Tag: Olympia Moving

Olympia Moving at Touch-the-Trucks Events

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Boston Moving Company Participates in Touch-the-Trucks Events in Watertown and Dedham

The Olympia Moving crew enjoyed showing kids around the moving truck at two recent touch-a-truck events. The crew returned to Watertown Family Network’s Touch-a-Truck in Watertown, MA and joined the first Touch-the-Trucks event at Legacy Place in Dedham, MA.

Touch-the-Trucks events are a great opportunity for Olympia Moving & Storage to connect with families in the community. The kids enjoyed running up and down the ramp, seeing the boxes and moving equipment, and jumping on the bubble wrap that we laid on the floor of the truck. The Olympia Moving crew members gave kids tours of the truck cab, took photos of the kids posing at the wheel, played box toss games, and handing out coloring pages.

Check out this video of the kids enjoying the truck!

If you have a Touch-the-Trucks or another community event event in the Boston-area or Washington, DC-area, let us know at [email protected]. We’d love to attend!

Does your family need a moving company? Call 800.222.4744 or request a free moving estimate online.

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Boston moving company asks residents to share their moving stories

Posted on by olympiamoving

Everyone has their own moving stories that define how they feel about moving.

Whether you’ve moved with the help of friends and family or have worked with a moving company, every move faces challenges and obstacles. Let’s face it, planning a move can be super stressful!

We wanted to hear what your biggest concerns are when planning a move, so we took to the streets to ask Boston to share their moving stories.  Our team wanted to know people’s true feelings, challenges, and pain points while moving,  because the more we know the more we can help our clients have a smooth, stress-free move.

For real Bostonians’ moving stories, watch the video below:

Olympia Moving Asks Boston: How Do You Feel About Moving?

From flaky friends to broken belongings, there are many worries when moving your belongings, but Olympia Moving & Storage is here to help! Here at Olympia, we have the resources and knowledge to help you through your relocation, whether you just need an extra hand to load your Uhaul or don’t want to lift a finger. We’re a full service moving company, which means we can handle any and all of your moving needs.

We offer a number of additional services to choose from to make your move a success – including, but not limited to:

And yes, we can totally move that piano for you! We’re here to take the stress out of moving, check out our resource center for tips and tricks.

Whether you’re apartment moving down the street, moving across the country or planning an international move, our relocation specialists are here to work through your move with you and will tailor our services to fit your needs.

Ready to tell some better moving stories?

Request an estimate today!

Special Olympics Athlete Amanda Church Speaks at Boston Moving Company Sales Meeting

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Amanda Church shows off her Special Olympics World Games medals with Olympia Moving & Storage Founder & President Michael Gilmartin
Amanda Church shows off her Special Olympics World Games medals with Olympia Moving & Storage Founder & President Michael Gilmartin

Olympia Moving & Storage was proud to feature Special Olympics athlete Amanda Church as a guest speaker at our bi-annual sales meeting in October. The Boston moving company was the sponsor of Amanda’s trip to compete in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles this summer.

Amanda gave a speech at the sales meeting, sharing her extraordinary experiences at World Games. Amanda’s told Olympia Moving about her training, staying in the Olympic village, being on ESPN during the Opening Ceremonies, meeting Michael Phelps, and of course swimming her events and the amazing moment of being awarded her medals on the podium.

She also gave Olympia Moving inspiring insights on how Special Olympics World Games is changing how the world views people with intellectual disabilities:

“The World Games showcased not just how capable people with intellectual disabilities are in athletics but also in life. I think the World Games really changed how people think about people with intellectual disabilities. That’s the whole reason for R-Word campaign. This word I believe should be removed from all books, TV, movies, everywhere. It is hurtful to not only people with disabilities but to everyone else all over the World. Some people who hear this word take it so bad that they can lose their self-esteem, not want to go to school or work, or worse. I would like everyone to stop anyone who says this to anyone and remind them what the R-Word means to them and how it affects others whether you have a disability or not. This word needs to be removed from our vocabulary.” – Amanda Church, Special Olympics World Games Athlete

Amanda also showed off her medals: a Silver Medal for the 200 meter breaststroke and a Bronze medal for the 4 by 50 freestyle relay. She was also kind enough to thank Olympia Moving for the sponsorship during her speech:

“I trained very hard to reach my goal, but I could not have done it without the support of my coach’s, family, and friends; but most importantly the support of all of you at Olympia. You gave me the best gift of all which was helping me get to Worlds with a $5,000 donation, and for that I thank you. I hope Olympia will continue to keep supporting Special Olympics, and come to Summer Games year after year.” – Amanda Church, Special Olympics World Games Athlete

Learn more about our sponsorship of Amanda.

Run to Boston Piano 5K Challenge

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Video: GoPros on the Olympia Moving crew during Boston moving day

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September 1st Boston Moving Day, also known as Allston Christmas, is the most hectic day to move in the city. 63% of Boston leases turn over, meaning that thousands of residents are moving, renting trucks, and hiring moving companies in the same week. Over 2000 moving parking permits were ordered in Boston for that week, and that doesn’t even include neighboring Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline, as well as the many residents who didn’t bother to order a permit!

Many Boston residents struggle to accomplish just one move, but the Olympia Moving crew completes hundreds of moves in the Boston area that week. Some of our crews move 3 residents per day on September 1st, not to mention the fact that our tireless movers are carrying furniture almost every day of the year! We decided to give GoPros to a few of our moving crews to see if they could capture some of the moving madness for us. Even our team was surprised by the result! Clearly our crews are skilled movers and incredible athletes that can overcome any moving challenge: from parallel parking a truck on a narrow Boston street to moving out of a dizzying 4th floor walk up, our crew is made of professional moving superheros!

Check out the result in this mesmerizing video:

After watching that video, you’re probably ready to hire our incredible movers. Click here to request a free, no obligation estimate.

Be sure to also check out the rest of our Allston Christmas/September 1st coverage on our blog:

Epic Roundup of an Epic Boston Moving Day: Allston Christmas 2015

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Congratulations Boston, on surviving yet another Allston Christmas! In case you’re not familiar with this move-in day of massive proportions, 63% of Boston leases turn over on September 1st due to the thousands of students returning to university. The result is the biggest moving day in Boston, traffic jams of Uhauls, and sidewalks littered with belongings deemed not worthy of new apartments. Click here to learn more about September 1st Boston move in.

2015 was the year that Boston took the tradition to the next level. Social media and the press eagerly anticipated the horde of moving trucks and chaos, trending #AllstonChristmas on Twitter well before the 1st. Local residents made the day more festive with holiday-themed signage. Local companies also marketed the event more than ever, especially new neighborhood grocer bfresh market with a series of clever marketing stunts. The city of Boston also did their part to alleviate the gridlock by putting moving permit requests online and carefully monitoring Storrow Drive to prevent trucks from getting stuck under low pedestrian bridges.

For those lucky enough to avoid this annual relocation event, we compiled the best Allston Christmas stories, tweets, and instagrams:

The streets, especially Commonwealth Avenue, were gridlocked with rental trucks, students, parents, and unlucky commuters

Continue reading “Epic Roundup of an Epic Boston Moving Day: Allston Christmas 2015” →

Boston Moving Permits Made Easier

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no-parking-signMoving is never an easy task and things can often be overlooked until the last minute. But getting Boston moving permits shouldn’t be one of those things, especially if you live in a city like Boston, where September 1st is basically a city-wide holiday and Allston Christmas reigns supreme. Think: free arcade games up for grabs along with some serious velvet paintings of Elvis…

Whether it’s your first move or your fifth, having a helping hand in your move is always a good idea. So, what’s the deal with parking passes? The experts at Olympia Moving are here to tell you.

Moving permits are super important and failing to get one can not only delay your move but also end up costing you in the end whether you’re working with a moving company or doing it yourself. In the past, Boston residents were required to schlep on down to the town hall and wait in a line with everyone else panicking about their own moving day. Sound like a blast? If you said no then we have GREAT news for you because starting this year you can get your parking permits from the comfort of your packed up living room!

Why get a moving permit?

Moving permits reserve spaces (standard size- 2 parking spaces) at a specific time and location to park a vehicle while moving your belongings in and out of your building, meaning no one else can park there during the times that you have paid for. If you do not get a parking pass you may not be able to park the moving truck near your home, which will add significant time and effort in moving your belongings.

Another downside of not getting a moving permit is that you run the risk of getting a ticket or even worse being towed. Yikes.

When and where do I get my permit?

One day Boston moving permits can be ordered online through both the City of Boston and City of Cambridge website and are then mailed to you. These must be obtained at least two weeks but no longer than one month in advance to your move.

Is your move closer than two weeks away? Don’t worry! You can still apply for a permit at City Hall.

Residential area permits must be obtained at least 3 days but no longer than 2 weeks in advance to the move
with signs posted 48 hours in advance to the move

Keep in mind that metered spots also require a permit to park, so don’t take any chances.

Metered area permits must be obtained at least 3 days but no longer than 2 weeks in advance to the move with signs posted 24 hours in advance to the move

How much is my permit going to cost?

In addition to your moving permit, the city also requires “no parking” signs made of cardboard to be posted in the area with the date and times of their permit. These signs must be purchased at a cost of $4.00 each with a minimum of two “No Parking” signs required.

  • For metered spaces there is an additional payment of $20.00 per meter head per day, but don’t forget to supply the individual parking meter numbers when you’re applying.
  • In Boston moving truck permits are a base fee of $61.00. For all other permits, the base fee is $20.00.
  • In addition to the base fee, there’s also a fee of $1.00 per square foot calculated against the size of the occupied area. The square footage must cover the size of the truck and space needed to load/unload.
  • So, a one day permit for a moving truck requiring two metered spaces would be approximately $80.
    This fee equals $61 (base fee) plus approximately $11 (40-feet x 8-feet x 1-day @ $1/sqft/month) plus $8 (two signs @ $4/sign).

What do I do once I have my permit?

Once you’ve received your permit and “no parking” signs you’ll have to post them within a minimum of two days before your moving date. This gives your neighbors time to coordinate where they will be parking their cars and will avoid the hassle of having to call the city to get a car moved.

Still sounds like a pain? More good news!

If you’re planning your move with Olympia we can do it for you! We’ll be sure to obtain the necessary permits specific to the area that you live in and eliminate the wait-time and stress of plastering your neighbor’s cars with notices. Plus, then you’ll have more time to pack and enjoy a glass of wine before the chaos ensues.  Get started and request a free, no obligation estimate for your Boston move.

For additional information specific your area check out their websites:
Boston
Somerville
Cambridge
Brookline