CMSA 2023 Convention! Engaged Movers Make A Stronger Industry.

Watch a short clip of the events

And just like that, the 105th California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA) has come to an end! We were delighted to have participated in the event, held at beautiful Rancho Mirage in the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa . The convention started with an Executive Committee meeting of the Board of Directors, followed by an invitation only event on Tuesday May 16th. The traditional “Movers and Shakers Reception Dinner” brings together chapter presidents and select vendors, and members who have contributed to the success of the association’s events, fundraisers or advocacy efforts.

Wednesday was a day full of meetings, including the BOD Meeting, and committee meetings for Insurance, Government Affairs, Membership, and Military Affairs. Those not attending the meetings had a chance to explore the grounds and I hear the Lazy River and other pools had great beverage and food options available for the guests.?

As many of us know, committee meetings are open to all members, and this is a great way to get more familiar with a specific subject, get up to date industry information, as well as participate in advocacy tasks as needed. If you are not involved in a committee yet, reach to to the CMSA to find out more.

On Thursday, golfers braved the hot temperatures at the Golf Tournament sponsored by Champion Risk & Insurance Services . Later, the Young Professionals group held a meeting, you may be surprised that I was not in attendance at the event. Although this is not my first convention, it was the first time I learned the YP meeting has no age restrictions! The YP meeting was followed by the Associate Member Committee Meeting, this group is growing in membership numbers.?

We are very grateful that the association has a good number of vendor members, but it is so good to see that our mover members have so many options to choose from, whether you need packing supplies, insurance services, auctioneers, software vendors and now, we even have a bank, a background check and drug testing company, and Mexico mover!?

Welcome to Citizens Business Bank , Accurate C&S Services, Inc and Thelsa Mudanzas . Our generous exhibitors hosted the “Exhibitors Welcome Reception”, which had a good selection of hors d’oeuvre and a couple of hosted drinks.? We had an opportunity to socialize with the vendors and mover members, some vendors had interactive exhibits such as corn hole games, mini golf or teddy bears promotional products. Others had immersive experiences, such as the Mariachi hats and tequila chats from our friends at Sendtomx ! Extracurricular activities included a visit to local favorite The Nest where a group of over twenty of us danced to 80’s and 90’s music and even had a short visit with a clown.?

Friday started with the traditional breakfast, the General Business Session which included a presentation by MoveHQ and HomeSafe Alliance . Both presentations were well attended, and we had the opportunity to ask questions.? While the representatives from HomeSafe Alliance were able to share Carrier Quality Index information, and swiftly addressed different payment questions, the reality is that they do not have concrete answers yet in regards to compensation.? They announced that they have partnered with Daycos for invoicing support, which at least gives some people a familiar partner.? At this point, they are encouraging everyone interested in participating as an agent under the new GHC, to register on their website and be on the lookout for more information as well as training opportunities. During the Luncheon, we heard a policy and regulatory update from our lobbyist representative Matt Robinson, partner at Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lange .

Next we heard from Jeanette Homan of Lambert Enterprises, Michael Wilson of National Forwarding Co., Inc. , Ron Mallonee of TMM , and Mark Lundgren of @Interstate Van Lines Inc. The panel was moderated by Daniel Bradley of the International Association of Movers . An important topic discussed was USTRANSCOM ?Advisory 23-0035 , the message shared is that the service member cannot secure load date changes with the agent or hauler directly, they must contact the TSP and JPPSO in writing. The other hot topic was lithium batteries, per the USTRANSCOM? Advisory #23-0044 “The TSP is required to properly package, label, and certify (if required) lithium-ion cells rated at 100 watt-hours or less (20 watt-hours or less for single cell) and lithium metal batteries containing two (2) grams or less of lithium content (one (1) gram or less for single cells).” Jeanette Homan of Lambert Enterprises offered her laminated one page cheat sheet that has reminders regarding this advisory which is effective May 15, 2023. She generously encouraged attendees to reach out to her if they needed one to be mailed.

We ended Friday night with a delicious Mexican food dinner on rooftop “Starlight Terrace”. There we had some fun with pinatas, and more door prizes. A popular guest was Mike Sarro’s grandbaby Carter, he wore a super cute matching outfit with grandma, grandpa and his mom. It was hard to let go of that cutie!

On Saturday, we held the General Business Session, where I had the privilege to serve as MC. As usual, we had exciting door prizes for those present, followed by a presentation by Charles White , International Association of Movers . Chuck, who is retiring this year from his role as President, delivered important reminders about the changing moving population, the need to diversify and the pressing issue of embracing technology in our industry. Chuck has attended our convention for years, probably for over a decade and his interactions with California movers have always brought valuable insights about worldwide moving. He received a standing ovation and our gratitude.??

Next, I had the distinct pleasure of introducing our friend Rick Hosea , with OneRelo Worldwide , who moderated the van lines panel. The panel speakers were Steven McKenna of Allied Van Lines , Jack Griffin , Atlas World Group International , Paul Gregory, National Van Lines , Inc., Kevin Murphy, North American Van Lines , Heather Paraino , UniGroup , Inc. and Roger Wise , Wheaton World Wide Moving , Bekins Van Lines . Rick did an excellent job moderating the panel, the questions and interactions with the attendees showed a real interest by the industry to learn more about diversification, marketing, technology and reaching the ideal customer for their specific moving business. Some questions centered around the GHC and I think the sentiment was that even those not affiliated with a van line, are looking up to the van lines for leadership and insights on how to navigate the new reality.?

We also got to hear a presentation from Ryan Bowley , Director of the ATA Moving and Storage Conference at the American Trucking Association. Ryan gave us some information on the cooling of inflation, housing market inventory, vacancy rates and industrial demand cooling. He also reminded us of the advocacy efforts by the ATA in regards to FMCSA consumer outreach, fraud prevention and the collaboration between federal agencies such as the DOJ and FBI to make moving fraud a priority at field offices.?

After the General Business Session, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and moved on to what is one of my favorite events. We had some of the recipients of scholarships in attendance, the children or grandchildren of our association’s members gave their thanks to the CMSA for being selected. Every year, the CMSA awards $50K+ in scholarships. The CMSA also presented donations to the Special Olympics and the Chair’s charity Ronald McDonald House Charities .?

The other highlight of the lunch is each of the 12 chapter’s contributions to the General Fund. And the presentation of the chapter of the year award. This year, the recognition went to Andria Skiff , President of the San Diego Chapter and manager at Republic Moving and Storage, and to Dustin Sandoval , President of the Sacramento Chapter and Owner/Sales & Marketing Director at C.D.K. Relocation Services, Inc. We congratulate the winners and celebrate all the hard work, innovation and outreach that is involved in making the meetings successful and engaging!?

Saturday evening ended with a celebration for the Chairman Installation installation of our dear friend Jesse Chabot , of @Golden West Moving Systems Inc. A Disney fanatic, he paraded in a Halloween and Mickey Mouse print blazer. We got to hear the story of how his grandfather started the moving company and after some challenging times, his mother took over. Jesse and his wife Sovann Chabot have been very active in the association and Jesse has an energetic and enthusiastic personality. We congratulate him and look forward to his visits around the state. ?

Thank you to the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA) , Steve Weitekamp President, Renee Hifumi and Gale Iwashita and all the supporting staff that made this convention possible. We have a really strong association and it is because of the dedicated people who serve our membership. It is never to early to remind you to mark your dates for the 106th convention, which will be held in Hawaii, you can find more details here .

The views expressed here are my own, and no, I do not use ChatGPT!