Quick fact sheet

Key personnel:

Local moving franchise offering consistent, high quality service to a market traditionally served by independent movers

The first and largest franchised local moving company with a nationally recognized name and logo and a respected market position.

There are more than 200 locations operating worldwide. Locations are in 31 states, Canada and Ireland. There are seven company-owned locations open. There will soon be locations in the United Kingdom.

The system reached its 2 millionth move in 2005. Last year, it completed 352,292 moves system wide.

There are currently nearly 1,400 trucks on the road.

Franchise territories are based on population, generally between 250,000 and 400,000 people per marketing area. The initial franchise fee is $37,000 or $72,000 if the franchisee has previously operated in the area. Total startup costs (including facility, trucks, equipment and other expenses) range from $112,300 to $407,200. Franchisees pay a royalty of 6 percent of gross revenue, plus 1 percent for advertising.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® was officially founded in 1985 in Lansing, Mich., by Mary Ellen Sheets. Operations began prior to that year when Sheets' sons, Jon and Brig Sorber, did local moving as a way to earn money while in high school. When they left for college, calls for service continued. In 1985, Sheets formally organized the company, hired movers, and developed a reproducible system. Franchising began in 1989. In 1994, Sheets' daughter, Melanie Bergeron, assumed the position of president. Mary Ellen's sons, Brig and Jon Sorber, have rejoined the company with Brig president and Jon serving as executive vice president and franchisee to the Lansing and two Grand Rapids, Mich. locations.

Training is extensive and ongoing. It begins with an initial three-month period, including comprehensive classroom training at STICK MEN UNIVERSITY® (a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to moving in Lansing, Mich.) and thorough assistance during the franchise set-up and opening. There are also ongoing monthly training sessions at STICK MEN UNIVERSITY® for franchisees and employees. There are many other tools available to franchisees including detailed monthly reports, newsletters, Intranet, annual meetings, a resource library, a toll-free support line, a tradeshow booth, an in-house shop with a complete line of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® branded clothing and professional marketing materials and a system-wide purchasing system.