In Conversation with Ross Sapir, Roadway Moving Founder and President: ‘We Remove the Stress, Toss the Anxiety, and Leave You with an Amazing Experience’

“It’s an exciting time in the moving industry and the goal is for Roadway Moving to expand its footprint nationwide.”

Roadway Moving, a full-service moving and storage company, offers local, long-distance, international, commercial, white-glove moving services, as well as renders storage services. The company serves customers worldwide.

Roadway Moving was incorporated in 2008 and is headquartered in New York City.

Ross Sapir, Roadway Moving Founder and President, spoke exclusively to The Silicon Review. Below is an excerpt.

TSR: There is a talent war in the logistics segment. Among the scarce pool of talent, how do you manage to source the best?

Ross Sapir: The moving industry is super competitive, but we attract top talent because we invest in our employees. Our company culture has created a dynamic of employees scouting for us, bringing referrals and people they know from their past is a huge source of new talent. Higher pay than most moving companies, training, state-of-the-art trucks and equipment are just a few of the ways we separate ourselves from the competition. Highly motivated, happy employees lead to positive customer experiences.

Other than that, we have a very low turnover compared to the moving industry or any industry.

TSR: As a successful business leader, how do you evaluate industry developments to provide better service?

Ross Sapir: By staying alert and thinking 10-steps ahead of the competition. I like to focus on three things: employees, innovation, communication.

Reading business books and research is crucial; knowing where you are at as a business is also helpful in keeping up to date with industry trends. I consider us to be a hospitality business and an experience, not just service. Therefore, obsession with client experience is a must. Adapting fast as well; in the current pandemic environment, we were able to quickly transition onsite evaluations to virtual consultations through platforms like Zoom. We also offered contactless moving and payment methods. We instituted COVID-19 safety measures to protect our workers and customers and doubled down on employee training. By investing in these three areas, we give our company the best chance for annual growth and success.

TSR: Transparency and liability insurance are the two main concerns in this industry. How do you manage to provide transparency of every minute detail?

Ross Sapir: Transparency is one of our core values with both employees and clients. I believe we changed the moving industry with our crystal-clear pricing and zero upselling. Our customer service team is one of the best in the business. Their pre-consultations with our clients provide no surprises, binding price quotes, and no hidden fees. The shift to virtual consultations has been an effective method of maintaining transparency with our clients.

People first than profit!

Liability is a big deal in moving, by having only our employees do the work, never outsource, and owning all our trucks not only do we reduce the risk and limit liability, but we also deliver a fantastic experience from end to end.

Besides, we carry the highest insurance policy out there at $10MM, which adds more security around moves.

TSR: Risk management is one of the crucial factors to take note of when it comes to logistics. How can you minimize/eliminate the risks involved in logistics?

Ross Sapir: Employ a highly trained, professional logistics team. We have the best in the business and have never lost a shipment due to a safety event in all our years of operation. We incorporate compliance best practices and implemented a series of procedures to help limit exposure–focusing on supplier relationships, built an in-house logistics team, and work daily to identify and assess current risks. Where necessary we identify alternative delivery options to mitigate our risk.

TSR: If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting as an entrepreneur, what would it be?

Ross Sapir: Don’t be too hard on yourself. As a business owner, everyone struggles. Stay the course, believe in yourself, and most importantly, be happy and keep things in perspective.

TSR: What do you think is the most memorable moment in your career?

Ross Sapir: A big moment was opening our new HQ. I invested a lot into it and built it with one goal in mind; serving my employees and providing them the best environment to work. Opening day, after one and a half years of hard work, was a very fulfilling feeling.

TSR: If not a business leader, what else you wish to be?

Ross Sapir: I would have stayed in the military. Being in the Special Forces thought me a lot about overcoming challenges. The core values found in the Special Forces is something I miss, especially in the current environment.

TSR: What does the future hold for Roadway Moving and its customers? Are exciting things on the way?

Ross Sapir: Expanding our moving and storage services into new markets. To do that, we need to continue our investment in people, training, and equipment. It’s an exciting time in the moving industry and the goal is for Roadway Moving to expand its footprint nationwide.

The Leader at the Helm of Roadway Moving

Ross Sapir, Founder, serves as the President of Roadway Moving. He says that moving should be an experience people look forward to. In New York, that was not the case before Roadway Moving.

When Ross worked for other moving companies, all he saw was unhappiness. Every aspect of moving was miserable; the movers hated their jobs, the customers always complained, and the vendors could not wait to escape. Ross knew there had to be a better way. Roadway Moving was born with two philosophies in mind. a) Put employees first. Movers are often underpaid and undervalued. Ross reasoned that if he gave them everything they needed to be happy, they would be better at their jobs. Happy movers are the competitive edge of Roadway Moving. b) Turn moving, something universally hated, into an experience that people were excited about. Ross wanted them to embrace the idea of a new home and a new life. To do these two things, Ross had to think differently about business: more heart, less brain. That is why he always makes sure to take care of his customers and his employees first.

Roadway Moving has grown from six trucks into a fully functional and full-service moving company with over 300 employees to support over 10,000 moves yearly. Roadway Moving is certified and accredited by fairmove.com, a certification company that specializes in the moving and shipping industry, to provide impeccable protection and satisfaction to their customers. Roadway Moving is the number one rated moving company in New York City on both Yelp and Angie’s List.

“Every one of our employees is highly trained and cares about the happiness of our customers. From our movers, operations team to our sales staff, we have the finest people in the industry.”