Beatty Appointed to Small Business Council of the Columbus Chamber

This past month, Otto Beatty III, co-owner of E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. LLC, was appointed to the Small Business Council of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce for a 3-year term.  Beatty joins other Council members who are owners and operators of small and mid-size businesses in an advisory capacity to help guide the Chamber’s policies and priorities.  The Small Business Council reinforces the Chamber’s mission to better serve the small business community and ultimately, the Columbus business environment.

As a small business in Columbus, Ohio, we look forward to the progression of the Columbus economic environment. We continually strive to be your Columbus movers of choice and we look forward to Otto’s participation in the Small Business Council.

E.E. Ward Announces Two New Relocation Consultant

Columbus, OH – February, 2011– E.E. Ward Moving & Storage, Columbus based agent for North American Van Lines, has two new additions to the company’s sales team. As the leading provider of relocation and storage services, E.E. Ward welcomes John Copas and Denise O’Leary as Relocation Consultants.

John Copas-

John Copas has lived in Columbus his whole life. He graduated from the local Marion-Franklin High School.  He served in the Marines for a four year term after which he began to focus on his professional career. John started out as a direct sales consultant before going to work for the federal government for almost 8 years. When he left the federal government, he started in the moving industry as a mover/driver for another major moving company. In 2009 John joined E.E. Ward Moving & Storage as a crew leader and driver where he received high customer service scores from E.E. Ward customers. Due to his outstanding performance and customer service skills, John was promoted to relocation consultant in January of 2011. John’s favorite thing about the industry is his ability to help people by providing the best customer care possible. In his spare time he coaches high school wrestling and spends time with his wife, three kids and granddaughter.

Denise O’Leary

Denise O’Leary has an extensive background in sales, ranging from automobiles to the communications products. For the past 12 years she has been a stay at home mom raising her four daughters. Upon hearing about the position opening at E.E. Ward Moving & Storage, she felt it was time to get back into the working world.  Although she is new to the moving industry, she excited to learn quickly and incorporate her previous sales experience and home management skills. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, running, and making sure her daughters get to their various activities.

E.E. Ward Moving and Storage to Go Green

E.E. Ward Moving & Storage has teamed up with EcoRewards Recycling to turn their office “green”.  E.E. Ward developed a customized recycling program based on the number of employees, the square footage of the building, and a previous month’s waste invoice. This program included a variety of recycling bins located within the office building as well as a large recycling dumpster located just outside the facility. As well as providing recycling bins for the office, E.E. Ward supplied materials to educate the entire staff on how to use the resources and build a successful recycling program. To push their recycling efforts even further, E.E. Ward picks up moving boxes from its customers and allows new customers to utilize the previously used boxes for their moves. Also, E.E. Ward supplies its customers with plastic crates to greatly reduce the number of cardboard boxes needed.

Since implementing their program in late fall of 2010, E.E. Ward has recycled over 2.6 tons of materials. This translates to a savings of 15500 kilowatt hours of energy or 18580 gallons of water. E.E. Ward will continue to be environmentally aware of their carbon footprint, and strive to make the moving business as green as possible.

Holiday Open House

E.E. Ward welcomed guests to their facility this past Wednesday, for their Holiday Open House. The event was held to showcase the inner workings of E.E. Ward, while celebrating the Holidays. Upon arrival, each guest received an E.E. Ward passport and were encouraged to visit five stations set up around the facility. The E.E. Ward Team acted as "travel ambassadors" at the stations, providing a demonstration of packing, storing, and customer service. E.E. Ward would like to thank everyone in attendance for their participation and support! To view more photos, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259053&id=128953379403.

E.E. Ward receives "Excellent" rating in Customer Satisfaction

E.E. Ward Moving & Storage recently received an "Excellent" customer service rating in interstate relocations performed for the 12 months ending March 31, 2010, as measured by an independent rating organization.  In response to this honor, Andy Kroll, Regional Vice President at northAmerican Van Lines comments, "Considering the labor intensive nature of our business receiving an Excellent Quality Ranking Certificate is quite an achievement in our industry.  What makes this status so impressive to those who measure quality performance or statistics is that our system of measurement is completely objective, unbiased and directly collected from our customers.  We at northAmerican Van Lines cannot be more pleased and grateful for the focus, commitment, and determination of E.E. Ward to our customers."

Brian Brooks Co-Owner of E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Columbus Ohio Movers

Need help? Have questions? We have answers.

We just recently have joined formspring.  Have you heard of formspring?  It's a website that allows anyone (you don't need an account) to send questions.  It's an easy and convenient way to get answers to your moving questions.  While we welcome any phone calls, e-mails or posts, that you might have regarding questions.  This is a great source to get some quick advice about moving, packing, or answers about our company.

Check us out : http://formspring.me/eewardonline

E.E. Ward Moving & Storage

"Let Ward Do It." With those words, William S. Ward, with the assistance of his father John T. Ward, founded The Ward Transfer Line in 1881 with a team of horses, a wagon and two helpers. This was the start of what would become one of the oldest and most established moving and storage companies in Ohio. The U.S. Department of Commerce has recognized E.E. Ward as one of the oldest African-American Owned Businesses in the United States.

Today, E.E. Ward is a nationally recognized leader in the relocation and transportation company industry offering comprehensive services including household and commercial moving, delivery services and logistics on a local, national and international level.

The company has received numerous awards for its high level of service, including, but not limited to: Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio's Business Integrity Award, Angie's List Super Service Award, Finalist for National Minority Corporate Supplier of the Year Award and Columbus Board of Realtors Preferred Vendor for Moving Services. The management and employees are active and provide services to several community organizations such as the Nationwide Childrens' Hospital Foundation, MAP Furniture Bank, The YWCA of Central Ohio and the Junior League of Columbus.



In 2001, Mr. Eldon Ward, the last member of the Ward Family to own the business, sold and entrusted his business to Brian Brooks and Otto Beatty. These two young men, who have been friends since the age of five, pledged to uphold the legacy and tradition of excellence established by the Ward Family and expected by its customers.

Read more E.E. Ward Moving & Storage.

Keywords: Moving Companies Columbus Ohio, Movers Columbus Ohio, Ohio Movers,

Congrats Otto!

I am very excited to share this with you. One of our co-owners, Otto Beatty
was recently awarded board membership with the prestigious South Central Ohio
Minority Supplier Development Council (SCOMSDC) for a two-year term.

Formed in 1999, SCOMSDC has over 30 years of combined experience in assisting
in the development of mutually beneficial relationships between minority-owned
businesses and corporations. With offices in Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton,
SCOMSDC has over 140 Corporate Members and 400 certified MBEs.

We are very proud of Otto for his recent awarded board membership.
Congrats Otto!

BTW- If you would like to connect with Otto on Linkedin, or read more about
him, check out his page.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ottobeatty

Interview

Today, I had the pleasure of hanging out with two of our staff members, Steve and Lee. They are professional movers by trade, and extremely fun people to hangout with. Eager and energetic, they always show up to the office with a smile and a “ready-to-work” attitude.

So naturally, I had to ask them for an interview.

What do you guys do for fun?

Outside of E.E. Ward, I enjoy throwing darts with friends, a relaxing day of fishing, and just having fun.

Do you guys have any interesting hobbies?

Well I (Lee) collect slot cars and hot wheels.

You guys started working in September. What has been your favorite job that you have completed thus far?

(after talking about it for a minute, they both agreed on the same thing) Our favorite place has to be a mansion we moved in Columbus, Ohio. The place was beautiful! It was huge, elaborately decorated, and really fun to see. The place had big wide doors, breath-taking stairways, and incredible décor in the front yard. The total relocation took six professional movers, and two days.

E.E. Ward Donates its Services to Junior League Bargain Box Sale

For those of you who don't know. Columbus holds the annual Bargain Box event held at The Veterans Memorial, by the Junior League of Columbus. This year olds the 61st Anniversary. Bargain Box started in 1949, and has grown in both, scope and size. Support of Bargain Box has enabled the Junior League of Columbus to return over $1.75 million to the community through programs and projects sponsored by the Junior League of Columbus. They sell gently used clothes, furniture, electronics, and loads of other items for the whole family at Bargain Basement prices.

E.E. Ward Moving and Storage had the privilege of moving the merchandise to The Veterans Memorial. Here are some pictures from the event.

Staff Appreciation! Way to go Crew!

Early last week we had a staff appreciation lunch party for our fine crew here at E.E. Ward Moving & Storage. We hosted a wonderful catered lunch, and got the chance to give our thanks to the crew for all the work they contribute! So I'd like to give a little shout-out/thanks to our fine crew of relocation specialists. They work very hard and deserve it! Keep up the great work guys!


Finally, as the face behind the computer and co-author of the E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Blog, I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Chris Olson and I manage our social media. Viewed at the top of our blog, I update our twitter page (twitter.com/eewardonline), our facebook page (search E.E. Ward Online), and our company profile on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/companies/385223). Please take the time to get to know us and our company!

Do It Yourself Moving vs. Professional Movers

E.E. Ward Moving & Storage

A common question we receive is "Which is better for me? Moving by myself or hiring professional movers?" This article will aid you in deciding that.

Consider the costs of doing it yourself:

-The (possible) costs of food and drinks for you and your moving friends

-The cost of fuel and rent for a truck

-The cost of moving supplies (Tape, Boxes, Etc.,)

-If it's a long distance move, add the costs lodging and food

Some more things to consider about a Do-It-Yourself type move is that things can get damaged in the hands of inexperienced movers . Moreover, you need to make sure your help is reliable and capable of moving heavy objects. In the long run, if you have the time and energy to manage the move from start to finish you can save money.

Let's compare this to a professional moving company. At E.E. Ward we offer the following benefits:

-Insurance

-Over 125 years of experience

-Ease of mind - This is something far overlooked. A lot of times, moving long distance can be stressful, we will not only move your stuff, but manage your move for you as well. (For
Long-Distance Moving Tips check out our page on Long Distance Moving Page Here)

-We also take time and care with each product, including professional packing services, and we blanket wrap all large items to prevent them for scratches.

-We also offer Car Transportation Services which saves mileage and wear and tear on your car.

For More Information please check out our website @ www.eewardmoving.com.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to send e-mails to chris@wemovecolumbus.com.

Also, we have published a moving tips page here.

E.E. Ward Welcomes New Driver: Wayne Brown with over 45 years of Experience!

Shout out!
We would like to give a shout out to our new addition Wayne Brown! Wayne has been a professional driver with over 45 years experience. He has a commercial CDL (a professional license made and required for truck drivers), and has worked for prestigeous companies such as Coke and other van lines. We consider him a true veteran of the commercial driving and are proud to have him as part of our team!

Our intern, Chris Olson had the opportunity to interview him and ask him to share some of his stories with us.

Chris) What was an interesting and/or hectic moment you faced on while driving long-distance?
Wayne) Well Chris, that's a tough answer. I have lots of stories for this one. Where do I start? I suppose an interesting one would be the situation involving my truck going up in flames! It all started when an associate of mine had driven over a mattress. Who would have a thought a mattress could cause a fire? Basically, when he drove over the mattress, the springs inside caught in the middle of the truck ripping through some of the wires and causing a short circuit or something, which in turn caused the fire.

Chris) Wow, that's crazy! I never knew drivers faced these kinds of situations! What else has happened?
Wayne) Well, I can tell you that I have driven through all sorts of disastrous situations including: a hurricane, tornados, really thick icy roads, and an earthquake.
Chris) Whoa! That's something right out of "Ice Road Truckers" - What was it like driving through an earthquake?
Wayne) Well, I was at stop, resting, and my I noticed things starting to move. It all happened so fast - there really wasn't much I could do about it. I just waited it out and got back on the road.
Chris) That's dedication!

E. E. Ward at the YWCA Center!

Monday, August 24th, The Relocation Council of Central Ohio, RCCO, hosted a service meal at the YWCA Family Center. YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. One of the most powerful ways they help the families at the Family Center, is providing them with three full-course meals each day. Every day of the year, volunteers commit to provide and serve these meals. Jessica Wichtman, Community Relations Manager of the YWCA, is dedicated to making these volunteer opportunities possible.

Otto Beatty, Charity Director & Co-Owner of E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co., and E.E. Ward Intern , Megan Powell, organized volunteers to help serve dinner to the families of the YWCA Family Center. Volunteers from E.E. Ward were Abby Phillips, Sales Specialist; Jesse Blythe, Dispatcher; Graphic Design & Marketing Intern, Chris Olson. Along side these volunteers were board members of the RCCO and many others that successfully served over 140 people.

Here are photos taken during the service meal:

To the left is Otto Beatty, E.E. Ward Co-Owner, and Joanne Figge of Coldwell Banker, helping dish out mashed potatoes and greens for Capital Student Carly Yeager, and other volunteers to serve the families.

Served at the meal was roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, cabbage & greens, and peaches & ice cream.

Above, Abby Phillips, E.E. Ward's Sales Consultant, Mary Whitt with Real Living Relocation, and Carly Yeager, Student from Capital University, have their game faces on before serving time.

Below is E.E. Ward's Dispatcher, Jesse Blythe, making sure everyone has enough chicken!

Tima Sanyal of Sanbar City Consultants, along with Rachel Li and Megan of Cardinal Health, are happy to serve!

A special THANKS to Jessica Wichtman and all of you who volunteered at the YWCA Family Center!

If anyone is interested in volunteering at the YWCA Family Center of Columbus, please go to http://www.ywcacolumbus.org/ and sign up! There are plenty of opportunities!

For more information about E.E. Ward please visit us at http://www.wemovecolumbus.com/!