If you have moved with the military at any time, then you know how chaotic and stressful the process could be. After jumping through what feels like flaming hoops of a circus ring for medical clearance, EFMP, finding a new house and school, and then scheduling your move, you often feel on the brink of collapse when it comes time to do the actual physical move. As many of us remember before COVID that the 2018 summer peak season was deemed one of the worst years for families PCSing (until the supply chain crisis of 2021). It seemed as if everyone had a bad experience, and many companies were reeling from various media stories.
In many of the online spouse and family groups there is always a common call of “military spouses could pack better” and “veterans could do this better.” But there is often very little that is done after logging out of the social media platforms. That is where Wendy Way and Isabel Schmitt come in. These two women were soldiers who previously served together and later reunited at a duty station while supporting their husbands’ careers. These ladies saw the struggles, and instead of just complaining, they decided to take meaningful action.
Wendy and Isabel worked together to create Logsa Mil Moves, a company that focuses on packing only for military shipments.
“We know that when goods are packed and inventoried appropriately, they can handle being loaded and unloaded a myriad of times, which is often the case with government moves,” Isabel says.
Knowing the key to a successful PCS starts with packing, they realized this would be the best way to improve the experience.
Logsa launched in the middle of the pandemic with the tagline, “It’s not stuff..It’s the story of a life in Service.” Now in their second year of operation, Wendy and Isabel have paid out $0 (zero) in claims.
“As military families we don’t get to put down our roots anywhere. Our household goods are the one constant that I can provide to my children when creating a new home at a new location. We want to take care of those memories to help make that transition easier for you,” Isabel explained.
Not only do the ladies at Logsa Mil Moves pack for families, but they also support military spouse employment. They say the key to their success is hiring military spouses who have been through the process and understand it. Part of their training for new crew members is all about empathy, which supports their goal of providing quality service and understanding that each item in your home has a memory tied to it. Knowing that military spouses are often under employed, they wanted to tap into that network to further their community impact.
“To give spouses work, that they are good at, that supports their families, caters to their lifestyle (we offer extremely flexible work–again, we understand deployed spouses, kids, school commitments, etc.) and helps them progress in the workforce is a gift,” says Wendy. “Last, we want to support our spouses as they move. They have gained a skill and if a move was thrust upon them, we have the ability to ramp up operations in their location to continue working.”
Currently Logsa Mil Moves serves the Fort Bragg, N.C., area as a local agent for Nilson Van & Storage. They are making plans in 2022 to expand to Fort Hood, Texas, and the Washington, D.C., area. Eventually they would love to be the household name at every installation. As the DoD and US Transportation Command move closer to implementing the Global Household Goods Contract (GHC) which is expected to serve its first shipments in 2023, they plan for Logsa Mil Moves to be right there as a key player. The way they train their crews and hire military spouses truly shows that our community knows how to do it better!
If you are interested in learning more about Logsa Mil Moves or joining their team, visit logsamilmoves.com.