8/21/2008
North American Van Lines California Agent Announces Name Change, New Ownership
FORT WAYNE, IN—June 30, 2008— North American Van Lines, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SIRVA, Inc., announced that San Diego van line agent Republic Relocation Systems has changed both its name and ownership. Under the new ownership and expert guidance of renowned van line industry veteran, Bill Lovejoy, and with a renewed focus on providing the highest-quality service and an exceptional, personally tailored client experience, the newly named DBA Republic Moving and Storage is poised to reassume its role as one of the preeminent relocation services providers in the San Diego area.
For more than 50 years, Republic has provided specialized domestic and international relocation services for consumers, corporations and the military. Republic also provides reliable, convenient and competitively priced long- and short-term storage and warehousing solutions, all of which are modern military-approved settings that feature a temperature-controlled environment with 24-hour security detail and fire protection.
“We take great pleasure in witnessing first-hand the intense passion and drive Bill Lovejoy brings to this historic moving company,” said Dan Robertson, vice president and general manager of North American Van Lines. “The revitalization of Republic will serve to increase awareness for North American Van Lines in the San Diego area and surrounding markets, as well as provide existing and prospective customers with enhanced relocation and storage solutions.”
Lovejoy has been working in, building up and acquiring ownership stakes in various van line businesses for more than 35 years—most recently as a partner in several Bekins Van Lines operations for the last 13 years. Here he managed branches in Southern California and Texas, which generated approximately $18.5 million in annual revenue.
“Our utmost priority at Republic is to provide each and every customer with an immensely positive, unique and memorable moving experience,” said Lovejoy. “Put simply, we will focus on our features, benefits and quality of service. From the friendliness of our staff to our new and engaging Web presence to our highly structured call center and single point of contact for all moving needs, Republic’s exceptional value and service will become quickly apparent to all customers who engage us for relocation and/or storage purposes.”
Adhering to the philosophy that “a strong operations department is the best salesperson a company could have,” Republic will soon be announcing the addition of two key online service offerings to their repertoire. The first is a live dispatcher chat function to address immediate customer needs. The second is the development of a networking service—which can be found at www.greatoriginservices.com—that’s specifically tailored to helping North American agents identify optimal moving solutions outside their territories.
“We intend to make Republic as resourceful and helpful to our customers as we do to our other North American Van Lines agents across the country,” added Lovejoy. “It’s just smart business.”
Republic Van & Storage is a member of the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA), American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, and San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Additional information on the company can be found online at www.republicvanlines.com
About North American Van Lines, Inc.
North American Van Lines, Inc., established in 1933, is a subsidiary of SIRVA Inc., a leader in providing relocation solutions to a well-established and diverse customer base around the world. The van line, with headquarters in Fort Wayne, Ind., and with more than 400 agents, handles corporate, government, military and private relocations, and operates in the United States, Canada and more than 100 countries worldwide. Information on the company can be found on the Internet at www.navl.com.
About SIRVA, Inc.
SIRVA Inc. is a leading provider of relocation solutions to a well-established and diverse customer base around the world. The Company handles all aspects of relocation, including home purchase and home sale services, household goods moving, mortgage services and home closing and settlement services. SIRVA conducts more than 300,000 relocations per year, transferring corporate and government employees in addition to individual consumers. SIRVA's well-recognized brands include Allied, Allied International, Allied Pickfords, Allied Special Products, DJK Residential, Global, northAmerican, northAmerican International, SIRVA Mortgage, SIRVA Relocation and SIRVA Settlement. More information about SIRVA can be found on the Company’s Web site at www.sirva.com.
Media Contacts
Jeremy J. Ahto
HSR Business to Business
312.595.0203
jahto@hsr.com
