FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT: RICHARD LICATA – Page 2
Reebie has seen its share of challenges over the years and 2023 has not been any different. Because of everyone’s hard work, we have overcome a major pandemic, the great resignations, record inflation, and now a recession. But I remain optimistic because of your continued commitment to the company and our growth. I am confident that we can still make this a mutually rewarding year.
As I mentioned last month, what gives Reebie the security to withstand difficult times is our diversity and business mix. In the previous couple of years, we had to rely on our Consumer Business as people were anxious to move away from the big city to less populated areas where the air was fresh and clean. But the recession and high-interest rates have put a damper on our Consumer business, so we now have to rely on our Corporate and International business. If on cue, our International business has really stepped up. We are doing more packing and wrapping for our International clients, forwarders, and consumers than ever before. Our business is up in that area by over 87%. On the other hand, our Corporate business has not yet seen the growth we envisioned this year, but we had a strong May, so hopefully, that is a sign of good things to come.
The other area that has really stepped up and reinforced our strength through diversification is our Self-Storage business with Store Your Things. This business goes virtually unnoticed because it’s out of sight out of mine. However, we are seeing a strong demand for self-storage in the Chicago area and we are presently 95% full, with only 20 units vacant.
In an industry in which most clients view our business as a commodity, they view us all the same, our reviews and reputation is our most valuable asset. Everyone at Reebie knows that the only way to protect and improve our reputation is to exceed the client’s expectations, meet our commitments, innovate in our business, and deliver excellence. I like the tagline, “Excellence Delivered!” We must be delivering on those expectations because our Quality has never been better. We are the envy of our industry picking up numerous reviews each and every week. We now have over an astonishing 800 Google reviews and our Google score is an excellent 4.7 out of a possible 5 stars. Additionally, our quality scores in the Allied system rank us 6th in Division 1 amongst our peers with a cumulative 4.72 out of a possible 5.0 rating. We also received our very first ever NorthAmerician Van Lines plaque and it is a good one. The plaque recognizes us with the Quality Excellence Award for 2022 ranking us in overall quality in 2nd place.
Understanding, and embracing how important our reputation and reviews are, will help us grow our Consumer clients, build a stronger and longer lasting relationship with our Corporate clients, and will help us grow our business by obtaining new customers and repeat business opportunities. So, with all that said, I remain optimistic this year because of the strong sales staff we have and the operational excellence we provide. Let’s finish the second half of the year strong.
Excellence Delivered!