Back to All

National Van Lines Joins Next Generation of Leaders

For Immediate Release

Training Encourages Unconventional Thinking

Broadview, IL June 5, 2020—True leaders aren’t satisfied merely thinking outside the box.

Instead, infinite inquisitiveness compels them to break open that figurative cardboard cube to seek powerful new perspectives.

Two National Van Lines employees are pioneering their own paths toward superior insight-and-oversight capabilities after recently graduating from the American Moving & Storage Association’s Leaders Program, which focuses on creating what AMSA calls “the next generation of leaders.”

Director of Agency Services Shelly Zachary and Customer Experience Manager Sue Mackey found the training to be a boundary-demolishing experience.

National Van Lines Director of Agency Services Shelly Zachary

“The training really makes you think about the type of manager/leader you really are,” Shelly Zachary said. “It gives you the chance to analyze yourself and provides tools and tips for ways you can change or improve your leadership style. In addition to learning about our own leadership style, we also learned how to interact with leaders who have a different style.”

Successful track record

Previous AMSA Leaders Program grads have moved on to run successful companies or assume AMSA leadership roles. National Van Lines Safety Director Laura Manning, a 2019 graduate, earlier this year became Chair of AMSA’s Safety Management Committee.

Customer Experience Manager Sue Mackey

Customer Experience Manager Sue Mackey

“The thing that surprised me about the program is how much it encourages growth on both a professional and personal level,” Shelly said. “It really emphasized for me how interconnected our professional and personal lives really are.”

Shelly already has expanded her sphere of responsibilities. She now has full responsibility for overseeing National Van Lines’ biannual conventions, starting with the November 2021 event in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.

Bigger picture

“The materials you go over in the class make you think about problem-solving in a different way,” Sue Mackey said. “You learn you need to look at the bigger picture when you are making decisions.”

Sue has put her newfound skills to work during the pandemic as a member of the company’s COVID-19  Back to Work task force. Additionally, her input has proven essential to testing and training the company’s new National Van Lines+ software, which manages interstate-moving customer data.

“When you find yourself having to make a decision on something you have done before, you just think about it differently,” Sue said. “I would recommend others participate in the program. It does make you think strategically in the diverse moving industry. There are never two days the same and, when you think you have heard or seen it all, something new comes along.”

_____________________________________

About National Van Lines

Specialties
Our national long-distance moving company understands the stresses and worries of moving. Whether you need to move across the country or the world, we are the partner you can count on. We provide full-service moving, packing and storage services for all our residential or commercial long-distance moving clients. Our goal is to deliver 100% customer satisfaction in all we do. Contact us or locate an agent for a FREE moving quote on any of our moving services.

History
Established in 1929, National Van Lines is proud to have a history of service stretching back nearly 100 years. What started as a one-person operation has grown into a full-service moving company providing the best in residential moving, commercial moving, warehouse and storage, and more. Originating in Chicago, National Van Lines offers moving services across the country and the world. We’re standing by to help make your next relocation experience the easiest ever.