Highland Moving Turns 75 By Mark Kandborg
T
he year was 1938 and Peter Kachur had just bought himself a truck that carried his future. It came bundled with a company called Jim’s Express Transfer and Baggage Hauling, Ltd. Legend has it that Peter kept the name Jim’s Express because he didn’t have the paint to change the writing on the doors. What he did have was business sense, which he applied liberally to his little business, growing it bit by bit over the decades. By the mid-sixties, Peter’s two sons, Norman and younger brother Don, were each considering ways of making their own mark in the world. Their father’s health was failing, so he offered his eldest the chance to take over the business. Norm agreed, and ran Jim’s Express successfully for the next ten years. In 1974, younger brother Don bought into the company. The forming of that fraternal partnership was auspicious as it marked the germination of an entirely new business model. “We knew that delivering used furniture wasn’t the future,” Don Kachur, now President of the company, says. “We saw that MacCosham’s was rich, and we weren’t. So we said, let’s do what they’re doing.” They joined United Van Lines, bought land, built a warehouse and got down to the task of selling their services to the corporate sector. The company made bold decisions. “We went head-to-head with MacCosham’s to land a contract with Canadian Bechtel,” Don says. Bechtel needed a company to handle the employees that were about to transfer to Ft. McMurray to build the massive Syncrude oil sands plant. “We got the job.” Norman and Don realized it was time to change the name during a meeting with Brian Ascough of PWA. There was one thing keeping them from landing the account. “Brian asked if we would feel safe flying to Calgary on ‘Pete’s Airline’. We got the point.” Jim’s Express and Baggage Hauling was re-imagined as Highland Moving and Storage, and in 1994, Don Kachur assumed full ownership of the company. A few years later, a conversation between Don and a successful colleague, Jim Thompson, brought about another change. Thompson, head of the world’s largest international moving company, said “Come with me to Hong Kong, and in three days you’ll know about international moving.” Upon his return, Don started looking for someone with international experience to take High-
land to the next level. Enter Paul Wielens, Highland’s International Rating Clerk and now, their CEO. International moving requires exceptional skills to navigate the regulations and paperwork involved. “We ship everywhere,” Wielens says. “You name it, we’ll get it there.” Highland Moving now operates out of its new warehouse in Edmonton’s west end. Don’s son Casey became a managing partner three years ago and manages the Calgary operation. Including their Calgary Branch, they employ 36 office staff. With more than 60 trucks and up to 200 employees, they pride themselves on their ability to get the job done. It’s been 75 years since an ambitious man bought that first truck, but with 1,600 moves last year and a projected 2,000 in 2013, the future remains bright for this family business.
Unit #18 7115 - 48 Street S.E. Calgary, Alberta T2C 5A4 Phone: 403-720-3222 • Fax: 403-279-4062 info@highlandmoving.com • www.highlandmoving.com
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Congratulations Highland Moving and Storage Ltd. on your 75th anniversary! R.M. Moving Supplies Plus Ltd. 5239 - 86 Street NW Edmonton, AB T6E 6T1 • Ph: 780-469-9198 • Fax: 780-469-9173 Toll Free: 1-866-469-9198 • www.rmmoving.ca
Highland Moving & Storage Ltd. | 75th Anniversary
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