helped it come to fruition.

Convoy of Hope – which is based out of Springfield, Missouri – was founded in 1994 with the plans of making a difference in communities all around the world, mainly by working to feed children through feeding initiatives, community outreaches, and disaster response.

“Most of what we do has a focus on feeding,” said Eric Neubauer, corporate relations director for Convoy of Hope. “Secondarily, the flip-side of that coin is we’ve also been an early responder in times of natural disasters. There was a point in our mission where we felt like responding and being a part of relief efforts was important to who we are and what we did.”

Since the organization has grown over nearly 25 years of operation, Convoy of Hope now has their focus set in six main areas: community events, children’s feeding, disaster services, agriculture, women’s empowerment, and rural compassion.

The number of people reached by Convoy of Hope are staggering when you examine what they’ve been able to do since 1994, which includes 100 million people served, 262 million meals distributed, and 615,000 volunteers mobilized to help children, families, and survivors of disasters. These numbers also include 115 countries served and $805 million worth of food and supplies distributed.

It’s no small task to be on the ground helping at so many different places for so many different causes, but a strong infrastructure allows Convoy of Hope to make it possible.

“Part of what gives us the ability to do that and what makes us so unique is our infrastructure,” Neubauer said. “Think of us like a logistics organization. We have a fleet of semis, we have an international headquarters here in Springfield with a 3,000 square foot building with essential supplies and products. We also have regional warehouses in different parts of the world, including Haiti, Asia, Puerto Rico, and Houston.”

This impressive infrastructure allows Convoy of Hope to adapt on the go to whatever the disaster situation may need and stay prepared for any situation.

“Because of our logistical capacity and our infrastructure, we are not dependent on partnering with A, B, and C organization when deploying of times of disaster,” Neubauer said. “Because we have our infrastructure, we are at the disaster and supplying what we need for the disaster on our own.”

A partnership based on a common goal

At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, finding any and all ways to give back to the communities we operate in and the people we serve has been our goal over the last 30 years.

For Greg Micklos, franchisee of the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Pensacola, Fla., location, this same sentiment was on his mind last year when Hurricane Harvey crashed the shores of the Gulf Coast. The damage was substantial, people needed help, and he knew his moving team and his trucks could be of use. The next step was finding a partner to put these resources to good use.

Micklos had been organizing both the supplies to be donated and also organizing a fleet of trucks to head to Houston when a mutual connection led him to Convoy of Hope.

“I was involved in Hurricane Floyd and Dennis in 1999 when I was living in North Carolina, I have experienced hurricane devastation myself,” said Micklos. “I knew a lot of people in the Florida area would be coming in and out of disaster areas, and knew we would need some kind of credentials to get into devastation areas. Finding an organization like Convoy of Hope to help us actually get in there and get out without making a scene – we knew they needed supplies, and it was a great fit for us.”

A couple of quick phone calls later, and TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and Convoy of Hope had plans in the works to tag-team these hurricane relief efforts.

“When Eric Neubauer from Convoy of Hope and I got together and actually developed a strategic plan together to figure out what we had and what we could do, it just seemed to be a phenomenal fit,” Micklos said.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK’s resources helped boost the efforts of Convoy of Hope, who was already established in the disaster areas.

“For us, it just makes sense to ask if there is a logistics connection, and if it could radically improve our capacity,” Neubauer said. “People want do something to help, and TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has tons of trucks and people.”

Since Hurricane Harvey, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has continued to work together with Convoy of Hope where it makes sense, as each organization works hard to make a difference when possible.

Micklos noted that over the last year, he has remained in contact with Convoy of Hope and kept an open dialogue about what has worked in their relief efforts and what hasn’t as they plan to coordinate in the future. With the ability to provide both trucks and man-power on relatively short notice, the two organizations have developed an understanding with one another and are working to build their partnership.

“Our core values align so well,” Micklos said. “We’re all for one, one for all, and we can’t just do it by ourselves. [Founder] Mary Ellen Sheets said it best – ‘all of us are stronger than one of us’, so you look at that and we’re right there with Convoy of Hope sharing the same values.”

July 2, 2018July 23, 2018 Movers Who Blog Giving Back, Mother's Day, Movers for Moms, Moving, Organizing, Our People, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Uncategorized

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchises brighten up Mother’s Day for moms in need

-Written by Caitlyn Laidler

Giving back to the community has been a driving force behind the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® brand ever since our Founder Mary Ellen Sheets donated her first $1,000 profit to local charities.

This spring, as part of a national effort to better our local communities, each and every TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise collected donations for women in need during the 11^th annual Movers for Moms® campaign.

Movers for Moms was created in support of mothers who are living in shelters due to homelessness or domestic abuse. In an effort to show these women the love and appreciation they deserve on Mother’s Day, our franchises work with businesses and individuals in their local communities to collect essential care items to be delivered for the holiday weekend.

Each year, Movers for Moms continues to reach new levels of success. This spring, more than 366,000 donations were collected across the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK system —70,000 more than the 2017 total. With the help of nearly 1,000 collection sites across the country, these donations were able to support more than 150 women’s and family shelters nationwide.

In addition to reaching record-breaking numbers, franchises went above and beyond to spread awareness and make Mother’s Day extra special for moms who need it most.

“Aside from gathering donations, [our franchise] provides gift baskets to each of the mothers living in the shelter on Mother’s Day, and gift bags to every woman in the shelter whether they are a mother or not,” said Miriam Berrouet, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Myrtle Beach Marketing and Human Resource Manager. “Everyone gets to feel special on Mother’s Day!”

For Berrouet, Movers for Moms is more than just part of her job. South Carolina ranks among the states with the highest rates of domestic abuse against women.

“Movers for Moms is an initiative that means a lot to me,” she said. “Whenever I speak about Movers for Moms, I speak about it with passion. When you speak about something passionately enough, your passion becomes contagious and people want to help you with your cause.”

Berrouet’s passion for the program and dedication to supporting the women in her community led the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Myrtle Beach location to being one of the top preforming franchises in the 2018 Movers for Moms campaign. With the help of five collection sites, Berrouet and her team raised nearly 14,000 donations for their local family shelter.

Just up the coast, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Charlotte Marketing Director Rosemary Hastings painted the town purple in honor of Movers for Moms®.

“We have had two buildings in the Charlotte skyline go Movers for Moms purple in years past, but this year I wanted to paint the town purple,” Hastings said. “I made a dozen Movers for Moms packets and took the afternoon to walk around to each sky rise and asked the front desk if they had a lighting program and if so, would they be on board to support local moms on Mother’s Day.”

“On Saturday, May 12, we had six buildings on the skyline go purple and my mission is to get the remaining four on board for next year,” Hastings said.

It’s this kind of extra effort that makes Movers for Moms grow in success each spring, and we’re proud of the impact our system is able to make in the communities where we live and work.

Special recognition goes to our St. Louis, Madison, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, and Boynton Beach locations for their large-scale campaigns. Together, they raised 90,000 donations for shelters in their communities.

To learn more about how you can be involved with Movers for Moms in the future, visit our website, here.

April 16, 2018May 2, 2018 Movers Who Blog Giving Back, Hiring Professional Movers, Leadership, News, Our People, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Uncategorized

Ohio operations manager steps up for customer during move

-Written by Erik Sargent

What defines a “Move Hero” in the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® world can be described several different ways, but at the end of the day, the simplest definition is someone who goes above and beyond to make a difference for our customers.

This can be something small or big, but regardless of what the action is, it’s moments or actions from our outstanding team members that stand out and show that we truly are the “Movers Who Care®”. For Cameron Gaines – an operations manager for a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location in Ohio – his actions during a recent move earned him the reputation of a “Move Hero” when he took it upon himself to provide personal protection for a customer.

“Our customer was going through a domestic abuse situation with her boyfriend, leading her to want out of the house,” said Gregg Higgins, the franchise manager. “You could tell that over the phone, she was scared to even book a move with us. On the day of her move she was visibly scared, so Cam stepped up and made sure she was safe and protected while the guys conducted the move.”

It was a simple but meaningful action from Gaines to provide this protection for the customer, and it was clear to everyone involved on the move that his actions helped bring peace-of-mind to the woman while she went through this extremely difficult process.

Gaines chose to do this on his own and without the request of anyone involved at the franchise, and typically keeps in touch with the customer service representatives at his locations to determine the type of moves they are about to experience so he can provide assistance.

“I was not asked to do this, but I have a great relationship with our CSR team, and they keep me in the loop on potentially sensitive moves at my request,” Gaines said. “It can turn into a sticky situation at any time, and I don’t want my team or the customer to be at risk, so that extra guy on the job to help keep an eye out while the team moves never hurts.”

Gaines kept it simple but effective while providing his protection to the customer throughout the move, sticking by her side, offering assistance as she moved and packed her belongings safely.

It’s a testament to the type of workers we hire at all of our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations across the country, and it shows how we have earned the reputation we have as a brand.

“It means everything to us as an organization,” said Clayton Huston, the business, development, and recruiting coordinator at multiple franchise locations in Ohio and Kentucky. “If we are putting our people first, our team will also put the same care and compassion into the customers. Compassion and empathy are vital for a healthy team, and not only do these character traits build internal relationships, but they establish new and meaningful customer relationships. Cam takes his role and responsibilities as an operations manager seriously, and his actions and decisions support his conviction.”

For Gaines, this was just another day on the job, but his actions prompted the customer to reach out and leave a touching review, thanking him and the rest of the steam for helping her out.

“My situation was a bit precarious,” the customer said in a written review. “The men of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK did so beautifully, I felt like my friends were helping me, and I had never met these men before. They brought an extra man [to] help me feel safe while they loaded the truck. The transition to the new location went smoothly, and I would recommend TWO MEN AND A TRUCK to anyone. Thanks for everything, guys.”

Gaines was glad to be of assistance, kept calm throughout the move, and tried his best to make sure the customer was happy.

“I was pretty calm throughout the ordeal, and the crew planned on me being there for extra support,” Gaines said. “[This showed] that we really are the ‘Movers Who Care’, and continue to show this by giving great customer service day in and day out. After the move, the customer hugged me and told me that she really appreciated what we did for her and her son.”

June 14, 2017June 26, 2017 Movers Who Blog Giving Back, Mother's Day, Movers for Moms, Our People, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Uncategorized

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® lends a helping hand to mothers in need across America

*Movers for Moms®* from our **TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®** Charlotte location.

-Written by Erik Sargent

Giving back to the communities we work and live in is what drives the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® brand each and every day. Founder Mary Ellen Sheets donated her first $1,000 in profit directly to charities and since then, giving back to the community has been a top focus throughout our system.

Our franchises across the country participate in and run numerous charitable events throughout the year, but none compare to our annual Movers for Moms® campaign each spring. A campaign started in-house by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® 10 years ago, it aims to provide essential care items to women who are facing homelessness or domestic violence and living in shelters throughout the country.

These women aren’t able to receive the love and care that most mothers receive on Mother’s Day, and we make it a point to ensure they are appreciated by spending the spring months partnering with organizations and shelters to collect donation items. Each TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchise participates in Movers for Moms®, making sure our reach is felt from coast to coast.

“We take so much pride in community service events here at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, including our own Movers for Moms® program,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® CEO Jeff Wesley. “We celebrated our 10^th year of giving back to mothers in need. It’s a blessing that our brand is in position to give back, and we thank all of our locations for the support and passion they put into this important program and the impact they have on communities. We are proud to move people forward and do our part to change lives.”

With each passing year, the Movers for Moms® word spreads, and the success of the campaign continues to grow. 2017 saw the most impress year of collections yet, and showed how much hard work is being put in by all participants.

More than 295,000 items were collected across the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system, exceeding the 2016 collection total by 10,000. These collection items were able to provide support to more than 250 different shelters across the United States.

Even more exciting, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations were able to secure 810 franchise collection partners for the campaign, and with each location as a drop off location for the community to give donations, there were more than 1,000 collection sites spread across the country this year. Our Sacramento, Lansing, Charlotte, Nashville, Des Moines, Ann Arbor, Myrtle Beach, and Miami locations also stood out as some of this year’s go-getters. All collected 5,000 or more donations items in 2017.

“We were extremely happy with how our Movers for Moms® campaign went this year. Our donation box and special event hosts helped us collect over $1,200 in donations and over 10,000 items,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Charlotte Marketing Manager Rosemary Hastings.

m4mplanetfitness — *Movers for Moms®* from the **TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®** Mesa location.

On the opposite side of the country, the same levels of success were also seen as TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® worked to help collect these donation items.

“We were very successful, and had a 20 percent increase in donations over last year,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Mesa Marketing Coordinator Jennifer Merkel. “This is attributed to finding corporate partnerships where we were able to place collection boxes in businesses with multiple locations. We also held a few donation drives. These didn’t bring a lot of impromptu donations, but they gave us the opportunity to talk about the charity, and many people were excited to return to the locations with donations at a later date.”

To learn more about how you can be involved with Movers for Moms® in the future, visit our Movers for Moms® page, here.

April 3, 2017April 17, 2017 Movers Who Blog Giving Back, Leadership, Mother's Day, Movers for Moms, Moving, Our People, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Movers making a difference for mothers in the community with annual Movers for Moms® program

-Written by Erik Sargent

Working with charities and giving back to the community is a high priority here at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, and one of our top campaigns, Movers for Moms®, is getting ready to kick off.

When Mary Ellen Sheets founded the company in 1985, one of the main goals she had was using her platform as a business owner to help others any way she could. The Movers for Moms® program focuses on helping mothers in need around the time of Mother’s Day by providing them with essential care items they need most. While most moms are being celebrated during Mother’s Day, many are living in shelters due to unfortunate circumstances in their lives. This campaign aims to make this day a little more enjoyable for them, and to show appreciation and compassion for all they do.

“From day one, Mary Ellen took care of charities, and the brand has raised the bar even further as we continue to drive our vision and achieve success,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® CEO Jeff Wesley. “To have our own charity that is integrated within the brand and supporting moms in need is something to be so proud of. The hard work of every TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® location and team member, along with the impact they have, is just phenomenal. I am so proud of the Movers for Moms® program and all of the locations dedicated to moving moms forward.”

The program was created by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® in 2007 and is the most successful campaign the system sees throughout the year. Since the program’s creation, we have been able to collect over 800,000 items that have been donated.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® partners with local businesses, organizations, and schools, along with women’s, family, and homeless shelters in their communities to make this all possible, donating trucks and manpower to pick up and deliver charitable items that are donated to recipient shelters. Donation items vary from shelter to shelter, but often include things like soaps, hair styling products, shampoos, conditioners, pillows, blankets, slippers, and other clothing items.

2016 was the most successful year of Movers for Moms® to date, as we were able to collect more than 285,000 items! The program took place in 39 states, and each franchise location for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® participated last year. We were able to partner with more than 400 businesses, schools, and community centers across the country to make this all possible.

If you’re interested in supporting the program as a collection site, or would like to donate items locally, please email Movers4Moms@twomen.com.

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016 Movers Who Blog Moving, Our People, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Making moves in the COPA América Centenario

Written by Mark List

I’ve worked for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® the last three years, the first two as an intern,

Mark List, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK International — Mark List, DOT and Fleet Safety Specialist

and this past year full-time after graduating from Grand Valley State University where I was collegiate runner in cross country and track. Sports had always been a staple in my life, and for many years I had participated in soccer. So when I was approached about helping coordinate efforts for COPA America Centenario, as TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® was contracted to provide trucks to transport the competing teams’ equipment to and from the airport during their stay throughout 10 different cities across the U.S., I jumped at the opportunity!

For the first time in its 100 year history, the COPA America Centenario was hosted in the U.S. Throughout the 10 cities, 16 men’s soccer teams played 32 matches during the month of June. Nearly 1.5 million fans came together over the duration of the tournament, averaging more than 46,000 in attendance at each game.

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL — TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® pictured at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL during the COPA America Centenario!

As part of my TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® coordination duties for the tournament, I “lived” in a hotel and worked in Chicago at the COPA America Centenario headquarters on Michigan Avenue for two weeks. With my “day job” as a DOT and Fleet Safety Specialist at the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® corporate office, I had gotten used to traveling and life in hotels, but being 15 stories up on the north side of Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan was a pretty great start to this experience.

One of the first things I had to do upon my arrival in Chicago was meet with Delta Airline’s corporate team, and the head of security for both of Chicago’s airports, Midway International and O’Hare International. This meeting was to discuss standard safety procedures for entering and exiting the tarmacs, not only in Chicago, but across the country. This meeting was the first time I really saw the enormous effort it would take from our teams in each city. The expectations were already high, but at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® our mission statement holds us to a higher standard!

It was at this point I actually stepped foot on the tarmac with Lauren Munson, marketing coordinator for our Chicago franchises. We were walked through how to get onto the tarmac, expectations of our drivers, and exiting the tarmac. Little did I know, in a few days I would be out greeting Team USA and assisting our move team onto the tarmac to load all of their equipment!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Chicago moving for COPA América Centenario — TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Chicago crew members Jeff and Ethan working to move team equipment during the COPA América Centenario soccer tournament!

Overall, COPA went very smoothly for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® due to the hard work of our franchisees, managers, movers, and drivers. Without their dedication and positive attitudes, this event wouldn’t have been as successful as it was.

I’m very thankful I had the opportunity to work with these franchises and develop several friendships within our system, as well as outside. It was an amazing experience on all fronts, and let’s be honest, how many jobs allow you to watch elite level soccer matches as a true facet of your position? I want to say thank you again to all the franchises for supporting me and making it an easy few weeks of coordination with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® and the COPA tournament, the Transportation Team including Rich, Lisa, Gina, Mark, Jen, Maria, and Lou for a memorable experience in Chicago, and lastly, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®/International, Inc., for setting me up for success and putting me in a position to learn and grow from various experiences I’ve had during my time with the company!

Mark List - COPA Transportation Team — Mark List with the Transportation Team in Chicago!

For more photos during our time moving teams throughout the tournament, view our Facebook album!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. For more information or to learn about opportunities in becoming a franchisee at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® visit franchise.twomenandatruck.com to begin moving your career forward!

January 18, 2016September 6, 2016 Movers Who Blog Giving Back

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® fall cause marketing programs garner nearly 100,000 items for those in need

Written by Hannah Conlin

Columbus, OH TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Movers for Mutts — Collection items from the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Columbus, Ohio franchise during their *Movers for Mutts* program.

As it has been said time and time again, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system truly believes in giving back to local communities. How can franchises not believe in giving back with it being one of our core values? This year, franchise locations across the system proved they don’t just believe in this ideal, they live it.

Franchises had the opportunity to partake in the Movers for Military, Movers for Meals, Movers for Mutts, and Truckload of Warmth campaigns. Much like the national Movers for Moms® program, locations worked with local business partners to collect the much needed items for their various campaigns. Throughout the fall of 2015, more than 30 franchises implemented one of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s four cause marketing programs, working to collect more than 99,000 much-needed items.

“Several years ago TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® had just one cause marketing campaign, Movers for Moms®,” said Media Relations and Brand Communications Team Lead Lindsay Dow. “However, we had many franchises who wanted to do more to help out their communities throughout the year. That’s when we worked to create four additional programs, providing our franchises with the opportunity to give back to different organizations. Over the past few years these campaigns have evolved and franchises have truly embraced them. This year was no different, and without a doubt the most successful year for our fall marketing programs.”

To show gratitude and appreciation to local veterans, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® once again rolled out Movers for Military. Millions of veterans in America are homeless throughout the year, and Movers for Military aims to assist these veterans in need. Franchises that participated in this program collected more than 18,000 items for veterans in need; items donated went to benefit homeless veterans and their families.

Ten locations implemented the Movers for Mutts campaign within their local communities. This program benefits animal shelters that provide and care for stray animals. Many times, these shelters are in dire need of pet food and other essential pet items. Together, the franchises collected more than 1,500 items and more than $15,000 in monetary donations to go toward the animals and the shelters.

Hunger is a problem many Americans face daily. In an effort to help combat hunger, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchises implemented the Movers for Meals campaign. Movers for Meals collects nonperishable food items for families facing hunger each year. This year franchises collected a whopping 50,000 donated items for families in need!

Two Men and a Truck Movers for Meals — TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Brentwood/Franklin, Tenn., collect donation items for *Movers for Meals* just in time for Thanksgiving during their Fill-A-Truck event!

Marketing Director Sally Mink of the Brentwood/Franklin, Tenn., location found her Movers for Meals campaign to be the best one to date.

“This year was our strongest year yet,” said Mink. “This year we hit over 1,600 pounds for Graceworks Ministries.”

Lastly, Truckload of Warmth, helps keep children and their families warm during the bitter cold winter months. Gently used or new winter coats and other winter clothing donations are needed for this collection drive. Through the collective efforts of the nine locations that ran the program, more than 30,000 items were collected.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Des Moines Truckload of Warmth — The TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Des Moines, Iowa team collected nearly 11,000 items during their *Truckload of Warmth* program.

General Manager Chris Jones from the Boise, Idaho franchise implemented the Truckload of Warmth program. The Boise location, in its fourth year with the campaign, partnered with 35 collection partners across the community, providing even more awareness for the program and those in need.

“The program has gained traction every year and many of the participating businesses even look forward to it,” said Jones. “It gives us and the business a great opportunity to help and give back to our community. All of our donations go to the families living at the Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA). The WCA organization does such amazing things for those in need and we are just proud that we can help.”

With another successful year wrapped up, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system is excited for the 2016 fall campaigns and the opportunity to increase the charitable efforts throughout our local communities.

“Moving People Forward is our core purpose,” said Marketing and Communications Director Dawn Kroeger. “I am so passionate about these cause marketing initiatives and how they allow TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® to put our core purpose into action. We are committed to moving people forward beyond our customers and our team members, but those most at risk in our communities.”

To learn more about these programs please visit our community service page. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services, subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

April 29, 2013April 29, 2013 Movers Who Blog Moving

EFO Training: Why I Hire Movers

Written by Claire Schneider

Over the last two weeks I participated in TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s EFO training. What is EFO you might ask? Well, EFO stands for Essentials of Franchise Operations and is an eight day, hands-on, collaborative learning experience preparing franchisees to open and grow a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchise. The training session is held through STICK MEN UNIVERSITY® at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®/INTERNATIONAL, Inc. During this time, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® experts teach attendees about policies, processes and tools necessary to launch successful franchises.

Chair Melanie Bergeron shares TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® history. Very inspiring!

During the class I learned a lot about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® and what it really means to be the “MoversWhoCare®”. We went over our Core Values and Chair Melanie Bergeron shared the company’s history and how we ended up where we are today. We also learned about what it takes to be a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchisee and what sets us apart from the rest. We had experts ranging from human resources to IT support to customer care, who all shared valuable information they have encountered over the years.

Yep, this is me monitoring our Facebook page

For those of you who don’t know, I am the social media specialist at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®/INTERNATIONAL, Inc. and as the class got on its way, I realized I stuck out like a sore thumb. While their daily tasks consists of making sure moves run smoothly, whether it be dealing with operations, customer care or performing the actual moves, my day consists of sending Tweets, posting Facebook content and teaching others how to optimize their social media presence. I learned a lot from everyone in the group and found out things I never knew were issues while moving. Group discussions allowed me to learn from their real life experiences, which will make me that much better at my job.

The day I found most exciting was moving day (not that any day wasn’t exciting). We were fortunate to have movers from the Lansing franchise come and show us how to properly move items in a house. No, this doesn’t just mean loading things on a truck, but rather how to make sure everything had a moving pad and stretch wrap on it to ensure they don’t get damaged during the move. They showed us how to carefully move items through typical obstacles in a house such as stairs and through a doorway. I never knew there were so many different terms for carrying an item. Once they demonstrated, it was our turn!

Our Lansing movers made it look so easy!

I learned how to pad and wrap a dresser. Here I am practicing the corners!

I even had a chance to move a chair, and trust me, I did not make it look as easy as they did.

Moving — Before: Desiree and I are all smiles

Once the eight days of training were complete, it was graduation time!

It's graduation day! — It’s graduation day!

After participating and graduating from STICK MEN UNIVERSITY®’s EFO Training, I am reassured TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is not just a moving company but truly are “Movers Who Care®”.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.