Coleman Moving Systems packs decades of experience

Business Spotlight:

Moving forward into its 44th year, Coleman Moving Systems Inc. provides decades of experience in helping San Diegans leave one home and settle in another.

The family-run company provides residential and commercial moving services throughout San Diego County, though its vice president, Matt Coleman, said it will move people anywhere in California.

Coleman said the establishment also works with staging companies to move furniture in and out of spaces quickly and will load and unload pods for those who need it.

It also moves large items. “Almost every day we’re moving a piano,” Coleman said.

Coleman Moving also offers packing and unpacking services and materials, since “a lot of people are busy [and] want to not have to handle anything,” Coleman said. “We’ll do it all; we’ll do a full-service move.”

Coleman Moving trucks are sanitized and ready to hit the road.

(Courtesy of Matt Coleman)

Coleman said his company stands out because of its employees, all of whom are full time. “Some of them have been with us for 20 years,” he said. “[When] I move, they’re the only ones I want touching my stuff.”

He said Coleman Moving also is being careful during the COVID-19 pandemic, sanitizing its trucks often. The majority of the employees are vaccinated, and all wear masks, he said.

“We care about our customers,” Coleman said. “We’re trustworthy, we’re nice, we’re easygoing. We try to make the move easy on people because no one likes to move. It’s the most stressful thing besides taxes.

“If they’re happy, we’re happy.”

Coleman said his father, Stu, started the Point Loma-based company in 1979 and still works there.

Many of Coleman Moving’s customers are repeat clients or sign on through word of mouth. “When we move someone, they tell their friends and family,” Coleman said. “Most people have nightmare stories of moving companies and stuff going wrong. ... But there’s no nightmares going on here.”

Most of the company’s business is in residential moving, and Coleman said most of the past two years have been busy, with many people moving into new homes.

“When COVID started, we had no business for about two months,” he said. “We were scared, thinking we might need to shut down. Then all of a sudden, the housing market went crazy. People started selling their house and buying houses. … We’ve just been slammed.”

Coleman said summer is usually the company’s busiest time, as families tend to move when children are out of school.

For those planning a move, Coleman recommends starting a month or two ahead by getting rid of “stuff you don’t need that’s been sitting in your garage forever.”

He also suggested starting packing early to avoid being overwhelmed. “When I have to move myself, I start packing a month in advance. … Just do a couple of boxes a day; that creates less stress for you.”

For those moving on a budget, Coleman said it’s best to “do all the packing yourself. Have everything labeled, have all the boxes closed and taped. The more organized you are, the faster your move will go.”

Taking things apart also can save time, and therefore money, as moving services charge by the hour. “When the movers get there, it’s a lot quicker for them to just start making runs to the truck,” Coleman said.

Coleman said he hopes the company continues to grow, perhaps with more trucks and employees. “That’s our goal: Keep being successful [at ensuring] people’s furniture and valuables get from Point A to Point B safely and undamaged and in a timely fashion.”

For more information, visit colemanmoving.com.

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