United Van Lines: More than a Mover

Armstrong Relocation Honored at UniGroup Annual Convention

We've just received some exciting news.  Armstrong Relocation was honored this week at the UniGroup/United Van Lines Annual Convention in Orlando, FL with the Overall Hauling Award.  Congratulations team and thank you to all of our wonderful customers for helping us achieve this honor!

Moving Tips - United's Expert Advice: How to Pack your Kitchen

This video is full of wonderful tips and tricks that will be a huge help when packing your kitchen!

Meet Armstrong Relocation Birmingham's New President!

Armstrong Relocation and Companies has named William Carroll President of Armstrong Relocation—Birmingham and Montgomery agencies, effective February 11, 2013. 

Carroll has been with Armstrong Relocation since 2008, serving as Senior Vice President, Corporate Business Sales. He was recently recognized as a member of Armstrong’s President’s Club as one of the organization’s top 10 salespeople. 

"The Birmingham and Montgomery communities are important markets in our Armstrong footprint, and I look forward to expanding our business, growing the Armstrong brand and serving these communities and the surrounding areas," says Carroll. 

Carroll has been an active community leader in the Birmingham area for over 25 years, having served in the following roles: 
Birmingham Business Alliance—Trustee
Alabama Bankers Association and The Alabama Banking School—Trustee and Director
Birmingham Society Human Resources Management—Advisory Board
Birmingham Tip-Off Club—Board of Directors
Society Human Resources Management—General Member

Prior to joining Armstrong, Carroll was Senior Vice President Human Resources for Wachovia and SouthTrust Bank.

Tips to Save Money on your Local Move

While doing in-home walk-throughs with my customers, I'm often asked how to save money on a local move.  Well, there's good news - There are several great ways that you can help keep your moving expenses down.  Here are my top tips and suggestions:

• Disassemble beds, swing sets, and cribs before the crews arrive.  Also, remove legs from dining room tables.  Local moves are based on an hourly rate, so anything that you can do to save the crews time on move day will ultimately save you money.
• Move items such as lamps, mirrors, and large pictures in your car, especially if you are moving within the same city and can easily make the drive back and forth.  These items must be packed in a box if moved by a professional mover, but can be stowed in the back seat of your car fairly easily.
• Pack your non-breakables yourself.  A good option would be to pack the non-breakables yourself (shoes, clothing, pot/pans, books, etc), and leave the breakable/fragile items to the professional packers. This is a good money-saving strategy, and keeps the liability for your fragile and breakable items on your mover.  At the same time, you are not having to pay for a Full Pack.
• Keep your LCD TV boxes.  LCD TVs are very fragile during a move and must be handled with extra care.  Because of this, they must be packed safely into a flat screen TV box.  If you have the original box, and it is still in great condition, this will mean a big savings! Be sure to hang on to the Styrofoam inserts inside of the box, as well.
• Disconnect and reconnect your appliances yourself.  This is often done as a third party service, so disconnecting your appliances will result in a savings.
• If you own a front-loading washer, be sure to keep the stabilization kit that comes with the washer.  It will save you money on the stabilization service that must be done before the washer is relocated.  This kit resembles 4 large bolts, and they go through the back of the washer and hold the drum in place while in transit.  If you do not have the stabilization kit, either your mover or the store where you purchased the washer will be able to provide one.
• Clothing, linens and towels can be left in dresser drawers, which will decrease the amount of packing you have to do before the move and save money on packing materials.  Just keep in mind that items such as money, jewelry, coins, photos, framed pictures, books, electronics, etc. must be removed from drawers before a move.  Only clothing/linens can remain.  It is a good idea to remove clothing from over-sized pieces such as armoires, because the added weight can increase the time it takes to move that particular item.  Each piece should be fairly easy for 2 men to carry.
• If you are moving out of an apartment, reserve parking directly in front of your unit.  The longer the walk to the truck, the longer the move will take.  This applies to your new home as well, if moving into an apartment.
• Unhook all electronics prior to move day.  This will save time for your packing crew.
• Before move day, have a plan about placement of furnishings in your new home.  This will save time/money.

I hope you find this list helpful when planning your next local relocation!  If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help!  We can be reached at 205-229-8837.

Birmingham's Greg Huggins Named United Van Lines Van Operator of the Year!

Our very own Greg Huggins was recently named United Van Lines' 2012 Van Operator of the Year.  This is such a huge honor, and our Birmingham, AL office is incredibly proud of Greg's accomplishments.

Watch this video and get to know Greg a little better:

Welcome to College!

Once again, our Armstrong Relocation Team recently had a blast moving new UA students into their dorms in Tuscaloosa, AL.  It's always a day filled with excitement for the new college students, their families and our move crews.  

Here are a few photos from the day: