It was in the ‘80s when TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Founder Mary Ellen Sheets began developing a vision for her small, local moving company.
Moving is a tough industry, and she wanted to build a brand that separated itself from the competition – not just with the quality of the service, but with the quality of customer care involved with each move. She envisioned TWO MEN AND A TRUCK customer service being different than the rest, a company people could trust with their belongings and a company that was based on just doing the right thing.
Almost 40 years later, this message still resonates throughout each one of our franchises with our set of company core values. These core values aren’t just words plastered on posters – they’re a mindset that all team members live daily. These six TWO MEN AND A TRUCK core values include:
THE GRANDMA RULE®
Care
Inclusion
Be Your Best and Have Fun
Giving Back to the Community
Integrity
This group is highlighted by THE GRANDMA RULE – which means to treat everyone the way we’d want our own grandma to be treated – but all of them hold equal importance in shaping who we are as a brand.
Watch the six videos below to learn about each and what they stand for!
THE GRANDMA RULE
CARE
INCLUSION
BE YOUR BEST AND HAVE FUN
GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
INTEGRITY
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.
To understand the history of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, it’s important to go back to the very early days of the company when it was just the original “two men” – Brig Sorber and Jon Sorber – moving customers in and around Lansing, Michigan.
It was the early 1980s and the two were doing a good job for themselves as high school students. Their mother, Mary Ellen Sheets, helped them place ads in local newspapers to advertise their services. Eventually, the time came for the two to go off to college, but Sheets was still getting calls about the services. So, she kept the little business going.
Being a working mom, she didn’t necessarily have a lot of experience running a business, let alone a moving business. With moving trucks taking up space, she needed a place to store them– and that’s where her mom stepped in.
“Grandma Eb”, as she was known, offered her backyard and barn to serve as the original office for the brand and a place to park the trucks. The brand’s early days began here, and her generosity and help were instrumental in helping TWO MEN AND A TRUCK grow to what it has become today.
Her influence led to the development of arguably our most important company core value, THE GRANDMA RULE, which means to treat everyone the way you would want your grandma to be treated. This motto has been adopted by the brand and serves as the overall mindset for our teams nationwide.
“THE GRANDMA RULE, to me, exemplifies everything we want and expect out of our employees and ourselves,” said Brian Stern, a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® multi-unit franchisee with locations in New Jersey and Maine. “The idea is to treat each and every one of our customers as if they were our grandmothers. If we do that, every customer will be treated with respect, patience, and empathy during difficult moving situations.”
A large part of our customer base involves senior moving, and this makes the mindset of THE GRANDMA RULE all the more important.
Nearly 52% of all moves we complete are for people over the age of 50, and these can generally be tough moves due to the emotional factors involved of people parting ways with a home that has meant so much throughout their lives.
Our teams are specifically trained on how to handle senior moves and understand the importance of making sure they are able to communicate with the customer and provide the highest levels of care in order to make them feel at ease as they complete their moves.
“Often times, a senior move involves downsizing from a long-term home, and it can be a complicated and emotional experience,” said Alexa Lanier, a multi-unit marketing director for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton locations. “Our customer service representatives and in-home consultants work with the customers to account for the destination of all items, which can involve multiple stops or storage. Our movers then take the time to make sure every item gets to where it needs to go.”
To learn more about THE GRANDMA RULE and its beginnings, click here! If you know a senior looking to complete an upcoming move, visit our website to get started on a free moving quote.
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.
Many companies have a set of “core values” they talk about, where they might include them in mission statements or put them on a plaque somewhere around the building.
We have these at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK as well, but here, they are more than just a list of ideas to promote – they are a literal way of life for each team member with the company, from top to bottom. These core values are highlighted by one that stands out above the rest, and that is THE GRANDMA RULE®.
THE GRANDMA RULE means to treat everyone the way you would want your grandma to be treated. It is such simple, yet effective idea, and it resonates with everyone who hears it. Whether it’s our movers and drivers on a move helping a customer, a move consultant on the phone booking a move, or a marketing manager out in community: keeping THE GRANDMA RULE top of mind encourages us to treat everyone with care, compassion, and respect.
“I believe THE GRANDMA RULE is such an important core value because it truly represents the culture of this company,” said Lauren Trost, a former marketing and sales manager for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Chicago locations who now works at our Home Office location. “TWO MEN AND A TRUCK employees not only practice this core value while at work – it is deeply engrained in their everyday life. Before I started working at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, the Lansing franchise actually moved my grandma. I witnessed a wonderful display of compassion and strength. For several weeks after her move, my grandma could not stop talking about how impressed she was with the two young men who moved her.”
If you’ve followed our company at all or heard of THE GRANDMA RULE, you might have heard of Grandma Eb. The mother of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Founder Mary Ellen Sheets, she served as the inspiration for this core value due in large part to becoming a key figure in our brand’s inception.
She offered her home, backyard, garage, and whatever else was needed in the very early days of the company in Lansing, Mich., to help support and grow TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. Her support helped our company build its base, and THE GRANDMA RULE is a fitting tribute to her contributions.
Across all TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations, you’ll find signs about THE GRANDMA RULE and hear our team members talk about what it means to them. At the same time, it helps put our customers at ease knowing it’s something we make a priority.
“THE GRANDMA RULE, to me, exemplifies everything we want and expect out of our employees and ourselves,” said Brian Stern, a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® multi-unit franchisee with locations in New Jersey and Maine. “The idea is to treat each and every one of our customers as if they were our grandmothers. If we do that, every customer will be treated with respect, patience, and empathy during difficult moving situations.”
Taking it even further, it’s a great reminder to our seniors that they’ll be in great care if they decide to move with us. Nearly 52% of all moves we complete are for people over the age of 50, and these can generally be tough moves due to the emotional factors involved of people parting ways with a home that has meant so much throughout their lives.
Our teams are specifically trained on how to handle senior moves and understand the importance of making sure they are able to communicate with the customer and provide the highest levels of care in order to make them feel at ease as they complete their moves.
“Often times, a senior move involves downsizing from a long-term home, and it can be a complicated and emotional experience,” said Alexa Lanier, a multi-unit marketing director for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton locations. “Our customer service representatives and in-home consultants work with the customers to account for the destination of all items, which can involve multiple stops or storage. Our movers then take the time to make sure every item gets to where it needs to go.”
It may seem like a small piece in big puzzle, but THE GRANDMA RULE is who we are at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, and we work each day to live up to this core value!
If you or someone that you know is looking to complete an upcoming senior move, be sure to contact your local TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise and see why we are known as the “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.
Throughout the years, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK has been defined by a mindset of giving back, providing outstanding care for our customers, and making a difference in our communities.
It’s what drives our brand daily at our franchises nationwide, and it’s what inspired our list of company core values – which is highlighted by THE GRANDMA RULE®. Simply put, this means that we treat each customer the way we would like our own grandmothers to be treated. It’s a value that resonates with team members and customers alike, and in many office buildings, you can find a picture on the wall with “Grandma Eb” and the meaning of THE GRANDMA RULE.
Grandma Eb – TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Founder Mary Ellen Sheets’ mother – was the inspiration behind the core value, and she played an instrumental part in helping the brand get started. She offered her backyard as a spot for parking the trucks in the early days of the business in Lansing, Mich., and gave incredible support as Sheets helped to grow the brand. THE GRANDMA RULE is a fitting tribute to her contributions, and it helps carry her memory while giving our team members a great visual in how to treat all customers.
The first TWO MEN AND A TRUCK “office” at Grandma Eb’s house.
“I believe THE GRANDMA RULE® is such an important core value because it truly represents the culture of this company,” said Lauren Trost, marketing and sales manager for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Chicago locations. “TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® employees not only practice this core value while at work – it is deeply ingrained in their everyday life. Before I started working at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, the Lansing franchise actually moved my grandma. I witnessed a wonderful display of compassion and strength. For several weeks after her move, my grandma could not stop talking about how impressed she was with the two young men who moved her.”
The core value helps to inspire our movers and drivers when they’re out on movers, reminding them that being courteous and using great care with customers is important when representing the brand.
“THE GRANDMA RULE, to me, exemplifies everything we want and expect out of our employees and ourselves,” said Brian Stern, a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® multi-unit franchisee with locations in New Jersey and Maine. “The idea is to treat each and every one of our customers as if they were our grandmother. If we do that, every customer will be treated with respect, patience, and empathy during difficult moving situations.”
THE GRANDMA RULE applies to every customer we work with, but it’s especially important when providing moving services for seniors.
Nearly 52% of all the moves we complete are for people over the age of 50 and based on our experiences, these can be some of the tougher moves that people endure. Whether it is downsizing to a smaller home as you enter retirement or making a move into a retirement community, these types of moves can be filled with emotion as you leave somewhere you’ve called “home” for many years. Our teams understand this, and work hard to provide care and compassion to customers as they work through this difficult time.
“Often times, a senior move involves downsizing from a long-term home, and it can be a complicated and emotional experience,” said Alexa Lanier, a multi-unit marketing director for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton locations. “Our customer service representatives and in-home consultants work with the customers to account for the destination of all items, which can involve multiple stops or storage. Our movers then take the time to make sure every item gets to where it needs to go.”
This training is crucial for our moving teams because it shows our customers that we are a company they can trust during this emotional time. But more than anything, it’s just about showing care and compassion during an emotional time.
“A lot of times, a senior citizen just wants someone to come and talk with them at their home about what is happening and what we are able to do,” Stern said. “We make it a goal to try and accommodate this any time it is requested, because we know how important it is.”
If you or someone that you know is looking to complete an upcoming senior move, be sure to contact your local TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise and see why we are known as the “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.
Since the very beginnings of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, a special emphasis has been placed on helping our senior customers and providing special care when moving.
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Founder Mary Ellen Sheets had incredible support from her own mother, who we call Grandma Eb. Grandma Eb allowed Sheets and her two sons, Jon and Brig, to use her backyard for parking trucks. This small offering went on to be instrumental in building the brand, and we can trace our success back all the way to this time.
With that in mind, it was what inspired one of our company core values – THE GRANDMA RULE. Quite simply, this means to treat each and every customer the way we would like our own grandmother to be treated. It’s something that is preached and practiced with each and every one of our moving teams all around the world, and it’s something customers have come to know over the years.
“THE GRANDMA RULE, to me, exemplifies everything we want and expect out of our employees and ourselves,” said Brian Stern, a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® multi-unit franchisee with locations in Boston, New Jersey, and Maine. “The idea is to treat each and every one of our customers as if they were our grandmother. If we do that, every customer will be treated with respect, patience, and empathy during difficult moving situations.”
It’s less of a core value and more of a way of life, and it really inspires our movers and drivers – as well as every position in the company – to be courteous and careful when handling a move or representing TWO MEN AND A TRUCK in public.
“I believe THE GRANDMA RULE® is such an important core value because it truly represents the culture of this company,” said Lauren Trost, the marketing and sales manager for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® “Chicago 5” locations. “TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® employees not only practice this core value while at work – it is deeply ingrained in their everyday life. Before I started working at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, the Lansing franchise actually moved my grandma. I witnessed a wonderful display of compassion and strength. For several weeks after her move, my grandma could not stop talking about how impressed she was with the two young men who moved her.”
While THE GRANDMA RULE does apply to how we treat every customer we come into contact with, we’ve put a special emphasis on providing care for our seniors during the moving process. Nearly 52% of all moves completed are for people over the age of 50, and in our experience over the years, we know some of the hardest moves are with our older customers.
Whether it’s time for downsizing to a smaller home as you enter retirement, or making a big move from a family home to a retirement community, these moves can often feature a heavy dose of emotion as you leave a place you’ve called “home” for many years. Our moving teams understand this, and work hard to relieve as much stress as possible during the moving process.
“Often times, a senior move involves downsizing from a long-term home, and it can be a complicated and emotional experience,” said Alexa Lanier, a multi-unit marketing director for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton locations. “Our customer service representatives and in-home consultants work with the customers to account for the destination of all items, which can involve multiple stops, dump runs, or storage. Our movers then take the time to make sure every item gets to where it needs to go.”
This training is imperative for our moving teams to undergo because it shows our customers that we are a company they can trust during this emotional time. But more than anything, it’s just about showing care and compassion during a move.
“A lot of times, a senior citizen just wants someone to come and talk with them at their home about what is happening and what we are able to do,” Stern said. “We make it a goal to try and accommodate this any time it is requested, because we know how important it is.”
If you or someone that you know is looking to complete an upcoming senior move, be sure to contact your local TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise and see why we are known as the “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.
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® 