Insurance agents open moving company

Columbia Basin Movers covers ML area

Someone looking to move from Soap Lake to Quincy will now have an easier time of it.

Columbia Basin Movers and Storage opened in September, and specializes in moving customers within a 100-mile radius of Moses Lake.

Movers and Storage owner Janae Eng said that a New York Life client of hers in the Tri-Cities owned a moving company.

"I kind of got the idea from him, and when I got up here and married Don … I figured it would be a good idea, so we decided to get it going," she said.

Don and Janae Eng said that the client has been their mentor and a consultant as the business has gotten off the ground.

The Engs are also insurance agents for New York Life. While the two businesses are kept completely separate, the moving company also operates out of the Engs' insurance office at 206 S. Alder.

"We see a lot of clients day in and day out, and new people that move into the area are moving in," Don Eng said. "In talking to people, they said, 'There's nobody to call that will just do a local move.'"

The business does moves for businesses, residences, senior living centers. Don said it offers a packing service, as well as single item moves if someone has a large item.

Getting the moving company started probably took about four months, Don said. He was surprised to see how much moving business the company got during the holiday season.

"We were very busy, which kind of surprised us, because who's going to move during the holidays?" he said. Since then, "it's been pretty steady. People are very happy that they can just pick up the phone, if they need someone to help move some of their furniture or office files or anything like that, we can get it done, quickly."

The service is available seven days a week, Don said.

"We'd like it to be busier; that's why we got things started," manager Tod Haneberg said. "We wanted to get a moving company because we've heard of the high demand, and that's starting to come through. We're doing an average of two or three moves a week now, and I'm giving free estimates probably two or three times a day. Getting lots of phone calls for those."

Haneberg said that those estimates have been right on every time.

He was also a New York Life agent for a few years; that's how he met Don Eng.

"We've been friends now for about seven years and he kind of asked for my help and I said I'd love to give it," Haneberg said. "It's actually something good to get out and get some physical exercise once in a while after being in the office all day."

Haneberg said he'd worked for one other moving company prior to Columbia Basin Movers and Storage, although he added with a laugh, "In college I probably moved myself about 400 times."

That makes this new job kind of a learning process, he said.

"We've done good so far; we haven't broken anything in about a dozen-plus moves, and I think we're really fairly priced," Haneberg said.

Because the Engs primarily deal in retirement planning, health insurance and life insurance, they insure the items that they move through a property casualty company, Don Eng said.

The moving company employs local people, Haneberg said, comprised of fellow church goers and family members.

"We're always looking for good, strong help, but we've been able to find it," he said.

Don Eng said that the moving company employs six people.

Columbia Basin Movers and Storage can be contacted at 760-7680.