In the News
Observer-Reporter, Washington, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
By Sylvia Cavallo
Washington’s only locally owned moving company has proven its resilience and strength as it has persevered through nearly nine decades, the Depression, five wars, multiple recessions, the inflation of the 1970s and the deregulation of the 1980s. And during its 86 years in business, the company has changed its name and ownership only once.
Considering the multi-million dollar a year business took part in more than 1,000 moves in 2005 and has plans for bigger and better things, All Ways continues to be a Washington mainstay.
Tim Moore, who took over the company in 1987, says the company’s experience, strong family background and solid, dependable employees have played important roles in the company’s endurance. “Having all our employees striving together for excellence in everything that we do, honesty, and a good management-employee relationship are what create solid foundations for a successful company like All Ways Moore said. “Also, we provide quality service for not only a competitive, but a profitable price. Too many movers don’t really know or care about their profit ratios, let alone their damage claim ratios, so they charge their customers less than actual costs,” which, Moore says, puts them at risk for bankruptcy.
Moore said his system for success involves three important components: taking care of the customer first, employees second, and the equipment and facilities third. He said All Ways employees embrace all challenges with honesty and keep every move profitable while treating vendors the way they would want to be treated. “We pay our bills and we pay them quickly. We don’t wait for 30 days,” Moore said.
He also takes great pride in the lasting relationships All Ways has formed with peers in the industry by helping out someone in need., Moore works right alongside his employees on the moves because he believes in the old-fashioned, hard work ethic that was passed on to him by his father and grandfather, who were known and remembered for “working alongside you.”
This family-oriented business integrity continues to plant its roots in generations of dedicated employees. For example, Jon and Eric Hoyt, who are Moore’s nephews, are the fourth generation of the family to work at All Ways, and Moore’s wife, Kimberly, helps out with inside sales. Moore’s uncle, the late Walter “Bud” Moore, helped maintain the facilities on West Maiden Street, and his aunt, Ruth Shorts, helped to supervise and train employees on quality packing techniques. Moore’s brother-in-law, Bill Hoyt, also is helping out with packing services.
It is the combined effort of more than 30 employees who understand the meaning of hands-on work that helps the company run efficiently. “We have more than 151 years of combined moving experience,” said Moore, noting that Marion Jankowski joined the company in 1987; Charlotte Evans has worked at All Ways for 16 years; and Jeff “Oz” Osbourne, nearly 15 years.
“These and all our great employees are truly our backbone, and we could have never achieved the level that we have without great people like them. We continue to search for good employees who really want to help grow with the company, which has always been a challenge—not everyone wants to move furniture.”
Moore also credits his mother, who operated two successful moving companies while raising eight children. Moore said when his father, William Moore, the president of the company, died unexpectedly in 1975, his mother was forced to move on with the family and the business. She did an exemplary job and gained the respect of her children and employees, succeeding in an industry dominated by men in the 1970s.
“She guided the company through the deregulation of the entire trucking industry of the 1980s that left a large number of moving companies out of business,” Moore said.
Twelve years later, she trusted her youngest son not only to take over the company, but also to separate the operations of the two existing companies and become a major competitor in the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas.
Moore said he faced serious challenges when he separated the two companies. He started over with one truck and one crew as he endured a recession during the Gulf War while struggling with controlling the company’s growth and finding quality workers who could pass criminal background checks and drug testing.
The next challenge came after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. “We saw a lot of businesses going bankrupt. Many local companies and major competitors were either sold to outsiders or had to leave the Washington area for financial reasons. We became self-sufficient with capital by investing with cash and maintained a steady, controlled growth,” Moore said.
In 2004, All Ways purchased and updated a 7,500 square-foot warehouse behind its facility on West Maiden Street. “We plan on building a new state-of-the-art warehouse on the property,” Moore said. “We have very deep roots and history in Washington, and we are proud to be its only locally owned moving company.”
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