Attic Angels Health Center begins move to its new home - By Anne Whalen excerpt from Attic Angel Health Center and Tower Employee Newsletter; Wisconsin State Journal

Women of Influence - By Kelly Quigley The Business Journal · August 18, 2000

Best Operations Manager/Dispatcher of the Year Award

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Choosing a Relocation Company- April 21, 2000

You have been given the responsibility of choosing a relocation company to move your office to a new facility. Do you see the responsibility as daunting or do you think "OK, no problem, I'll just let my fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages?"

The answer is none of the above.

On the one hand, the size and content of a Yellow Pages ad has no correlation to the quality of service delivered. Most moving companies have affiliations with long distance carriers such as Allied Van Lines, United Van Lines and North American Van Lines. This affiliation gives that mover the ability to transport commodities across state lines. This affiliation has nothing to do with moving your office across town.

On the other hand, if you know what you're looking for, finding the right mover doesn't have to be an ordeal. The goal is fairly simple. Your job is to find a mover who is going to take the headache out of the moving process.
So, where do you start? Talk to the other tenants of the office building you are moving into. Ask the companies that have recently moved who they used. Get an evaluation of the experience. Also, talk to facility, building and property managers. They have a great deal of experience with local movers that have been in their buildings. Other competent sources include real estate brokers, office furniture dealers, general contractors and local chapters of organizations like the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).

Whoever you decide to talk to, be sure to hit the following areas: · The mover's reputation

· How long they've been in business
· The size of the company
· Special areas of expertise
· Recent local relocation jobs

You'll want to make sure you have the names of at least three competent commercial office movers. If it's a very large move, you may want to have five. Meet with each mover individually. It's recommended to avoid brining in more than one mover for a walk-through at the same time because they might be hesitant to ask vital questions for fear of letting their competitors know their methods, how they do business or to point out something that the competitor might have missed.

A group walk-through also does not allow an individual company to do a meticulous, detailed inventory. In order to keep up with the pack, they may be forced to overlook important details and take short cuts.

When you meet with prospective movers, be sure to have already prepared a written inventory for what is to be moved. If you don't have a written inventory prepared, at the very least, be able to accurately answer questions during the walk-through. Having the inventory set in your mind will help you be certain you haven't overlooked any areas of concern from one move to the next.

Be sure to talk about special concerns up front. They may be your computer equipment, library and file systems or 24-hour phone service. Also, make sure the movers are aware of the methods of access to the facility - loading docks, freight and passenger elevators. It is the moving company's responsibility to protect the lobby, elevators, flooring and doorways.

When you are setting the time for the move is a good time to start narrowing down the field of movers. Decide whether you want to move during the week or on the weekend. Most companies want to move on the weekend to avoid as much downtime as possible. Ideally, they'd like to shut down some time on Friday and be completely moved in by 8 a.m. Monday morning. Depending on the size of your move, many movers will not be able to meet your time frame because they don't have the resources to expedite the job as desired.

When a mover does commit to a time frame, be sure you get a written guarantee and penalty if that commitment is not met. If a mover will not commit, that should be a red flag to question their ability to finish the move on time.

Along those same lines, make sure you and the mover you hire have a plan in place for unforeseen delays - the building is not ready, elevators are inoperable, the carpet is not in, etc. If you have to postpone your move to the following weekend and your mover tells you they are committed to other jobs and have no more capacity, you could be in trouble.

Talk about this before it becomes a crisis. Qualified commercial office movers should have the flexibility to accommodate these kinds of changes - they are innate in the business. They should have manpower, trucks and equipment to be flexible.

This is also the time to ensure there are no surprises when the bill arrives. Make sure there is a mutual understanding as to what is standard time and what is premium time. Standard time refers to hours during the week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Premium time refers to hours after 5 p.m. during the week and all day Saturday and Sunday. Have this specified in the mover's proposal so everyone is clear up front on specified labor rates.

Other potential extra charges:

· Packing of specialty items
· Leveling of file cabinets, reinstallation of shelving
· Extra materials
· Consultation meetings - make sure you know how and if they are charging you for the time consulting with you and your staff in organizing the move
· Disassembling and reassembling modular furniture
· Electro-static painting and refabricing panel systems

With the last two items, there's more than the costs to consider. Make sure these are core competencies of their company with people trained in these specific areas. References are critical here.

Asking all the right questions is only part of your job. Take a good look at who is giving the answers. Be as critical of the company's salesperson as you are of the actual movers. How long have they been with the company? Is their experience in residential or commercial moves? Ask for references from clients within the last six months.

Once you have the answers you need, it's a good idea to go an extra step and ask to visit a large office move in progress. This can serve a number of purposes. First, you'll get an idea of how many offices they move and how easily they can schedule a visit. Second, you can see for yourself if all their movers are in uniform and are functioning as a team. What you'd like to avoid is a company that doesn't have enough full-time, trained staff and routinely gets people from a temp agency.

While good people are the backbone of any industry, the correct equipment is particularly important when looking at movers. For an office move to work efficiently and economically, a commercial mover has to have a substantial investment in trucks and equipment.

Today, all professional office movers use porta-racks or library carts instead of boxes. These specially designed carts hold the contents of approximately 12 to 15 file-size boxes. The carts are then shrink-wrapped which makes the contents safe for transport.

Other important equipment includes:

· Computer carts - these are designed to hold approximately five individual padded computers and are shrink-wrapped for transport
· Panel racks - used to transport modular panels
· Picture carts - used to transport artwork
· Color-coded labels - these identify which items are to be moved and exactly which office/area they belong to, according to a logical numbering/labeling system and floor plan set up by you and the mover

Less tangible, but equally as important as people and equipment, is insurance. All commercial movers should provide a certificate of insurance, which provides coverage for general liability.

You should also inquire within your own company to see if the company is self-insured to cover the property that will be in transit. If not, check into the cost of purchasing coverage for the duration of the move. Your mover should have a selection of coverage plans that could meet your needs.

Once you have all you questions answered and have received all your bids, ask the movers to guarantee their price. This is another opportunity to weed out the less competent. A mover that is comfortable with its bid will be comfortable with its ability to deliver what it promised and will back that promise in writing with a price not to be exceeded by more than 10 percent.

If the low bidder balks at guaranteeing a price, it should raise a red flag as to their capabilities and the possibility of hidden charges.

While price is obviously important, it should not be the ultimate criteria for your choice. A company's value-added services could very well save your company time and aggravation. Finally, do you really need a relocation company? Part of your cost calculations should be figuring out the downtime costs that your company will incur with having your own employees facilitate the move. Moving companies are not going to donate their services for free; knowing what your employees can handle themselves can help in the final negotiation process.

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You can help make your move less stressful- Local experts share some tips to make your move a success - July 2000

What are the top three stressful situations in an adult's life? Death, divorce and moving. Death we can't do anything about, divorce is something we try to avoid, but moving hits even the best of us. One of the best ways to make any move less stressful is through advance preparation.

Careful preparation, from selecting the best mover for the job, to clearly labeling your boxes, will help your moving process. Much of this preparation and planning, however, starts before you pack a single box.

What's the easiest way to ensure that you'll have a successful moving experience? Select the right mover for the job. "There are two types of moving customers: local and long-distance," says Peggy Coakley, President of Coakley Bros. Co. in Milwaukee. "The type of mover you select depends on how far you are moving."

If you're moving in the vicinity, such as from Brookfield to Mequon, it's important to select a local, reputable mover. "One of the best ways to find a local mover is through word-of-mouth and recommendations from people you trust," says Coakley. "You want to talk to people who can recommend a mover based on their own experience."

For moving out-of-state, Coakley recommends choosing a mover who has an affiliate with a major long-distance van line. "Legally a mover can't take you across state lines if they don't have the license and affiliation with someone at your destination."

Bob Davis, sales manager for Barrett Moving and Storage in Waukesha, agrees. "You want an agency that can deliver support at your origin and at your destination,"he says. "The best way to decide on a mover for this type of move is to learn as much as you can about the company's reputation, and to rely on your moving consultant. Your moving consultant is a fairly accurate representative of the company he or she works for."

He says the selection process is often made easier for those people having to move for job-related reasons. "Many moving companies maintain corporate affiliations, and if someone is moving due to a job transfer within a large corporation, his or her company will often recommend a specific carrier."

But what if you find yourself in the position of having to select your own mover? Davis says that there are some things to keep in mind. "Most moving companies are able to provide you with a fixed cost," he says. "These quotations are usually structured with a 'not-to-exceed' cap on them. It's very reasonable to ask for this type of price quote."

He says that three estimates will often provide you with a good idea of how much it will cost you to move. "it's a careful decision to make - you don't necessarily want to go with the cheapest nor the most expensive bid if it's at one extreme or the other."

Once you've selected your mover of choice, it's important to stick with your original moving plans. "Be as prepared as you possibly can be," says Coakley. "If you're doing your own packing, and that's something you've promised the mover, it needs to be done before moving day. if you've promised that you were going to leave your washer and dryer or dispose of your patio set, you need to stick with that original plan. If something changes, you should let your mover know so they can plan accordingly."

Not only does making such changes impact the move, it can also cause time delays on moving day. "If we're planning on just picking up packed boxes and furniture, chances are that the truck won't be loaded with packing materials. If we show up and find that packing still needs to be done, that means that your movers will have to return to home base for packing material," Coakley said.

She says that one of the best ways to help keep your moving costs to a minimum is to pack your own boxes. "It's the absolute best way to save money," she says. "Not only are you saving on the cost of the packing materials, but you're also saving on the labor costs."

Davis says that while packing is a tremendous job in itself, there's an easy way to tackle the job. "If you don't like to pack - or own a lot of possessions - an easy way to approach it is to pack a few boxes each day," he says. "It gives you adequate time to sort through your possession and makes the job much easier and less stressful."

On moving day, the best bet is to stand back and let the movers do their job, though Coakley says that it's good to have someone in the house, particularly toward the end. "Once we're almost finished, we'll ask the home owner to take a last walk through the house with the lead mover," she says. "We want to make sure that we're taking everything we should and leaving everything else. It's a very important task because things can change between the time that the moving contract is signed and the actual move occurs. Some items may end up staying or vice versa."

Coakley says that while there have been many improvements in the actual moving industry, such as improved training for movers, air ride suspensions and better quality control, some aspects of moving will never change. "We're still working under the same physical constraints of moving objects from Point A to Point B. There will never be any quick gimmicks to change that aspect."

Which is why Davis often offers his clients one last bit of advice: Be flexible. "Scheduling is not an exact science," he admits. "But your mover will work hard to do whatever it can to deliver on time.

He says that it's important to remember that movers are irregular route carriers, meaning that they don't act line an airline. "A plan may take you straight from Milwaukee to Denver, but a mover carrying your possessions may stop at a few destinations before arriving at your doorstep," he says. "Staying flexible and understanding that we truly do try and make every deliver window can make a naturally stressful event a little easier to tolerate."

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Attic Angels
Excerpt from the April 14, 2000 issue of the Attic Angel Health Center and Tower Employee Newsletter:

"And how about those movers! I have never seen so many polite men work so consistently hard for so many hours with such pleasant smiles and can-do spirit. They didn't stop until all their goals were met each day. Staff, residents, families and angels alike continue to comment on the wonderful job the movers have done and how nice they have been to work with. The special 'extras' they have done for the residents have made it a true pleasure to work with them."

Anne Whalen
Executive Director

Article from Wisconsin State Journal, Local Section.

The more than 100 residents of the Attic angels Health Center and Tower at 602 N. Segoe Road began moving to a new home Monday.
Attic Angels marketing director Mary Ann Drescher said 52 men and women were moved from the health center Monday by van and ambulance to the new $16 million Attic Angel Place at 8301 Old Sauk Road.
Over this week, residents of the Attic Angels Tower will be moved at the rate of two floors or about 16 people a day, she said.
"Friday will be the last day of the move (from Segoe Road)," she said. "Another 28 people from the community will be moving to their apartments at Attic Angel Place over the next two months."
Drescher said most of the health-center residents were moved using one ambulance and about a dozen wheelchair vans rented from Madison West Ambulance Service.
Attic Angels took possession of the new 188,000-square-foot, 3-story building April 1.
Drescher said Attic Angel Place offers three different types of housing: 44 beds for skilled nursing care, 36 apartments for assisted living households and 74 apartments for generally independent living. Vacancies exist only among the assisted living units, Drescher said.
The new facility includes a library, craft studio, beauty shop, greenhouse, business center, café and convenience store.
Independent living apartment rents range from a maximum $1,950 for a two-bedroom-plus-den unit to a maximum $1,350 for a one-bedroom.
Entrance fees run from $25,500 to $35,500 for those apartments.
The Attic Angel Association last year sold its Segoe Road living facility to Independent Living, a nonprofit organization providing housing and other services for older adults.
Rita Giovannoni, Independent Living executive director, said at the time that she anticipates more than 100 senior housing units will be available at Segoe Road site.
Some remodeling of the current health center there is anticipated.

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Women of Influence

Coakley Bros. Co. has been a Milwaukee staple since 1888, when the moving company's horses and buggies would relocate businesses throughout the city.
Today, the family-owned company is still based at its original location, on the east end of the Menomonee River Valley, but little else has stayed the same: Semi-trucks replace horses, movers handle high-tech home and office equipment, and the company is run by its first woman president, Peggy Coakley.
"I have a vision for the company," says Coakley, who took over the firm's reins in December. Her vision is to bring new technology and business services to the company, while maintaining the reputation it has earned in its 112-year history.
Coakley, the fourth generation of Coakleys to run the business, took over the presidency from her father, Neil Coakley, who led the company for 51 years.
She's now charged with managing the firm's many divisions, including warehousing and distribution, record storage and retrieval, and the fast-growing modular furniture installation business she helped launch three years ago.
At the same time, she's bringing new elements into the business: She's working to automate some of the company's tedious manual operations, and plans to debut Coakley Bros.' first web site (www.coakleybros.com) in September. She's also growing Coakley Tech, a catalog printing and distribution division that was spun off in early 1999.
Peggy's got a lot of energy, a lot of ideas, and I think there's a lot she can do for Coakley to make it a contemporary company," said Jenifer Tate, president and owner of Whole Hog Productions, Inc., a Milwaukee marketing firm that started doing business with Coakley Bros. during its transition "from Dad to daughter."
In addition to keeping Coakley Bros. technologically up-to-date, a top priority for Coakley is the company's employees, whom she considers to be its greatest asset.
"I hire bright, competent people and let them do their job," she said. "I'm responsible for 137 people and their families, and that's something I take very seriously."
Even when she's not at work, Coakley remains very serious about the well-being of families. She's president of Task Force on Family Violence of Milwaukee Inc., which assists about 5,000 clients a year.
"It takes up a tremendous amount of time," Coakley says. "But I feel very passionate about empowering people and bringing peace and safety to families."
Coakley spends much of her time with the nonprofit group searching for a new executive director and fund-raising. She also oversees the group's counseling service and its Employer Bridges program, which works with members of the state's W-2 program.
Coakley lives in Pewaukee with John Heuler, her husband of two years, who is president of his own family business, Heuler Tile. "Peggy is very enthusiastic and hard-working," Tate said. "It's fun to watch her develop in her new role with the company."

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Best Operations Manager/Dispatcher of the Year Award

Out of 500 medium-sized agents nationwide, Coakley Brothers' Louise Kuban was named Best Operations Manager/Dispatcher of the Year by Allied Van Lines in 1999. She was given the award on April 14, 2000 at the 2000 Operations Conference in Naperville, Illinois. Award candidates were voted on by both Allied and their drivers. Louise has been with Coakley Brothers since 1993.

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