The Chairman's Corner

By Robert Fraser
September 2016

This past Labor Day weekend, Cris and I spent the time packing our house for our upcoming move to Healdsburg. As I sit here in my little corner writing this, I'm reflecting back on the last few weeks and what a whirlwind it has been. And I am reminded that this is what almost each and every one of our customers go through during their own moving processes.

You would think that being in the business for almost 40 years that it should be easy for us, right? After all of the thousands of moves that I've been involved in why is it that my own feels like the most difficult? I feel like a brain surgeon trying to operate on himself; it feels quite awkward and painful. From the moment we made the decision to look at new homes and trying to decide where to buy - from negotiating prices as sellers and buyers with the realtors, from filling out the mounds of paperwork needed to qualify a loan with the lenders, from dealing with inspections and reports, from waiting on pins and needles for the closing of escrow to the packing and prepping of our possessions - I know that when we walk through that front door of our new home in a few days, the roller coaster ride of emotions and anxieties of the prior month will be forgotten.

I have a greater appreciation, and empathy, for what our customers deal with even before trying to decide on a moving company. I also have a greater sense of pride in what we all do as licensed and legitimate movers to keep the customer satisfied. It's nice to be reminded of that every once in a while, but I'm hoping that this will be our last move. (Haven't we all heard that one before?)

Earlier in August, your Executive Committee met in San Francisco for the annual retreat. (Thank you Rick Hosea for heading up this idea a few years ago.) Senior Chairman Patrick Longo, Vice Chairman John Lance, Secretary-Treasurer Alan Freese, Thomas McCarthy, Maribeth Wolf, Ben Geissel and I, along with our illustrious leader CMSA President Steve Weitekamp converged on the Bay Area to discuss the upcoming year for our Association. There were a lot of great ideas and suggestions on how our Association will lead the industry through all of the exciting changes and challenges that will be happening in the next few years. I'd like to thank Mitch Snelson of CDS Moving Equipment for sponsoring the dinner at the North Beach Restaurant and Lisa Paul of Paul Hanson Partners Specialty Insurance for sponsoring an evening at the San Francisco Giants game.

I'll be embarking on the first leg of my tour of California soon. I'm looking forward to visiting the 12 CMSA chapters throughout the state and catching up with old friends and making new ones. I'm also hoping to spend some time visiting some of your operations. One of the coolest things that I've found about our industry is just how diverse all of our companies are. At the same time, it's interesting that no matter the size, the specific services that we offer or where we are located, we all pretty much ascribe to the same values and respect for the moving and storage industry.

In closing, I'd like everyone to know that October is breast cancer awareness month. Last year, Senior Chairman Patrick Longo introduced the Chairman's Choice Charity program, wherein the CMSA would contribute $5,000 to the standing Chairman's Charity of Choice. With the Board's approval, I have selected the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Unfortunately, we all know someone who has been impacted by this disease. I have two sisters who have successfully battled breast cancer with courage and dignity. I'm proud to support the Foundation's efforts in providing help and hope to assist women affected by breast cancer through early detection and educational services. With the help of Colleen Warden of Uniform Ready, we will be outfitting our crews with pink shirts during the month of October to inspire our customers to make a donation to the foundation. I was absolutely moved by our employees' willingness and desire to get involved. We are in the process of having a link at our website where CMSA members could also make a donation if they wish. Please like us on Facebook or visit our website at redwoodmoving.com for up-to-date information.

I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

- Dare You to Move by Switchfoot

September 2016 - CMSA Communicator