FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT: RICHARD LICATA – Page 2
Good Riddance Q1 2023, Welcome Q2, 2023!
The first quarter of 2023 certainly has been a challenging one, especially considering that mortgage rates have increased to levels we have not seen in a couple of decades. This has had a horrendous effect on the housing market which in turn affects the moving industry. Higher interest rates make homes less affordable due to the higher monthly mortgage payments. Additionally, with current homeowners with a 3% mortgage rate or less are hesitant to sell and move up to a 6% or higher mortgage.
But one quarter does not make a trend, especially considering that mortgage rates are more stable and people are getting accustom to the higher interest rate. We are already starting to see phone calls picking up and with more inquiries our excellent sales staff will convert those into more moves. As a company, we are stronger than ever before. We have a couple of new, energetic salespeople to fill a couple of voids. We welcome Amanda Quezada to the Customer Service Team who has extensive experience in the moving business and is already getting much praise from her customers and salespeople alike. In Accounting, we were very fortunate to bring onboard the caliber person we have in Michelle Abbs. And as good fortune would have it, Laurie Gomez is back bringing her years of experience and tremendous accuracy back to Reebie. Finally, our Operations Department has another years’ experience under their belt after taken on new roles within that department.
In addition to our personnel, what gives Reebie a leg up over the competition is our diversity and business mix. During the pandemic, we had to rely considerably on our Consumer Business as people where anxious to move away from the big city to less congested areas where the air was clean and fresh. During which time, our Account and International Business was in a stand still as employees were able to work from home so they didn’t need to be transferred close to their offices. This year; however, the opposite is occurring. Consumer business has greatly dried up for reasons I stated above, and now our Corporate and International business is making up the difference because of the pent-up demand and the return to the office philosophy. We are well positioned to take advantage of this trend with Trevor Hewes developing some new accounts that promises a lot of OA/DA international business, not to mention our talented Brian Arnold’s ability to develop additional business from our existing accounts. This outstanding achievement has not gone unnoticed by Allied Van Lines who has just recently awarded Brian as this year’s National Account Salesperson of the Year! Congratulations to Brian for that outstanding achievement.
So, with all that said, I remain optimistic this year because of the strong sales staff we have and the operational excellence we provide. Spring is upon us and it is great to see the sun again and flowers bloom. Hopefully spring will also bring us another successful moving season. But to do so, we will need to take advantage of every opportunity we get.
Bring on the Summer Sales!