For Immediate Release
Broadview, IL—National Van Lines is committed to creating a whole new generation of movers and shakers.
National Van Lines’s Director of Fleet Services & Safety Laura Manning and Move Manager Lisa Varzino recently graduated from the American Moving & Storage Association’s Leaders Program, which focuses on creating what AMSA calls “the next generation of leaders.” Previous grads have moved on to run successful companies or assumed AMSA leadership roles.
“To ensure we keep leading—and not following—we continually commit to fostering our pool of talent,” National Van Lines President & COO Tim Helenthal said. “I congratulate Laura and Lisa on completing this important training, and look forward to the improvements they’ll bring to our company.”
The fact that the two recent National Van Lines grads are females probably isn’t a coincidence, Lisa indicated.
“The people in the training were all young—and a great mixture of men and women,” she said. “So I see women being more involved in a historically male-dominated industry.” Take that, glass ceiling.
The moving industry’s expanding diversity doesn’t stop at gender, either. More companies are embracing higher education and not confining their employee rosters to offspring and relatives.
“I think many of the people who run the agencies came into their organizations because of family,” Lisa said, “but I don’t think just being family is good enough anymore. It’s not a given. Plus, families are encouraging their youth to go to college, and these college-graduate kids are bringing a business brain to a brawny industry. These kids are bringing challenging technology into the industry.”
Laura, who recently began a term as Vice Chairman of AMSA’s Safety Management Committee, believes National Van Lines must be agile in dealing with the technological and personnel issues facing the long-distance moving industry.
“Digital presence and technology will continue to be in the forefront.” Laura said. “Autonomous trucks will be here sooner than we think! But efficient commercial motor-vehicle operators will still be needed. So, as a company, I think we need to continue to find ways to address the driver shortage and think about ways we can adapt to the changes in our industry.”
Lisa remains confident National Van Lines—now in its 90th year of existence—will prevail: “I think National Van Lines—being a boutique mover—is going to be more flexible and able to make the changes necessary to succeed.”
About National Van Lines
We make moving easy. Evolving from a circa 1900 Chicago pony-and-wagon operation to a 1929 motorized interstate mover to today’s globe-spanning long-distance relocation experts, National Van Lines excels at providing stress-reducing residential/commercial relocation and storage solutions. Whether your move is big or small, we handle it all with nationally recognized customer service, award-winning drivers and unparalleled attention to detail. Our cross-country moving company holds a Better Business Bureau A+ rating.