Peter and Claudia Monteith say they are excited to continue bringing their award-winning moving service to the Parksville Qualicum Beach area.
Peter has been in the moving business since he was 14, which he continues to do to this day with his wife Claudia as owners of the Bekins Moving and Storage franchise in Errington.
They bought the first franchise of the Vancouver-based company, which has roots dating back to Michigan in 1891.
Peter had started his moving career with his father at United Van Lines in Ottawa and worked his way up the industry as the couple worked their way across the country, eventually arriving on Vancouver Island.
They started in the Parksville industrial park and moved to a more spacious and visible spot in Errington in 2010.
The locally owned and operated business provides the entire range of moving and storage services, Claudia explained.
“We do everything from just moving the heavy items for people to them just walking away and we completely pack and move everything, we can even provide a cleaning service.”
And through their membership — and therefore partial ownership in United Van Lines — they can move people anywhere in the world.
The Monteiths recently traveled to the 60th Anniversary United Van Lines Convention in Las Vegas for one award and were surprised with a second.
United awards just four prestigious Quality Service Awards each year to the best of their 200 members, as selected by the ratings of their customers.
Peter said they’d pass the award on to their outstanding employees and drivers. “Without our crews we would not be able to provide such high quality service to all our customers who relocate locally, across Canada and the world.”
They also received one of 12 Member Sales Awards, given to the top three members in each zone in Canada.
“It was like being at the Academy Awards”, said Claudia. “We just sat back down at our table from receiving the Quality Service Award when the president of United Van Lines, Anne Martin, called us up on stage again.”
“It was a big show, and we were so proud to put our little Parksville on the map.”
For more check www.bekins.ca, call 250-248-8805 or stop by 1010 Shearme Rd. behind the Bradley Centre.