Keynote Speaker

MIKE PIERCE "ANTARCTIC MIKE"

In Jan 2006, Mike became one of nine people to have run a marathon on the Antarctic continent; 11 months later he returned to Antarctica to become the first American to complete the Antarctic Ultra Marathon, a grueling 100km (62.1 miles).  Since then Mike has completed many other winter marathons in the coldest and harshest climates on earth. His stories have been featured on CNN, Sports Illustrated, Fox, ABC, CBS Early Show, ESPN, and many other national and international sources. OK, you’re thinking: WHY?  Surprisingly, it has very little to do with cold weather or sports.  Rather, it’s about the disciplines necessary to be successful in difficult situations.  Difficulties come to us every single day, on and off the job.  The question is this:  Are we ready? Mike’s program, Keep Conquering, is all about mastering the ability to move forward despite difficulties and challenges that come against us every single day.  Mike holds his BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder in Marketing and resides in Encinitas, CA with his wife Angela and his two cats, Shackleton and Yosemite.

<< TOP>>

<

---

Guest Speakers

STEPHEN J. WEITEKAMP
President
California Moving & Storage Association (CMSA)

Stephen J. Weitekamp is a 37-year veteran of the moving industry. His carrier path through almost every job in moving and storage, while working for the one employer for 26 years, makes him uniquely qualified to represent the industry. He personally handled moves for President Ronald Reagan, numerous dignitaries and celebrities. Steve traveled from Hawaii to New York City to oversee unique moving installations. Steve has been active in California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA) for thirty years. He has served both at the Chapter and State level of CMSA since 1988. He was elected to CMSA's Board of Directors in 1991 and elected Chairman of the Board for the 2001-2002 year. He serves as President of the California Moving and Storage Association, a not for profit trade association representing over 350 licensed California moving companies and almost 200 affiliated businesses operating within the state. His goals for the CMSA are; to continue to work with its members to improve the image of our industry with the moving public and the government agencies that regulate them, to educate the public that an "internet only" mover is not a viable option when selecting a mover, and to offer quality endorsed programs and continuing education that make the CMSA an increasingly valuable asset to its members. Industry Involvement: 2015 - Present: American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) Board member Committee Membership: ProMover Brand Oversight Committee (PBOC)and Government Affairs Committee International Association of Movers (IAM) Agent Advisory Committee 2015 - Present: National Council of Moving Associations (NCMA) Chair

<< TOP>>

ALAN FREESE
CMSA Chairman 2018-2019
VP of Operations at Peninsula Moving & Storage

John Lance is the Senior Vice President of NMS Moving Systems. His company joined the CMSA in 1994. John and his wife, Bernadette, have been active members in the Santa Barbara/Ventura County Chapter for many years. John was the CMSA Santa Barbara/Ventura County Chapter President from 1996 to 2002. He later represented the chapter as a CMSA Board Director from 2002 to 2016. In 2015, he worked his way up the chairs to become the CMSA Secretary/Treasurer (2015-2016), CMSA Vice Chairman (2016-2017) and is currently serving as CMSA Chairman (2017-2018).

<< TOP>>

CHUCK WHITE
International Association of Movers
(Speaker & Co-Moderator)

Bio Coming

<< TOP>>

EMILY CEBULSKI
Program Manager
Move for Hunger

Emily Cebulski has been a Program Manager for Move For Hunger for four years, working on the fundraising program Team Move For Hunger and arranging large food rescues from endurance events nationwide. A permanent west coaster, Emily is the only remote employee for the organization with her home base in San Diego. When not encouraging people to turn their miles into meals or organizing race pick ups, she's busy with her two daughters or out on the local trails on foot or mountain bike.

<< TOP>>

JOSHUA W. SHAW
President
Shaw / Yoder / Antwih, Inc.

Joshua W. Shaw, A long-time lobbyist and chief executive serving non-profits, Josh offers a history of bringing together stakeholders and decision-makers, to forge lasting policy solutions to the many challenges facing California-based organizations and communities. Having proudly served the California Transit Association and its members for more than 30 years, Josh is thought of by many in Sacramento as “the transit guy.” His knowledge base and contacts extend well beyond public transportation issues – in the broader transportation field, Josh also expertly navigates the complex statutory and regulatory pathways that govern highways, streets & roads, goods movement, vehicles, self-help and planning processes, air quality, and a variety of alternative and emerging mobility models. Josh works regularly with a variety of public agencies in California to enhance local communities through pursuit of policy and funding goals across numerous responsibility areas, including environmental, housing, labor, infrastructure and taxation. He’s particularly adept at delivering budget and funding answers for clients seeking support from California government. Josh also supports many of the firm’s private sector clients, including several Fortune 100 companies. Integral to maintaining and growing California’s economy, companies and trade associations utilize Josh’s network of government contacts to ensure competitive advantages obtain and regulatory hurdles balance the state’s interests with the need to retain innovative edges. He currently sits on the Advisory Board of the University of California’s Institutes of Transportation Studies. He has served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the American Public Transportation Association, as Vice Chair of State Affairs. Josh holds a Master of Arts degree in American Government and Politics & Public Administration, from the University of California at Davis, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He lives in Sacramento, with Silvia and their son William

<< TOP>>

---

Regulatory Panelists

NICK OLIVER
Bureau Chief
BHGS

Nicholas Oliver was appointed to serve as Chief of the Bureau of Household Goods and Services on September 29, 2017. Since his appointment, Chief Oliver has overseen implementation of SB 19, which created the Division of Household Movers. Under Chief Oliver’s leadership, the Bureau has dedicated resources to licensing, enforcement, outreach, and policy development to ensure successful administration of the Household Movers Act.

Prior to his appointment, Chief Oliver was an Environmental Scientist at the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery 2013, and an Air Resource Technician at the California Air Resources Board from 2012 to 2013, where he also served as an Air Resources Laboratory Technician from 2008 to 2012.

 

<< TOP>

RITA WONG
Deputy Bureau Chief
BHGS

Rita Wong joined the Bureau of Household Goods and Services as Deputy Bureau Chief in April 2018.  Prior to joining the bureau, Wong spent 18 years managing a variety of different business areas at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS).  During her time at CalPERS, Wong was heavily involved in a design project leading to the successful launch of a new Web-based computer system that replaced 49 different outdated databases and applications. 

 

 

<< TOP>

YEAPHANA LA MARR
Policy Manager
BHGS

Yeaphana La Marr is a Policy Manager for the Bureau of Household Goods and Services where a primary area of focus is developing a regulatory system for Household Movers. Before her hire in November 2018, Ms. La Marr served nearly seven years as a Legislative Analyst for the Department of Consumer Affairs. In that capacity, she provided bill analyses and position statements for the Governor on all legislation impacting the Bureau, most notably SB 19, which transferred administration of Household Movers to the Bureau.

.

 

<< TOP>

ALDA AGUIRRE
Special Investigator
BHGS

Alda Aguirre joined the Bureau of Household Goods and Services as a Special Investigator in July 2018. Ms. Aguirre investigates complaints and unlicensed activity of Household Movers, while educating those businesses on the Household Movers Act. Ms. Aguirre has a Juris Doctor from Pacific Coast University School of Law, Long Beach, California, as well as 11 years of prior investigative experience. In her previous roles as Complaint Specialist and Licensing Program Analyst for the Department of Social Services Community Care Licensing Division, she was responsible for investigating complaints and unlicensed activity of Community Care Facilities, while conducting inspections and providing training.

 

.

<< TOP>

JACQUELINE CASTRO
Licensing Specialist
Division of Household Movers
BHGS

Jacqueline Castro is a Licensing Specialist for the Division of Home Movers where she works with applicants to ensure all licensing requirements are met. Additionally, as a first line of contact for public inquiries, she serves as the Bureau’s subject matter expert on Household Mover licensing questions. Prior to joining the Bureau in April 2018, Ms. Castro was a Grant Specialist for the Department of Food and Agriculture, Office of Grants Administration.

.

<< TOP>

Military Breakout Session Panelists

DANIEL BRADLEY
International Association of Movers
(Speaker & Co-Moderator)

Dan Bradley joined the International Association of Movers (IAM) in June, 2018 as their Director, Government & Military Relations.  In this role, he serves as the primary contact between the Association and its membership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other U.S. federal agencies with whom the IAM Membership conducts business, and which have enforcement and regulatory authority over the moving, forwarding and relocation industries.

Bradley is a former DoD logistician with a broad background in domestic and international transportation operations, including operational level transportation movements and command headquarters policy, guidance, and oversight of freight, personal property, and unit deployment functions. He spent eight years at the Surface Deployment & Distribution Command (SDDC) as a Department of the Army Civilian filling multiple positions. 

Key to his new role at IAM, Bradley also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Personal Property (SDDC), where he was responsible for DoD’s Personal Property Program. There, he led 90 personnel in over 12 geographically separated locations to manage the movement of household goods and privately-owned vehicle shipments worldwide.

<< TOP>>

JOHN BECKER
American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA)
(Speaker & Co-Moderator)

John Becker serves as Director, Military Policy at AMSA. In this role, John develops AMSA's Military policy positions, with advocacy relating to military and GSA personal property rules and procedures, and educating members about military and GSA rules and procedures, participates in the planning and execution of strategic communications efforts, including social media, focused on advancing AMSA's public policy agenda and is staff liaison to AMSA's Government Traffic Committee. Prior to joining AMSA, John served on the HQ Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Staff in the Business Process Management Office. John also served as the Personal Property Rates Team Lead, managing the development of the 400NG/International Tender, OTO/Special Solicitation program, providing Invoice oversight, and development of the Annual Rate Filing process. John retired from US Air Force in 2010 after 20 years serving in various Traffic Management roles at the JPPSO, PPSO, and PPPO level serving in Illinois, Guam, Virginia, Australia, and Colorado as well as multiple deployments in support of operations worldwide. John is a graduate of McKendree University.

<< TOP>>

TIM HELENTHAL
President & COO
National Van Lines, Inc.

Tim Helenthal serves as the President and COO of National Van Lines, Inc., an employee-owned, Broadview, Illinois-based company. 

Tim began his career in the moving and storage industry in 1994, as Manager of the Total Quality Assurance Program (TQAP) for National’s military division. In 2000, he was named Vice President of Agency Services for military. 

His experience with TQAP led Tim to develop in-company programs which identify and select quality suppliers for household goods relocations, while monitoring trends within the DOD Personal Property Program, and interpreting and executing ever-changing government guidelines. He oversaw the development of National’s “PREVENT” quality control program, which includes the Military Procedures Manual, a DOD-specific training resource for all moving agents and drivers. 

Committed to industry improvements, Tim currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the American Moving & Storage Association’s Government Traffic Committee, was elected to serve as the Vice-Chairman of the International Association of Movers and on the SDDC Surface Transportation Executive Working Group. 

Tim attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., where he received a B.A. in Economics in 1990 and an M.A. in Economics in 1991.

<< TOP>>

 

MATT CONNELL
President
TMM, Inc.

Matt Connell began his corporate career in 1996 with Cameron and Barkley as a Sales Representative in Albany, GA.

He moved to Jacksonville, FL, in 1998 to join The Suddath Companies as an Agency Development Representative. He had an active career at Suddath culminating with his promotion to Director of Business Development in 2003.

Matt recognized an underserved market segment in the Military Household Goods Industry in 2003 and started TMM, Inc. in October 2003. He hired his first 4 employees and procured office space in March 2004. The company has grown tremendously and TMM, Inc. is now the largest provider of SCAC services in the world.

Matt has received the Jacksonville Businessman of the Year award in 2008. He has been a two-time finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was also named the Ultimate CEO by the Jacksonville Business Journal.

<< TOP>>

JEANETTE HOMAN
President
Lambert Enterprises, Inc.

Jeanette Homan began her career in the moving and storage Industry in 1976, working part-time during and after graduating high school for Mrs. Leota Lambert, the owner and founder of Lambert Transfer & Storage. After taking a few years off to focus on her three children, she returned to work for the Company in 1989. She continued to acquire experience in the industry by working with the TQAP Program, Non-Temp Storage, and the DPM/ Local Move Contracts, all by providing services at the Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California. Jeanette also accredits her knowledge of the moving business to her husband Richard, having over 40 years of experience himself, she was able to glean “tips of the trade ” from him. In the year 2007 she began managing Lambert Transfer & Storage, and eventually became President and owner of the company in January, 2011.

Since the implementation of DP3, she has successfully transitioned and expanded the scope of business to include the entire state of California. To date, the organization also handles insourcing from various other TSP’s; such as Syncada invoicing, Claims processing, DPS shipment management and dispatching. She has a working knowledge of military business from both the TSP and the Agent perspective, making her an objective voice for the industry.

The company is proud to be members of IAM, AMSA and CMSA, and in 2009 was presented Lemoore’s Chamber of Commerce “Business of the Year” Award. Jeanette is diligent in maintaining solid, working relationships with others to create effective use of the DP3 program and is currently serving on the National Defense Transportation Association (NDTA) Household Goods Subcommittee to help bridge PPSO/industry communication. Though she is committed to her business and staff, she is dedicated to devoting time to her greatest accomplishment and most cherished asset, her eight exuberant grandchildren.

<< TOP>>

GARY DOOTSON
Business Development Account Executive
Suddath Government Services

Gary Dootson is the Business Development Account Executive for Government Services at The Suddath Companies. Gary oversees business development for the western region and handles all aspects of agent training, from warehouse management to quality assurance.

Before joining Suddath in 2002 as the Quality Assurance Manager for Government Services, Gary worked at Denali as the Executive VP and GM of Sales and Scores for the Alaska Forwarding Division.

Originally from Washington, he started his career in the transportation industry almost 50 years ago as a CDL driver.
Gary has experience in sales, claims, DP3 regulations, rate filing, and quality assurance.  His relentless pursuit of doing things the right way, always with the customer in mind, has resulted in remarkable relationships with agents across the US. When he is not traveling across the country for Suddath, you can find Gary spending time with his wife, Elaine, where they enjoy cheering on the Florida Gators, Jacksonville Jaguars and watching their granddaughter play softball. 

 

 

<< TOP>>

---

Van Line Panelists

 

JEFF NEWCOMER
Vice President for Agency Sales and Recruiting
Arpin Van Lines

Jeff Newcomer currently serves as Vice President for Agency Sales and Recruiting at Arpin Van Lines. His primary responsibilities are building agent interstate sales revenues through the development of marketing/sales support programs and the recruitment of new prime agents. Jeff coordinates and oversees the van lines agent sales conference and webinars, the van lines managed lead program, heads up the Agent Sales Association and the Marketing Advisory Board.        

He has a long tenure in the moving and storage industry starting as a mover, packer, and eventual driver. He moved into sales for 15 plus years, soliciting multiple lines of moving services including COD, National Account, GSA household goods along with O&I and  Exhibit/ & Display. His experience has included positions of general manager, agency trainer, regional sales manager, and regional recruiter. 
 
Jeff obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado.  

 

<< TOP>>

STEVE HERMANN
Vice President of Agency Development
Atlas Van Lines

Steve Hermann is currently the VP of Agency Development with Atlas Van Lines. He started his career with in 1978 in HHG's operations. Throughout the years he has had ever increasing responsibility and promotions, which are listed below:

1980-81 Eastern shorthaul manager
1981-82 Manager Shipment Informantion, Service Assurance Monitoring
1982-84 Western Zone manager
1984-85 Director HHG's Eastern operations
1985-87 Agent Recruiter
1987      Director of Incorporated Carriers, Atlas subsidiary
1987-98 Director of Commercial Truckload Division
1998-07 AVP Logistics
2007-10 AVP Agency Development   2010-2011 Interim Manager Smart Move, Atlas Subsidiary
2010-present  VP Agency Development

<< TOP>>

MARK DOYLE
Executive Vice President
National Van Lines, Inc.

Mark Doyle serves as Executive Vice President of National Van Lines, Inc. with day-to-day responsibility for Operations, Customer Experience and Sales & Marketing, playing a vital, hands-on role for the growth of the organization with his understanding of the issues facing van lines, agents and drivers.

Beginning his moving career in college, Mark’s drive and keen grasp of the industry naturally resulted in record-setting sales achievements in multiple positions, as a corporate vice president and as an agent owner. He has served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Agency Development for National Van Lines as well as COO and Sr. Vice President for Bekins A-1, the largest booking agent in the Bekins system.

A hands-on executive, Mark’s achievements include creating operating manuals and establishing objectives and standards for his teams, as well as developing sales aids, collateral material and pricing programs, along with mentoring team members. That successful combination led to substantial increases in agent recruitment and commercial sales revenue. Embracing digital marketing, Mark established an expanded presence in his organizations’ Call Centers, launching websites with integrated SEO, introducing new lead acquisition and management strategies for better conversions and more appointments.

Mark has also exercised his entrepreneurial side as an agent owner in the Chicago market, with multiple locations. According to Mark, “Owning and operating an agency means becoming knowledgeable in Operations, Sales, Safety, Recruiting, Employee Management, ‘Poor Man’s’ Attorney, Bookkeeping, P&L, Banking and Company Lines of Credit, Real Estate/Leases, Insurance Purchasing and Risk Management, Vehicle Purchasing, Vendor Negotiation, Call Center Operations, Lead Management and basically every facet of a small business.”

Mark serves the business community as an active Board of Director member for the Chicagoland and Northern IL Better Business Bureau, and is a Certified Moving Consultant. He and his wife, Erin and their two daughters live in Aurora, IL and in his spare time, he enjoys golf, reading, listening to music, watching sports, classic movies and being with his family.

<< TOP>>

JUSTIN UMTHUM
Regional Vice President
northAmerican Van Lines

Justin Umthum currently serves as Regional Vice President for northAmerican Moving Services.  He manages the western 13 states including Texas and Oklahoma.  His primary responsibilities are Interstate General Management for agents in his region to include Sales, Operations, Financial Management and Recruiting.  Justin serves on both the North American Movers Associations, Sales and Marketing Committee and Quality Committees.

He started his tenure in the moving and storage industry over 15 plus years, working in sales, sales management and executive management where he was recognized with numerous National and Management awards. 

 

<< TOP>>

PATRICK G. BAEHLER
Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing
UniGroup, Inc.

Patrick G. Baehler is the senior vice president of Sales & Marketing for UniGroup, Inc., parent company for United Van Lines and Mayflower Transit. In his position, Pat is responsible for overseeing all sales activities, customer service and the customer call center. He also works closely with contracts and pricing.

Baehler has been working for companies in the UniGroup family for more than 30 years. Prior to his position in Sales, Pat served as the President of UniGroup Relocation, the international subsidiary of UniGroup, Inc.

Other roles in the company have included executive vice president of Integrated Operations, president of Total Transportation Services, vice president of Sales and Marketing, and director of Sales and Marketing, at Trans Advantage.

Before his work at Trans Advantage, Baehler was the director of Corporate Sales, as well as the regional director of Operations, at United Van Lines. He began his tenure with United Leasing before it became Trans Advantage, as a sales representative.

Before working at UniGroup, Baehler was a manager at a transportation and logistics company. He received his master's degree in business administration from Webster University and his bachelor's degree in business from the University of Missouri - St. Louis.

<< TOP>>

KREGG BOREANI
Director of Agency Recruiting
Wheaton World Wide Moving|Bekins Van Lines

Kregg has a Transportation career spanning 35 years. Since earning his MBA from Loyola University of Chicago, Kregg has enjoyed success in a number of highly diverse roles, having been blessed to work with some of the finest organizations in the industry. Kregg began the Logistics focused portion of his career in varied positions of expanding responsibility with the highly successful HVP/Electronics division of North American Van Lines. From there, Kregg shifted his career to International Relocation Services with Allied International, and one of their largest Partner Agencies during the company's most successful period of expansion.

Having moved to the Household Goods moving side of the business for the past 16 years, Kregg has spent most of his time in leadership roles with agents of two of the three largest van lines. Since joining Wheaton World Wide Moving|Bekins Van Lines in his current role, Kregg has served in the capacity of identifying, vetting and recruiting a number of new agents for both organizations. Kregg's ability to understand both the agency and corporate perspectives, built from many years on both sides of the relationship, enables him to serve the best interests of both, and creates continuous growth opportunities.

Kregg fully understands what the moving public expects from their mover. His family has lived in IL, MI, MD, TX and now again in his home state of IN.

Kregg is pleased to be a part of the CMSA Conference again this year, and grateful to be able to learn more about the challenges facing today's professional moving companies, especially in the state of California.

<< TOP>>

MARK LUNDGREN
Vice President/GM
Interstate Van Lines

Mark Lundgren oversees Interstate Van Lines operations, customer care, quality control, business development and retention and recruitment of carrier partners and their service provider network.

Mark has over 30 years of experience in the transportation industry, with a proven track record of increasing profitability and developing strategic business plans to achieve objectives. Prior to joining Interstate in 2014, Mark held essential roles in executive management positions at Global Van Lines and Bekins Van Lines, and managed agencies in Southern California and Maryland. He has served in leadership roles in the EDPA and CMSA associations, and his extensive international experience includes freight forwarding and directing port operations.

Mark hails from Southern California and attended Cal State Long Beach.

<< TOP>>

---