January
Bekins Van Lines started 2015 by giving back with the Hats off to Keaton campaign. Bekins hosted a social media photo contest. Additionally, every donation made to Keaton’s Korral was matched by the van line. At the end of the campaign, $22,000 was donated to Keaton’s Korral. Through Bekins Van Lines’ support of Keaton’s Korral at Give Kids The World, 7,300 families have been able to experience horse and pony rides.
Wilhite Moving & Storage in Junction City, Kansas joined more the 350 agents across the country.
February
The Seattle Seahawks headed back to the big game for the second year in a row. Bekins Northwest, the official Mover of the Seattle Seahawks, was busy transporting their equipment to Scottsdale, Ariz. Wheaton World Wide Moving interstate agent Olympia Moving & Storage challenged Bekins Northwest to a friendly bet. If the New England Patriots lost, then Olympia Moving & Storage would donate $500 to Keaton’s Korral at Give Kids the World Village, but if the Seahawks lost the game, Bekins Northwest agreed to make the same $500 donation to Keaton’s Korral. And, as you probably know thanks to the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler’s interception in the end zone, the Patriots came out on top 28-24, so Bekins Northwest made their donation to Keaton’s Korral.
In the middle of the month, sales people from all over the country visited Bekins corporate office in Indianapolis to participate in the annual Sales Bootcamp. The participants spent three days in training by taking part in sales exercises and networking activities.
Aristeo Castillo, driver for Boerman Moving & Storage, was awarded American Moving & Storage’s Super Van Operator Rookie of the Year in Orlando, Fla.
March
March brought the annual Regional Meetings in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Indianapolis. Agents were awarded with individual and team sales awards.
April
Bekins Van Lines welcomed the children of employees to the office to learn the ins-and-outs of the moving industry. The kids spent the day participating in different activities in each department, touring Crown Moving & Storage, learning how to pack, and even beeping the horn in a Bekins truck.
May
Bekins agent Boerman Moving & Storage and Wheaton agent Central Moving & Storage joined forces to collect donated candy from the National Confectioners Association Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago and delivered them to delivered it to Give Kids The World in Orlando, Fla. Watch the delivery of the candy here.
Bekins added two new agents to the team in May – Pro Relo of Albuquerque, N.M. and Ryan Moving of Pittsburgh, Pa.
June and July
The summer months are always the busiest in the moving industry and this year was no exception. Bekins’ 125 years of moving expertise continued to help thousands transition seamlessly throughout the country.
August
Chief Information Officer, Jerrod Carter was named as a finalist for Chief Technology Officer of the Year by the Indianapolis Business Journal.
September
We honored our most valuable assets in the moving & storage industry – the drivers. During the month of August until National Truck Driver Appreciation Week on Sept. 13-19, we asked customers to take pictures with their favorite drivers. Check out some of the pictures below.
In September, Bekins launched a new partnership with Updater to ease the change of address process. The service is available to all interstate moving customers.
October
Bekins corporate office took part in Customer Experience (CX) Day on October 6. Throughout the day, the Sales & Marketing department hosted various activities, such as The Game of LIFE moving edition and trail mix snack break, to celebrate our customers and illustrate the impact Bekins employees have on the customer experience. Because of our activities from CX Day, Bekins was named a finalist for the Temkin Group Customer Experience Excellence Awards and Stephanie Linville, Bekins Director of Market Intelligence, Quality & Training was selected as a finalist for the CX Impact Awards.
The month of October was closed out with the Annual Partnership Conference in Tampa, Fla. Former NFL Center for the Indianapolis Colts Jeff Saturday highlighted the four-day event as the Keynote Speaker. Agent of the Year, Drivers of the Year, J B Cupp Award and Extra Mile Award winners were announced at the Conference. Congratulations to all!
Agent of the Year – Boerman Moving & Storage
Direct Lease Driver of the Year – Delroy Kennedy
Permanent Fleet Driver of the Year – Jose Longoria
Intermittent Fleet Driver of the Year – Phillip Schrepel
Extra Mile Award – Keith Allison
J B Cupp – Ken Ivey
November
We kicked November off by racing to end hunger in conjunction with Move For Hunger at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, Half Marathon and 5k. Bekins represented with 20 participants and raised $400 for the cause.
With help from our friends at Well Done Marketing, www.Bekins.com got a new look. The new website has an enhanced user experience with mobile-friendly design. Along with the new websites, Bekins launched new brand videos. Check it out here.
December
As we say goodbye to 2015, we also said goodbye to five loyal employees.
(L to R) Dan Pritchard, Brenda Carter, Cathy Lohrman, Neila Teal and Mark Kirschner
Sharon Heneghan & Mr. Burns
Brenda Carter – Director of Human Resources
Dan Pritchard – Dispatcher
Cathy Lohrman – Executive Assistant
Sharon Heneghan – Vice President of Finance
Neila Teal – Supervisor, Information Technology
They will all be missed, but we wish them nothing but the best!
We are looking forward to another successful year! Tell us what your favorite part about 2015 was by commenting below.
