The Best Move Yet
You Move Me had some big changes to start the year. After eight years in Canada, the company's headquarters and national sales center have relocated to Lenexa, Kansas. With the move, the company is evolving quickly and ready to take on new opportunities coming their way alongside their new support staff in Kansas City.
On February 22, 2022, the You Move Me Annual Kickoff was hosted at Southwind to welcome all team members from across North America to their new home! The two-day kickoff included meetings to help all previous You Move Me teams better understand how the transition will affect their current role. The sessions’ mission was to make Franchise Partners of existing locations feel confident in the new leadership's goals to help and support them.
Prabh Heer, Chief of Staff, has worked for the company for almost seven years and has held many different roles. Heer was originally the Director of Operations, but then was promoted to his new role over the course of the transition.
In December, Heer found out about the new move and had some questions about what this meant for his role. While Heer was unsure what was going to happen to him, he was extremely excited about what it meant for You Move Me. “You Move Me started as a great idea by people who really wanted something but did not have the direction to execute it. With this transition, we have more people who know how to operate a business and this will lead to fewer mistakes and a more specific and intentful focus.”
You Move Me also started the process of opening up four new locations across the United States. Heer said he was very excited about these new locations because there has not been a new franchise opened in over four years. You Move Me locations are opening in St. Louis (MO), Salt Lake City (UT), Indianapolis (IN), and Northwest Arkansas (AR)- with the company overall growing up to 40% during the transition period.
Heer also stated that he is not only thrilled about the new locations and how much growth this means for the business, but the opportunities it opens up for all teammates. “These new markets mean new opportunities for the guys who started on the trucks. To see them progress in their career and take on management positions in the new locations is incredible to watch.”
Jeff Sims' role also changed to Managing Director with the new structure. He started at You Move Me over a year ago and was a huge part of the decision to relocate headquarters. He knew that the relocation could help evolve the environment within the company and shift the focus to one giant team instead of separate locations across North America.
Sims said that when kickoff started, everyone came in as a company and- after all the teambuilding events- left as family and friends. “Over this year, I look forward to continuing to grow trust in that- together- we can grow into the best version of the company by doing things the You Move Me way. We are not a moving company- we are a people company.”
The You Move Me teammates are not the only ones excited about the transition. The new supporting staff within Southwind are also ready to take on their roles within the new structure.
Yvonne Horen has been working for Southwind for nearly four years and is the Director of Inside Sales. She has a pivotal role in leading the new National Sales Center. Horen stated that she believes the transition will be beneficial because, “we are surrounded by the best here- some of the best businesses, the best leaders, and the best supporters. In Kansas City, anyone and everyone is ready to jump in to help out in any situation.”
After two days of meetings and team building exercises, the kickoff ended with a gala, hosted by the Loews Hotel in downtown Kansas City, to celebrate each You Move Me franchise and the success they had this past year. You Move Me Vancouver had a big night, taking home two of the top awards: Franchise of the Year (Mike Dahlman) and the Mover of the Year (Joseph Lue). The gala was a great way to end a successful kickoff and move forward together as a business. We look forward to seeing where we will be moving in the future!
