Run to Boston Piano 5K Challenge

Piano 5K ChallengeThe Olympia Moving & Storage Piano 5K Challenge

Boston moving company challenges runners as part of the Run to Boston Race Series to benefit Special Olympics Massachusetts

When Olympia Moving & Storage, a premier Boston moving company, heard about the Run to Boston Race Series to benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Massachusetts, we wanted to try an extra challenge in the Special Olympics spirit of pushing our limits.  The Olympia Moving crew are export Boston piano movers, relocating pianos in Massachusetts daily without a scratch.  Could our team safely move a piano…while running a 5K?  It sounded crazy enough to try, so the Olympia Moving & Storage Piano 5K Challenge was born!

Team Olympia Moving & Storage collaborated with Special Olympics Massachusetts to complete the challenge.  The proof that Olympia Moving & Storage, expert Boston piano movers, can move a piano while running a 5K and keep the instrument in flawless condition is below!

Olympia Moving & Storage’s Piano 5K Challenge final time was 32:28!

Olympia Moving & Storage Challenges “Run to Boston” Runners!

Now it’s your turn to take part in the challenge!  Don’t worry, we won’t make you push a piano, but we do challenge you to beat our time during the Run to Boston 5K races!

All Run to Boston Race Series runners who beat Olympia’s piano 5K time (32:28) will be automatically entered to win a FitBit!  No raffle tickets, no pianos, just sign up for one of these three races and RUN!

All three races are holiday-themed, a lot of fun, and best of all, race proceeds fund sports training and competitions for athletes with intellectual disabilities!

There will be 3 FitBit winners total, one per race.  Winners will be randomly selected among runners with finish times below 32:28.  The winning runners will be contacted after the race.

The Olympia Moving & Storage Piano 5K Challenge is part of our year-round sponsorship of Special Olympics Massachusetts.  The Boston moving company donates logistics services to dozens of Special Olympics Massachusetts competitons and fundraisers annually, and fund raises for the organization.  To learn more about our work with Special Olympics Massachusetts visit https://www.olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

Boston Moving Company Offers Scholarships to Students

Olympia Moving & Storage, proudly announced the Olympia Scholars Program this week, offering scholarships to student movers. olympia scholars

The scholarship program, which is available to all current and prospective Olympia Moving & Storage employees, allows motivated student movers to earn thousands of dollars in scholarships in addition to a top hourly wage.

For many Boston-area college students, working between classes is essential to paying for tuition, books, and living expenses.  Most students get jobs swiping IDs at the gym, pouring coffee, or scanning groceries.  But for some Boston students, they earn money by carrying armoires up fourth-floor walkups in the Back Bay between classes.  Michael Gilmartin, President and Founder of Olympia Moving & Storage, used to be one of these students.

“While I studied at Northeastern University, I earned money by working at a local moving company,” says Gilmartin, who founded Olympia Moving & Storage in 1993.  “At the time, I liked working as a mover because it was a great opportunity to earn higher wages than the average student while staying in shape. Little did I know it would become a career.”

Michael Gilmartin’s company, Olympia Moving & Storage has been employing Boston-area college students for over 20 years.

olympia movers“Students who work with Olympia Moving & Storage quickly learn that working here is a
bout more than just a paycheck and lifting furniture,” says Gilmartin.

  “Movers learn valuable lessons in problem solving, team work, and client management that they will use for the rest of their careers.”

After he graduated from Northeastern University, Michael Gilmartin put the skills he learned as a student mover to use and founded his own company. Since then, he has brought hired many of his student movers as operations managers, sales managers, and more.

“It’s always been fulfilling to see our student movers succeed after graduation, either with Olympia Moving or in engineering, sales, entrepreneurship, and many other careers with other companies,” says Gilmartin. “We wanted to expand that Olympia Moving & Storage tradition by directly investing in our student movers’ education. Student movers are extremely motivated and hardworking, you have to be to move furniture for eight hours straight. These are the kind of students we want to invest in, as they have the skills to succeed.”

Up to 15 Olympia Moving employees per year are eligible to participate in the Olympia Scholars program.  The scholarship recipients will earn a $1,000 scholarship per every 1,000 hours worked and can earn a maximum of four scholarships during their education.  The scholarship is available to employees actively pursuing degrees at universities, community colleges, and trade schools.

For more eligibility details, and to apply to become a student mover in the Olympia Scholars program, visit http://www.olympiamoving.com/olympiascholars or call 617-517-9878.

Olympia Moving Pulls 82 Ton Airplane to Fundraise for Special Olympics Virginia

The 2015 Dulles  Plane Pull on Saturday was the biggest Plane Pull yet in terms of fundraising, plane pull teams, and attendance. The event raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Virginia athletes and 71 teams participated. For the first time, the event featured two planes being pulled!

As the Official Logistics Sponsor, Olympia Moving & Storage worked closely with event organizers at Special Olympics Virginia to make Dulles Plane Pull a success. The Washington, DC moving company donated crews, trucks, and warehousing to manage the equipment, set up, and breakdown.

For the first time, Olympia Moving ran an “Are You As Strong As An Olympia Mover?” fundraising game. Hundreds of athletes, kids, moms, dads, and even monks tried to hit the bell on the high striker to prove their strength.

Of course, the Olympia Moving crew was also eager to prove their strength and fundraised to pull the 82 ton airplane.  The crew pulled the plane 10 feet in 6.194 seconds – our best time yet!

Thank you to the generous partners to Olympia Moving & Storage who donated to our plane pull team!  All the money we raised will provide free sports training and competitions for athletes with intellectual disabilities:

To see team Olympia Moving & Storage pull the plane and all the other plane pull excitement, be sure to check out this video.  We look forward to sponsoring Dulled Plane Pull again next year!

Visit olympiamoving.com/specialolympics to learn more about our ongoing work and charitable partnership with Special Olympics.

DC Moving Company Sponsors Dulles Day Plane Pull

Olympia and Plane PullOn Saturday, Olympia Moving & Storage, a premier Washington, DC moving company, will sponsor the Dulles Day Plane Pull. This is Olympia Moving’s third year as the official logistics sponsor for this event to benefit Special Olympics Virginia.

During the week leading up to the Plane Pull, Olympia Moving has been busy receiving event supplies, managing pick ups and deliveries of event equipment, and assisting with set up and break down. All these services are donated free of charge to Special Olympics Virginia. This year, the moving company will be running a fundraising game “Are You Stronger Than an Olympia Mover?” Event attendees and children will have the chance to hit the bell on a high striker and win a prize. All proceeds from the game will benefit Special Olympics Virginia.

The Olympia Moving crew will also be participating in the Plane Pull and will pull a 164,000+ pound Airbus 12 feet in support of athletes with intellectual disabilities. The crew will be looking to beat last year’s pull time of 7.01 seconds. Olympia Moving & Storage has been fundraising for the Plane Pull over the past month, and would like to thank their following partners for their generous donations to their campaign:

The Olympia Moving crew has even been pulling their trucks in their yard to practice for pulling the plane!

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The Dulles Day Plane Pull is a popular event for Northern Virginia families and continues to grow.  Last year over 30,000 people attend the Plane Pull, and for the first time the 2015 Plane Pull will feature 2 planes for teams to attempt pulling!

It’s not too late to donate to team Olympia Moving! Click here to donate and fund competitions, sports training, and health programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities. 

Olympia Moving & Storage has been a charitable partner to Special Olympics Virginia and Massachusetts since 2013. Last year the Washington, DC moving company’s in-kind and monetary donations to Special Olympics organizations totaled almost $50,000. Earlier this year, Olympia Moving & Storage also sponsored Special Olympics athlete Amanda Church’s trip to World Games in Los Angeles. There she competed and won silver and bronze medals in aquatics. Visit olympiamoving.com/specialolympics to learn more about our sponsorship.

Olympia Driver Roberto Belony is Wheaton’s Driver of the Month!

Driver of the Month_BelonyA big congrats to Olympia Moving & Storage driver Roberto Belony! He has been selected among hundreds of drivers as Wheaton World Wide’s April 2015 driver of the month! Roberto is being recognized as the best among Wheaton’s intermittent fleet.

Roberto has been working with Olympia for 7 years and has been driving with Wheaton since 2009. He is a top-rated driver and this is his first driver of the month award. In his years working with Olympia, Roberto has become known for his dedication and high spirits and happy nature, no matter how tough or long the move. Roberto’s extensive experience shows in the way he handles every move.

These qualities are exemplified in a comment we received from a client Roberto moved interstate from Chelmsford, MA to Hubbard Lake, MI earlier this year:

“Roberto and his crew at our house in Chelmsford worked very hard and diligently packing and loading the truck and deserve to be recognized for a hard job done very well. They were very professional and courteous under a difficult situation….Just a few days after the 30 inch blizzard.

At the Michigan end of things …again Roberto and his Michigan crew did a marvelous job unloading the truck and relocating our furniture into our new home. I cannot say enough about the wonderful job Roberto did at both ends of the move. All of our “”Stuff”” arrived intact and we have found nothing broken or missing. At the Michigan end we are in a fairly remote location and it would be difficult for anyone unfamiliar with this area to find our house but Roberto did it contending with weather and unpaved roads.
He should be recognized for a job well done…..!!!”

Thank you, Roberto, for all you do to give Olympia Moving & Storage’s clients an exceptional relocation experience!

Roberto will receive a cash award, plaque, Driver of the Month uniform patches and equipment decals. Roberto is also now a nominee for 2015 Driver of the Year.

Roberto is one of Olympia Moving & Storage’s trained moving professionals. Olympia’s team has won several awards with Wheaton World Wide. Olympia driver Lucian Tistu also won the driver of the month recognition in 2014, and Olympia Moving won their highest honor in 2013, Agent of the Year.

Click here to read the official press release.

Sponsor of Special Olympics World Games Athlete Amanda Church

IMG_0965Olympia Moving & Storage is proud to announce their sponsorship of Special Olympics World Games athlete Amanda Church. Special Olympics World Games, which will take place in Los Angeles beginning July 25th, will be the largest sporting event in the world in 2015. Amanda will be one of 7,000 athletes from 177 countries competing in the Games, and one of only 7 athletes representing Massachusetts. She will be representing team USA in two aquatics events: breaststroke & freestyle.

The Boston moving company’s sponsorship of $5,000 will help cover Amanda’s training and travel expenses. As part of the sponsorship, the company will be cheering Amanda on at her competitions leading up to the games, and reporting on her training progress on olympiamoving.com and Olympia’s Facebook page.

Olympia Moving & Storage has been the official logistics sponsor of Special Olympics Massachusetts since 2013. Last year, the company’s fundraising and donated logistics services for Special Olympics competitions exceeded $50,000. While planning for the company’s 2015 sponsorship, Olympia Moving inquired if there was any way they could assist with the upcoming World Games.

Olympia Moving President Michael Gilmartin presenting Amanda Church with her sponsorship check
Olympia Moving President Michael Gilmartin presenting Amanda Church with her sponsorship check

The Boston moving company was immediately impressed by Amanda’s accomplishments. She has won many gold medals since she began competing with Special Olympics in 1998 and was inducted into the Special Olympics Massachusetts Hall of Fame in 2012. In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Amanda lives independently with the LIFE program and has held jobs as a receptionist and Special Olympics intern.

This is a dream come true for me as I’ve wanted to compete in World Games for a long time. With the help of my coaches I know I will be ready to swim for the gold this summer,” says Amanda Church. “Special Olympics Massachusetts is honored to have sponsors like Olympia Moving.”

Be sure to watch this blog for updates on Amanda’s training as she prepares for the Games!

You can learn more about Olympia Moving & Storage’s work with Special Olympics at http://www.olympiamoving.com/specialolympics

Click here to read the official press release

Olympia Moving & Storage and Bekins Northwest Super Bowl Bet for Keaton’s Korral

Super BowlEvery day Olympia Moving & Storage works with agents in the Wheaton World Wide Moving | Bekins Van Lines interstate moving network. Though Olympia Moving agrees with their partner agents on how to provide great service to the families we relocate, we don’t agree when it comes to the Super Bowl.

As a Boston based company, Olympia’s employees are fervent New England Patriots fans and eagerly anticipate Super Bowl XLIX. Bekins Northwest on the other hand, is the official moving company of the Seattle Seahawks. After the NFC championship win, Bekins Northwest immediately got to work moving the Seahawk’s equipment to Arizona for Super Bowl XLIX.

Olympia has now challenged Bekins Northwest with a friendly bet for a great cause.

If the New England Patriots lose Super Bowl XLIX, Olympia Moving & Storage will donate $500 to Keaton’s Korral at Give Kids the World Village – a Florida vacation resort for children with life-threatening illnesses. If the Seattle Seahawks lose the game, Bekins Northwest agrees to make the same $500 donation to Keaton’s Korral.

Wheaton World Wide Moving | Bekins Van Lines have been strong supporters of Keaton’s Korral at Give Kids the World village since 2000. The result of this Super Bowl bet will go towards Wheaton | Bekin’s $22,000 fundraising goal and will help provide children with life-threatening illnesses and their families with cost-free vacations. Visit this link to make your own donation to Keaton’s Korral.

Olympia Moving & Storage is looking forward to the New England Patriots’ victory on Sunday!

Holiday Giving: Olympia Moving & Storage Donates to Toy Drive, Food Drive & 5K

Happy holidays from Olympia Moving & Storage! December is the season of giving, and Olympia Moving & Storage is continuing their tradition of giving back to the communities in which we live & work. This month we had several opportunities to participate in great events and causes.

Home for Little Wanderer’s Big Wishes Gift Drive with Coldwell Banker

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage sponsored this gift drive to benefit children being served by the Home for Little Wanderers. CBRB offered their offices as drop-off locations for the drive. Olympia donated the trucks and labor to transport all the donations from CBRB offices across the state to The Home’s toy room. The crew, Nandor, Josh, and Glenn, even got in the spirit by wearing Santa’s elf hats to the delivery! Check out pictures from the delivery event below:

Jolly Jaunt 5K to Benefit Special Olympics Massachusetts

Boston Jolly JauntThe Jolly Jaunt 5K was just one of the many Special Olympics events we donate logistics assistance to. This is Olympia’s second year sponsoring the holiday-themed 5K around the Boston Common. The event raised almost $140,000 for athletes with intellectual disabilities!

Lauren, Manager of Strategic Development Initiatives at Special Olympics Massachusetts, had this to say about our donated assistance:

“Thank you so much for all of your help over this past few months! Everything went so well on Saturday, and it was greatly due to all of your and Olympia’s help. If you speak with Ben who was on site with us with the truck and helped us unload today, can you thank him for me on behalf of Special Olympics MA as a whole. Not only was he always willing to jump in and help, but he was beyond professional!”

St. Irene’s Parish Food Drive for the Greater Merrimack Velley Food Bank

Olympia Moving Food DriveFor many years, Clark & Reid (Olympia’s executive relocation brand) has been donating boxes for St. Irene’s Parish’s food drive in Carlisle, MA.

This year, the Parish secured a pound for pound food match with Walmart. As a result, St. Irene’s received 2 tons of food this Thanksgiving, the most donations ever. As a result, Olympia/Clark & Reid donated 160 boxes to the drive, 60% more boxes versus previous years.

Congrats to St. Irene’s Parish for a successful food drive, which will benefit the Greater Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

Read more about Olympia’s recent community & charity involvement:
Olympia bring Moving Truck to Touch-a-Truck Newton
Olympia Moving Pulls a Plane for Special Olympics Virginia
Olympia Moving at Special Olympics MA Summer Games

Happy Holidays! Holiday Playlist Mix from Olympia Moving & Storage!

Happy Holidays Olympia Moving & StorageHappy Holidays from Olympia Moving & Storage! We have a lot to be thankful for this year. Here are just a few of the things we accomplished in 2014:

We’re looking forward to a quick break over the holidays before getting to work to make 2015 the best year in Olympia’s history!

Olympia’s staff compiled this holiday playlist mix as a thank you to all our clients, referral sources, and business partners for a great year! You can take a listen here on Spotify.

Holiday Playlist 2014 by Olympia Moving & Storage

Holiday Playlist 2014 Tracks

Looking for more music? Be sure to check out our Songs for Moving Playlist

Olympia Moving & Storage Adds Second Boston Area Storage Facility

New Olympia Moving & Storage facility in Canton, MA
New Olympia Moving & Storage facility in Canton, MA

Olympia Moving & Storage, a Boston moving and storage company headquartered in Watertown, MA, has seen double-digit growth each of the past four years. As a result, we have exceeded the capacity of our full-service warehouse in Watertown, MA and are proud to announce the opening of Olympia’s second Boston area storage facility in Canton, MA.

The Canton storage location is a 50,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art warehouse. Olympia Moving & Storage acquired this facility more than a year ago and has been working diligently to ensure that the Canton facility met the high standards of the Watertown location, including: 24-hour security systems, temperature control, a dedicated warehouse staff, and immaculate condition.

Not only will the Canton warehouse allow Olympia Moving & Storage to serve more clients, but it will allow us to better serve our South Shore and interstate clientele. The Canton location will make storing with Olympia more convenient for our clients in the surrounding towns of Medfield, Dedham, Norwood, Milton, Randolph, Weymouth and Hingham. This new facility is also optimized for tractor trailer access.

No matter the location, we are confident that Olympia Moving & Storage can provide the best full-service storage experience. Click here to learn more about our storage services.