Logistics – What does that have to do with moving?

Jim Henderson
President of William C. Huff Companies and national speaker for estate downsizing and lifestyle transitions

by Jim Henderson
President of William C. Huff Companies and national speaker for estate downsizing and lifestyle transitions

Quite often people ask me what the difference is between a logistics provider and a moving company and, technically speaking, we’re logistics specialists. The key factors are experience and the range of services offered.

By definition, logistics involves tracking, transporting, storing, packaging and handling. The average moving company doesn’t handle all these tasks and probably, most have never had to professionally crate a 1200 pound statue or handle original works of art as we do on a regular basis.

As for experience, our staff has an average of 14 years with our company and this is invaluable when it comes to recognizing what’s important to baby boomers and aging home owners. The first 20 years of our business, many of our clients were ‘upsizing’ as their families and careers grew. Now, we find ourselves helping these same clients
‘downsize.’ During the next 12 years, approximately 70 million ‘boomers’ will face retirement and have the daunting task of sifting through, not just their family possessions, but often their parents’ things as well.

Many clients have multiple scenarios happening when they sell their home. Often, the estates are 15,000 square feet or more; we’ve even had some in the 30,000 square foot range. As one can imagine, homes of this size have vast amounts of art, sculptures, heirloom pieces and collectable furnishings. Items have to inventoried, crated, packaged, stored and often transported to several different locations. Handling the logistics of these estates requires experience, training and attention to details. The type of clientele we cater to has led William C. Huff Companies to become a logistics concierge with a reputation for being the best in the industry.

Privacy protocol does do not allow us to share details of our client’s homes, however I can say that over the past few years, our company has worked with four estates with a combined estimated value of over $300 million. Interestingly, many of the $10 to $20 million homes have contents worth significantly more than the home itself.

Comparing our company to a typical ‘moving and storage’ business, as you can see, would be like comparing a Ford to a Ferrari. Definitely, they are not the same!

Comprehensive Logistics for Elite Estates
Offices in Naples, FL and Barrington, NH
800.231.3557 or 239.263.8081
jim@wchuffmoving.com – www.wchuffmoving.com