AW SPOTLIGHT
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®
Superior Service with Integrity
Story by Krista Martinelli
When it comes to moving your precious belongings, everything you own, it’s important to trust the company you choose to hire. Fortunately, there is a moving company in our area that keeps your best interests in mind, providing really great customer service and doing it with honesty. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® in West Palm Beach is a locally-owned part of the international, award-winning franchise, carrying out the excellent service their founder started the business with.
Local owners Janelle and Joel Dowley are happy to have heard, “That was the best move we’ve ever had” many times from their customers. It’s not unusual for them to receive positive customer calls before the move is even finished. It also helps that they follow “THE GRANDMA RULE®.” The rule, upheld by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® staff, means treating everyone the way you would want your grandmother to be treated – with care and respect.
As Joel Dowley likes to say, “We are not a moving company. We’re a customer service company that moves things.” While moving companies have traditionally been male-dominated, says Janelle, it seems that founder and CEO Mary Ellen Sheets brought new ideas and values into the field. When we make the decision to hire someone, we’re very concerned with the question, “Who are we sending into your home?”
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® was started in the early 1980s by two brothers wanting to make extra money while they were in high school. And their mother Mary Ellen Sheets got involved in marketing and created the stick figure logo to advertise the business for them. After her first year of business, Sheets made a small profit of $1,000 and donated 100% of it to charity. Now, more than 25 years later, the company has grown to more than 200 locations worldwide. Sheets went on to win the award for “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2005. And the emphasis on giving back to the community remains as strong as it was in their first year of business.
The Dowleys at the West Palm Beach office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® carry on this company commitment to “giving back” to the fullest. “We want to feel like we’re a part of the community,” says Janelle. As the Dowleys see it, they have a resource, movers and trucks, and it just makes sense to lend a hand by doing what they do best.
The organizations they have helped and continue to help with their moving trucks are numerous: The Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, a Palm Beach County based organization that sends priority mail care packages around the world to American soldiers; the Loggerhead Marine Life Center; Families First of Palm Beach County; Habitat for Humanity; Quantum House; the Junior League; the Palms West Chamber of Commerce; Palm Beach Harvest, and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. About once a month, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® movers contribute to the Forgotten Soldier’s packing day by picking up the care packages and bringing them to the post office. They also helped this organization move to a different warehouse space last July, donating the whole move to the Forgotten Soldiers organization.
Think Pink for October
Happening this month, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® movers will help with the logistics of the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event on October 17th, bringing things to the site at Okeeheelee Park. Since cancer runs in Janelle’s family, she has always felt strongly about this particular cause and is helping with the walk for the second year. In support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, during October, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® West Palm Beach is also offering pink boxes for sale. All profits from the sale of the pink boxes will be donated to the local MAKING STRIDES Against Breast Cancer® Walk.
To purchase pink boxes, contact TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® West Palm Beach at 561-845-7373 or by emailing janelle.dowley@twomen.com. Also, there is still time to sign up for the Walk. For more information about the MAKING STRIDES Against Breast Cancer® Walk, contact Jeremy Morse at 561-650-0132 or Jeremy.morse@cancer.org.
Meanwhile, the TWO MEN locations across the country give 10 cents for every move back to the American Cancer Society (and have been doing this for the past six years). Last year, this resulted in a donation of approximately $65,000.
Getting Moving Down to a Science
In addition to being a business that gives back,
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® West Palm Beach has their business down to a science. This is critical when it comes to giving accurate estimates before a move. They have an extremely detailed software program they use when collecting information. “Is that a glass table top? What type of art work do you have? Does the China cabinet have glass doors?” All of these types of questions get answered on their computer tablet, so there are absolutely no surprises when it’s moving day. They have an A-frame package for glass table tops and special bubble wrap for art work.
One of the misconceptions that people have about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is that it’s literally just two men and one truck. “Can you really move a whole house?” is a question that’s popped up quite a few times. In fact, they are experts in logistics at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, and they certainly have more than two men and multiple trucks, as needed.
Another thing that people might not realize about the company is that there is a focused effort on doing things “green.” “We are happy to do a green move for you,” says Janelle Dowley. They have plastic bins that can be used instead of the cardboard boxes. Also, they can take back the boxes and recycle them.
They have been very fortunate to have excellent staff members at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® West Palm Beach, since opening their doors five years ago. The entire team is always asking, “How can we do a better job of moving?” They excel at business moves. They create a moving plan, do a lot of color coding, find a point person at the company for the move and generally help the business plan their move. The goal is to avoid wasting any time or money in the process.
Joel and Janelle moved to South Florida from Michigan and feel fortunate to “live in paradise.” They have two daughters, Kara and Alayna. After getting her Master’s in International Business, Kara is working in Boston while Alayna is a senior at College of Charleston, South Carolina, getting a degree in biology with a minor in business. The Dowleys also have a small dog Rosie who comes to the office with them every work day. They are a warm, inviting family and treat their staff as extended family. Their positive attitude carries through to every move that they do!
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the USA’s first and largest local moving franchise company with locations in 32 states, including 21 locations in Florida.
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®
“Movers Who Care” ®
See Coupon on this Website under “AW Coupons”
4439 Westroads Drive
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Phone: 561-845-7373