By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Shawn Murrey has been amazed and honored at the success of his fledgling Bowling Green-based moving business.
Murrey’s Movers, just two years old, has logged over 300 moves of various types. The work has ranged from rearranging heavy furniture in the same home and moving a family from one BG house into another to helping Bowling Green State University college students move their belongings to and from their hometowns and relocating local homeowners to homes as far away as Tennessee, Florida and Nebraska.
He also has experience in the commercial market, helping businesses move locations and reconfigure existing spaces. His first international trip is in the works for a local resident who is moving to Canada.
Because of the company’s growth, Murrey has gone from being the sole full-time employee and using part-time help when needed to three full-time and three part-time employees.
His latest accomplishments include certification as a Minority-Owned Business and accreditation by the Better Business Bureau.
Murrey is especially excited about the possibilities that come with the Minority-Owned Business certification. “I will be able to get government contracts, and I will have access to grants and loans,” he said. The designation also allows him to network with companies, industry associations and potential customers.
He plans to meet with a minority business mentor from the Small Business Association’s Toledo Chapter and hopes to find other business leaders with experience in business and the logistics industry.
“Even for me after two years, I don’t know what I don’t know, so I’m eager to learn,” whether about the minority business portal to understand the process for government contracts that might be out there or best practices for his business. “I understand that I need help, and I know I have to invest in consulting from people who are more knowledgeable than me.”
He has already benefited from memberships in the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, Bowling Green Exchange Club and Business Network International. Murrey also pursued the Better Business Bureau designation because of the value behind the organization’s name. He wants people to know he is a trustworthy and credible business owner.
Good service = referrals
Murrey prides himself and his team on attitude, care and attention to detail. Because “every move is unique,” he takes special care to listen carefully to each customer’s situation to figure how best to get the job done within their budget.
“If your whole house is a seven-hour job and you’ve got a budget for five hours, we can be the heavy lifters. I’ll suggest we take the big stuff and you can take the small boxes,” he said.
“The goal is to make it work for both of us” to do it safely and make everything fit, he said.
“We know moving services are not cheap, but we want to do our best for you. If that means we are shoveling your sidewalks and driveway while you stay warm, we will do what it takes,” he said. “Because bottom line, it’s an honor that you chose us.”
The reviews have been good, and the feedback is glowing. Many of the customers started from the connections he has made across the community and from the organizations he has joined. The positive feedback from the work he has done for university faculty and staff, area businesses and local residents has mushroomed his business.
“Word of mouth is going wildfire,” he said. “Almost 90% of the moves have been referrals” and many of those from his Exchange Club colleagues.
He has also appreciated connections with Wendy Headley, A.A. Green Realty, and the local senior living facilities.
Murrey enjoys helping individuals move from their family homes into Brookdale, The Willows and Heritage facilities. “I love doing that because they trust me to move them in. So , me being there, I’m not just a mover, I’m like a grandson, the uncle or little brother that’s here in town that gets to tell them, ‘We’ve got this.’”
Future plans
“The moves have gotten bigger and more frequent,” Murrey said, yet much of his earnings are going back into the business.
He has purchased many of the necessary tools and materials needed for the moving business, but there are some specialty tools he could use to make the job easier. Dollies for big items such as pianos and gun safes aren’t required but would help the process.
Murrey also dreams of having his own moving truck with the Murrey’s Movers logo rather than having to rent U-Haul or Penske trucks for the big moves. Owning a moving truck and trailer would also be a time saver and a boon to his bottom line.
He hopes the Minority-Owned Business certification will help fund some of his future plans to help the business grow. “I’ve got a Murrey’s Movers website going strong, along with my Facebook page,“ he said. “The end goal is to have land, a big barn and multiple trucks, but for now, I just need to keep moving forward.”
