United Van Lines Canada Revives Mayflower Brand
MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 11, 2005 – United Van Lines (Canada) Ltd. announced today that the company has revived the Mayflower brand in Canada. Through the opening of Mayflower Transit Canada, United Van Lines solidifies its position as the country’s largest network of moving companies. It is the only major van line to be 100% Canadian owned and operated.
“The opening of Mayflower was a natural fit for us,” announced Anne Martin, President of United Van Lines (Canada) Ltd. “The Mayflower reputation for care and value is consistent with that of United Van Lines. A similar relationship exists in the U.S. under the Unigroup banner,” said Ms. Martin. “We are pleased to introduce another choice to consumers under the stewardship of someone that they trust. We are confident that the reintroduction of the well-respected Mayflower brand in Canada will attract additional operators to join our network of companies. Although Mayflower has not been active in Canada for the past decade, the brand, with the famous ship, has always maintained a high level of recognition with the public,” she added.
Mayflower has been moving families since 1927. It has a network of 900 agents in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and overseas. Mayflower Transit Canada, a division of United Van Lines (Canada) Ltd., will re-enter the Canadian market with a fresh take on the traditional green and yellow logo, along with 50 new agents to add to the Mayflower network. Its new Canadian look will be appearing on vehicles across Canada immediately.
United Van Lines (Canada) Ltd. was established in 1953. It comprises 200 privately-owned operators from coast to coast, which make up their “Member family.” Its reputation for providing quality service has helped it to be ranked number one in Canadian market share for the past 20 years. United Canada, Mayflower Canada, and their Member family operate the largest household-goods fleet and the largest container system in the country, with combined annual revenues of over $500M.
Frost the Mover Celebrates 100th Anniversary
William G. Frost established the business in 1905 under the name Frost’s City Storage. When his son, Norman G. Frost, joined the firm in the 1920s, the cost of moving personal goods was $4 per hour, a good price for a three-horse-drawn van and three movers. By 1929, Norman had established Frost the Mover. The Depression precipitated substantial increases in relocation activities for families and businesses, and Norman recognized the need for a full-service moving company.
Frost the Mover was the first area moving company licensed by the province, and in 1929 it acquired Kingston’s first motorized moving van. The firm became an agent for Mayflower Van Lines in the early 1930s and secured the contract to move all Camp Borden personnel to Kingston when the new Signals Camp was formed at Barriefield in 1937.
In 1945, Donald C. Frost, after serving in World War II, became the third generation of the Frost family to manage the business. Frost Moving & Storage Ltd. was incorporated following Norman Frost’s death in 1951. In 1954, the company expanded with the purchase of a former cereal manufacturing facility on Gore Street.
The company transferred its van-line association to North American Van Lines in the late 1950s. Historically an important member of the agency family, Frost recently received a plaque recognizing 45 years of service to North American Van Lines. By 1960, all of Frost’s operations had been consolidated to the Gore Street property. Donald Frost sold the company to the Armitage family in 1984, ending 79 years of Frost family ownership. Frost the Mover was purchased in 1997 by Rentx Transportation Services and now operates from their facilities in Kingston and in Belleville. A third facility is scheduled to open in Peterborough in the summer of 2005.
Frost the Mover is a member of The Better Business Bureau and the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce. Frost the Mover was one of the first companies to receive the designation as a Certified Canadian Mover, awarded by the Canadian Association of Movers. This is a recognized symbol of quality in Canada’s moving industry. Frost the Mover has become synonymous with moving since 1905 and still retains its reputation for quality as Kingston’s oldest moving company.
The WSIB seminar originally scheduled for April 7 was held on Thursday, May 12, in the CAM office.
Once again, Greg Sathmary of Industrial Mediation provided a value-added session on workers’ compensation. Feedback from participants was very positive. On CAM’s 5-point rating scale, attendees rated the seminar’s relevance at 5.0, value of the information at 4.7, and speaker’s delivery at 4.7.
Greg presented the information in a very practical style using case studies and analysis of attendees’ sample problems. This valuable seminar will be offered again, for those members who missed it.
