I was called in to orchestrate a move for the Taylors by Mr. Taylor’s executive assistant, Dawne, who scheduled an appointment for me to meet with Mrs. Taylor. We discussed their plans to build their dream home in Saddle River, NJ. The new home wouldn’t be ready for several months, which gave us ample time to prepare for this move out of their current home that they lived in for close to 30 years.
Mrs. Taylor (Aleta) and I walked throughout their current home, room by room and created an itemized inventory list. We discussed who was packing what, items that they plan to sell or donate, and which furniture/items would stay at the home. This was a great initial visit and provided a foundation for me to create a move plan.
Once I meet with the customer, listen to their needs, and assess the amount of packing, special handling items such as chandeliers, pool tables, and VIP items, I can begin creating the plan. I also take pictures throughout the home, and sometimes video, to share with my team. At Ridgewood Moving, we work as a team and with a large scope project like this one, I bring the team together to brainstorm a smooth move plan.
My second visit included the Taylor team of husband Rich, Aleta, and Dawne. We sat around the dining table to discuss expectations. Rich, a successful business owner of a multi-million-dollar company, admittingly knew nothing about moving and was placing their move in the hands of the experts. This is music to my ears. We then walked the house reviewing the inventory again with the Taylor team. As the moving consultant/resource, I was compiling the list of outside parties needed for this project such as our estate sale contact, Third Party to handle the pool table, chandeliers, etc., the move manager to be on location throughout the move, and a junk removal company to do a clean sweep of unwanted items.
My recommendation to the Taylors was to bring in a move manager/professional organizer to work with us to prep for the move. Lisa Harris, founder/owner of Organize With Lisa was called in. Lisa and I had met in my office prior to this visit to discuss the overall project. On the third visit with the Taylors, the Ridgewood Moving team, (Operations Director Dennise, myself and two of my moving professionals) conducted a final walk-through. During this walk-through, we tagged and labeled rooms and some furniture items. We then visited the new home construction and layout for overall placement of contents and furniture.
The Organize With Lisa team worked with Aleta room by room to help her decide what to keep, trash or donate. This process prepared the Ridgewood Moving team to pack only the items that were wanted. Charitable organizations were called to pick up the donations and our colleague, Jean Marie Herron (director of business development for Junkluggers) was called in to assess the “trash,” which Junkluggers then removed.
The move plan comprised several days to pack and several days to move furniture and contents over. Working with Lisa and her team, we created a plan to have boxes moved and ready for her team to unpack and put away contents in the new home. This worked seamlessly and by the time the furniture arrived, the empty boxes were ready for us to retrieve and remove from the premises.
The Taylors and Ridgewood Moving Services team worked very well together. We communicated throughout the move and pivoted when needed. The key to a successful move is everyone working together as a team, (which includes the customer). In this case, the “Taylor-made” move was picture perfect.
More from Lisa
Working with Cindy and her team and the Taylors was a wonderful collaboration!
My part in this amazing project was to help prepare the Taylors’ home for their move. My “OWL” (Organize with Lisa) team and I decluttered their old house of unwanted items, which were either donated or discarded, and assisted the moving team during the actual move. In their now home, we unpacked and set up functional, practical systems in every room. Constant communication with Cindy and the Taylors made this project a huge success. From the initial planning meetings, to calls & texts, to trips to The Container Store and even pulling in a professional art hanger, it was truly a fantastic experience! Congratulations to Ridgewood Moving on your amazing team, and congratulations to the Taylors on your stunning home!