My moving company has always been a family operation. My cousin Ivan has learned the business from me after working together for several years with the Calgary team. Now he has his own truck as a full partner with Owner Operator Movers Calgary. Moving has given me the opportunity to earn good money when the work comes and to have a good time with my family when there is no work. All is good.

2020 MOVER OF THE YEAR! Moving is like a real game of Tetris. You have to be able to visualize how different items will fit together into cramped spaces. I love the challenge of packing as many boxes and pieces of furniture into a single elevator load as possible. Also, it helps get the job done quicker. Once you are at the truck, there is another round of packing. You need to be able to rotate items in your head so you can safely fit all the pieces of a job into one load. I am Calgary’s best puzzle builder.

Moving appeals to my innate sense of order. I like to organize things and packing a truck is actually satisfying as you watch the rooms of the house empty out. It always amazes the clients that their whole chaotic life can be compressed into a giant rectangle. It is clean work and the pay is good when you include the tips. I wish my own Calgary home and life was as ordered and simple as packing and unpacking my truck.

I got started in the moving business as a helper, over 5 years ago. During the first two years, I worked hard to learn as much as possible about the business and in 2018 I decided to take the leap and venture out on my own as an Owner Operator here in Calgary. Today, my priorities are efficiency and customer satisfaction, which has brought me success in the industry.

I started off my career as a swamper learning the ropes from another Owner Operator - I learned the importance of good wrapping techniques to avoid damages, the correct ways to carry things so that no one gets hurt, maneuvering tips, etc. Soon I was ready to run my own crew and become an Owner Operator myself. When the customer is satisfied, I feel good at the end of the day too.

A lot of movers shy away from expensive, high end residential moves, but they are my favourite type. I love driving out of Calgary to a large house on a huge property. You never have to worry about parking and it’s awesome to know that the client is hiring you because they want the highest quality service. Often, these sort of moves have been serviced by a professional packing team ahead of my team, either other Owner Operators or another company. Having everything packaged, labelled, and protected properly makes my job easier.

Moving appeals to my innate sense of order. I like to organize things and packing a truck is actually satisfying as you watch the rooms of the house empty out. It always amazes the clients that their whole chaotic life can be compressed into a giant rectangle. It is clean work and the pay is good when you include the tips. I wish my own Calgary home and life was as ordered and simple as packing and unpacking my truck.

Moving pads are the most expensive and important moving equipment a mover carries. They are the secret to moving without damage and a proper move involves taping padding to the furniture before it leaves the room. I have been a Calgary mover for over 10 years and now can tell the quality of a moving company by how many pads they have and how they care for them. A tall stack of pads as high as a man is the sign of a quality mover.

I am a cheapskate by my nature and I don’t waste my customers money either. I always think how I would feel if I saw my money being wasted, so I always try to be as efficient as I can and also look for ways the customer can save money by helping out themselves or by organizing the move. I am a the cheap Calgary mover guy and so are my moves.

I started moving nearly 20 years ago. For the first while I worked with 12 different companies and learned a lot about the industry, but then decided to open up my own business. I bought my first truck a decade ago and am still going strong. Moving keeps me interested because I get to meet new people and visit new places every day.