Archives: Case Studies

In January we completed a move in the Lesley University library. Lesley University is a client we have work with on numerous occasions. This particular move was on the larger side. Lesley was completing renovations to their library’s ground and first floor. The renovations consisted of removing and laying down the new carpet, as well as painting the walls and adding in new shelving for books. They contacted Olympia for their moving and disposal needs, and we were more than happy to help. We worked directly with their facilities manager, who we have an ongoing relationship with.

Our crew temporarily moved the books to the second floor so the renovations could be completed. Attention to detail was important for this job. The books had to be placed on the carts by shelf, in the same order. The cart rentals for this move were provided by Olympia, along with binds and dollies. Keeping the order of the books was an extremely important detail that factored to the success of the job.

After the books were loading on carts and placed on the second floor, the shelves were then removed and recycled. The room was now ready for carpet and paint. This is a typical move request from our clients, and something that our crew has done many times before. Once the carpet and paint renovations were complete, Olympia installed the new compact shelving was placed on both ground and first floor.

The job took about a week and a half to complete and was a great success. Lesley University is a client that we value and we look forward to working with again in the future.

For any commercial or campus moving inquiries please click here for a free estimate!

Learn more about commercial moving with Olympia’s case studies. Take a look at what it’s like to work with the Olympia team on this office liquidation & renovation in partnership with a leading furniture dealer.

Client: Office Resources and Cengage

When: June 2019

The Project: Boston Office Liquidation & Renovation with a Boston Furniture Dealer

Boston Office Liquidation

In June, Office Resources hired Olympia to assist educational company Cengage with their office renovations. Cengage makes educational software and content from their headquarters in Boston’s Fort Point Seaport district.

Our crews removed and liquidated old shelving units, cubicles, and other unwanted furniture. Cengage’s building was once a warehouse, so this project is an expansive undertaking. Liquidating floors and floors of office furniture takes time, but luckily our crews have the experience to take on a lengthy project.

Furniture Disposal in Fort Point

Due to the sheer size of Cengage, a lot of inventory was moved out of the building. Elevators were the main mode of transportation through the building. Our crew padded three elevators to protect them from furniture edges and scrapes.

The elevators also provided a unique challenge. Security cards were necessary for travel to any floor but the first. The same applied to all of the stairwells. Only a few members of the crew received security cards. Therefore, our foremen had an organized approach to ensure no one got stuck outside of the floor they were working on. For example, old cubicles were broken down in groups and then stacked in the open areas near the elevators, waiting to be removed in bundles. Then, teams of crew members moved them with someone who has a security card. This strategy ensured that the security measures did not slow the crew down.

Preparing For Renovation

On floors that had already been cleared of their old fixtures, the crews organized whatever remained. Office suites stored items  like chairs and books until the process was complete. A full warehouse floor of office fixtures leaves a lot of miscellaneous objects behind, all of which were treated with care by our crews.

Moving Company for Furniture Dealers

This project will continue through June. At the same time that our crews are working through the upper floors, other contractors are updating the space behind them. A brand new office in the same building in the Seaport Boston is waiting for the Cengage employees when they return.

Olympia’s versatility is why we are the first choice of a company like Office Resources. Office Resources is a leading Knoll Dealer in Boston who is working with Cengage to create a beautiful new workspace including state-of-the-art cubicles and desks. Furniture dealer companies like Office Resources bring Olympia in to facilitate this update. We can handle liquidating the old space so Office Resources can focus on designing the new space. We have specialists on our crews that can tackle a variety of commercial moving needs.

Renovating your office? Are you a furniture dealer in need of a moving company partner? Call Olympia to schedule a proposal meeting at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

Learn more about commercial moving with Olympia’s case studies. Find out what it’s like to work with the Olympia team on this university cleanout.

Client: Brandeis University

When: May 2019

The Project: University Library Furniture Removal

Removal Overview

Brandeis University is currently in the process of renovating its historic library. The library is home to over two million books, forty-five thousand journals, and four thousand films. All these materials need a home. Over the course of the summer, Brandeis will be updating its library, starting from the lower levels. As usual, the old carpets are the first to go.

Carpet removal can’t begin with a load of furniture blocking the way. That is where Olympia comes in. Our crews are on-site at Brandeis completing a mass furniture recycling project ahead of the carpet removal. We dispose of all of the old, unwanted furniture from the library’s lower levels. This leaves Library Services free to handle other parts of the renovation.

Equipped and Ready

The benefit of bringing Olympia in the handle furniture disposal is that Brandeis Library Services and Brandeis Maintenance did not have to sacrifice their own resources to haul desks. With the crew on the ground floor, Library Services could work concurrently on renovation tasks on the upper floors.  In addition, maintenance did not have to shuffle equipment away and interrupt the dorm cleanout occurring nearby to accommodate our crews. One Olympia truck brought all the equipment our crew needed.

Removal and Breakdown

Our crew split into two groups to start of this job–one to work through the lower levels and remove the furniture and one to break down and dispose of the furniture outside. Despite the demolition outside, no books were harmed in the process of this cleanout. Our crew took great care in protecting Brandeis’s historic collection. Far away from the books, old desks saw the business end of a sledgehammer.

Over the course of the morning, the crew separated the remains into two specific dumpsters–metal and wood. Because Brandeis wishes to avoid sending waste to a landfill, the separation is a must. A third party service will pick up the dumpsters once our crew is finished and take away the materials to be processed. The furniture will be turned into reusable products rather than being thrown out.

Looking Ahead

The library renovation will continue into June and Olympia will assist with any removals deemed necessary by Library Services. Though this phase of the project is complete, we were glad to assist in recycling such a large inventory. Olympia is a go-to moving company for Brandeis University. We are proud to work alongside their team on a range of projects to make the school run smoothly.

Brandeis is just one of the many universities that Olympia serves. We provide removal services, dorm moving services, as well as installation and technology disconnect/reconnect. Visit our site to learn more about how we can help your university this summer.

Renovating your university? Call Olympia to schedule a proposal meeting at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

Jump in to the action with Olympia’s case studies. Find out what it’s like to work with the Olympia team for a Boston disconnect / reconnect service.

Client: MathWorks

When: May 2019

The Project: Large Employee Relocation & Computer Disconnect/Reconnect

Local mathematical software giant MathWorks is constantly growing. After a fantastic year, the company is expanding its Apple Hill Campus with the renovation of its third building. Four buildings house around 3,000 employees and work spaces. Because of the sheer size of this campus, MathWorks brought Olympia in to assist with large scale disconnect/reconnect services.

Disconnect/Reconnect Services

Each work space requires the monitor and hard drive of the incoming employee to be installed. MathWorks operates on the very cutting edge of its industry, so creating a seamless transition between desks prevents loss of productivity. Such a large shift of technology requires a highly trained team, as great care is key to protecting valuable equipment and data.

The process begins when the hard drive is first attached under the desk in a cubby. Then, the cable bundles are paired with each set of hardware and run through the monitor arm. Finally, the back panel on the monitor is removed with a drill so that it can be drilled into the monitor arm.

Multi-Level Organization

The goal of this job is to move employees’ technology from their former work spaces into new ones. It’s an ongoing process with many phases to minimize disruptions, so the project will take months to complete. Consequently, the expansiveness of MathWorks’ campus requires a level of organization beyond that of a normal employee relocation.

Each crew member received a map at the start of the project to reference when the foreman directs them. The foreman is in control of a lot of moving parts and responsible for hundreds of sets of computing equipment. The crew then works in pairs or as individuals to move through each building in sections. Every crew member gets a dolly, disassembly and reassembly tools, and the computer hardware for the offices on their list.

Looking Ahead

The employee relocation will continue as renovations proceed over the next few months. Because of how crucial computer access is to MathWorks employees, the roll out of this relocation is staggered to ensure that no one is sitting without access to their work. Our crews will stay on site, gradually working through the blocks of relocations throughout the course of the job.

We are excited to help a Boston-area company with such an ambitious project!

Are you relocating your employees? Call Olympia to schedule a proposal meeting at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

Jump in to the action with Olympia’s case studies. Find out what it’s like to work with the Olympia team on projects like this college move out.

Client: College Boxes & Harvard University

When: May 2019

The Project: End-of-semester student move out

This spring, in the heart of Cambridge, Olympia Moving and Storage helped Harvard students move out of their housing. This project was a joint effort with College Boxes, a storage and shipping company for college students.

College Boxes Helps Students Move

College Boxes is a college packing and storage service that helps college students manage their belongings. A student orders boxes and packing supplies from College Boxes, which are then delivered to their dorm. They then use those items to pack up their belongings for the summer. Once the student is fully packed, College Boxes will pick up the boxes and place them into storage for the break. When the student returns to school in the fall, their belongings will already be in their new dorm room, ready for the school year.

Though College Boxes is a storage company in it’s own right, Olympia provided the labor logistics and warehouse space required to make a large job like a dorm move run smoothly. Olympia and College Boxes have worked together to provide this service for 13 years. In just the past six months, Olympia has assisted College Boxes at Harvard, Emerson, and Georgetown University.

A Rainy Monday

It rained heavy in Cambridge all day as our crew loaded boxes from Quincy House and the surrounding dorms. Three teams tackled different buildings over the course of the day, helping students move their things outside. Despite the weather, the post-finals mood was bright. Our crew was all smiles as they helped students transition into summer.

Because of the rain, the crew tarped over much inventory under trees on the quad. With the exception of Quincy House, each building clustered their inventory around a homebase. The Quincy House team worked out of the corner of the quad because of repairs being made to the Harvard’s iconic iron fences. The rain did not slow them down. The Quincy House team worked quickly and effectively to get the entire inventory off to College Boxes.

At the end of the day, the whole load left for our warehouse safe and sound. The completion of this job adds to Olympia’s track record of supporting colleges and universities with moving logistics. From large projects like full building clean-outs to more focused tasks like this move out, Olympia has the experience needed to execute jobs effectively. Read our Tufts, Boston University, or Howard case studies for more on what we can do to help colleges and universities.

If you are a student, visit College Boxes for all of your dorm packing needs. If you are a college or university, call Olympia to schedule a proposal meeting at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

With our Case Studies, we take you to the job site. Preview what it’s like to work with the Olympia team on a wide range of commercial moves and projects.

Company: L3

When: May 2019

The Project: Move and Inventory Sort

This spring, L3, a major technology company, moved its world headquarters to Tewksbury, MA. Olympia relocated six hundred employees from L3’s Woburn and Wilmington facilities to one central location.

Our team handled computer disconnect and reconnect, as well as the transport of lab equipment and rigging. We then set up cubicles and desks in the new office so that the move did not leave employees stranded for any longer than necessary. L3 is now completely up and running in Tewksbury. But, the story doesn’t end there.

Sorting Things Out

After the success of the headquarters move, L3 brought Olympia back in to to process their inventory. We now have a crew of ten people cycle counting L3’s inventory of over a million parts and pieces. L3’s employees are helping us with the re-inventory, but the project is expected to take two months to complete.

Three different warehouses are involved to this process, so three groups of inventory are being processed simultaneously. As such, our crews need to keep detailed records of each batch of items to streamline the process. New items are transferred from locational trailers and sorted, while current inventory is relabeled and sorted. All of this information is then uploaded to L3’s online inventory system.

Next Steps

As the inventory process goes on, each inventory group will be taken to its specific warehouse. The goal of the entire job is to have all of the inventory sorted, labelled, and uploaded to the database at the end of the two month period.

L3 is an international company that needs to be able to keep up with its different markets. Olympia provides the logistic solutions needed to keep companies like L3 up and running when they need it most.

Does your business need help with inventory logistics? Call Olympia to schedule a proposal meeting at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

With our Case Studies, we take you to the job site. Preview what it’s like to work with the Olympia team on a wide range of commercial moves and projects. In this case study, we share Olympia’s summer-long role assisting university facilities and logistics with Tufts.

The Client: Tufts University

When: June – August 2018

The Project: Condition Appraisal, Furniture Removal, Replacement, and Installation, Facilities and Logistics Assistance

Campus-wide updates and renovations at Tufts University

Many of the Boston area schools rely on Olympia to manage the preparation of their buildings for each school year. Tufts University has almost 11,500 students returning to school each fall. Summer is the perfect time to prepare the many dorms, classroom buildings, and office buildings. Tufts needed manpower to complete the university facilities and logistics needs, and they called on Olympia to help.

University Dorm Evaluation

Olympia was at Tufts with an average of crews of 8 almost every day through the months of June, July, and August. The team started the project by evaluating each dorm room to identify the updates. The Olympia team compiled a detailed list of the repairs and replacements needed in each room and the vendors needed to complete the tasks. The list included evaluating furniture’s condition or need for replacement, painting needs, window and blind maintenance, and more.

University Project Punch Lists and Furniture Installation & Liquidation

In order to keep the summer organized and on-task, Olympia completed daily punch lists for the staff. The university logistics included moving furniture to and from different rooms and buildings on campus. Oscar, the dedicated project manager for this job, was on campus almost every day. He was in direct constant contact with the Tufts staff and facilities about the campus’s constantly changing needs.

Once the existing furniture evaluation was complete, Olympia replaced the old furniture with new pieces. The new furniture arrived in trailers and the Olympia crew would move, install, and arrange it. The Olympia team moved all old and unwanted furniture out of the buildings and transported them for donation or recycling.

University Facilities & Logistics

The key of this project was to execute  quickly and efficiently so the University was ready for the Fall 2018 Academic semester.  We hope that as the Tufts students and staff return to campus this fall, they enjoy the beautiful facilities that Olympia prepared behind-the-scenes.

Does your University or business need help with campus facilities or building updates? Call Olympia to schedule a proposal meeting at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

In our Case Studies, we take you to the job site. Preview the Olympia team’s work on this hospitality moving project in Washington, DC.

The Client: Hyatt Regency Hotel, Washington, DC

When: August 2018

The Project: Replacing, Restocking, and Recycling Hyatt Regency’s mattresses

Olympia helps keep the standards high at the Hyatt Regency in DC

The Hyatt Regency hotel in Washington DC is just 2 blocks away from the United States Capitol and the National Mall. Hyatt Regency has guests from around the world relying on them for a safe, clean, and enjoyable stay overnight in the nation’s capital. They called upon Olympia Moving and Storage to replace and recycle over 600 mattresses and box springs.

Washington DC Hospitality Moving

Olympia received five trailer loads of mattresses and box springs at our local Washington DC warehouse. The crew was on-site at the Hyatt for five days. Each day the Olympia team took all old mattresses from the hotel rooms, bagged them, and loaded them into the truck. Olympia transported the product back to our warehouse for donation. After all the mattresses were removed, Olympia delivered and set up all the new mattresses and box springs in the rooms. The crew removed and set up mattresses in around 100 rooms per day.

Commercial Furniture Donation

Once the mattresses returned to our warehouse, Olympia arranged for all of them to be donated to a local charity, A Wider Circle. The donation allowed Olympia to benefit the community, keep the mattresses out of the landfill, and save the Hyatt Regency thousands of dollars disposal costs. A Wider Circle was thrilled with the donation and sent us this message:

“A Wider Circle had the pleasure of working with Olympia Moving & Storage over the summer.  Mattresses and box springs are the most requested items by the families that A Wider Circle serves. Since 2001, Each year, with the help of more than 30,000 volunteers, A Wider Circle provides 16,000 individuals with the tools essential for dignified living in stable homes and 2,500 individuals with the skills and resources they need to be in the workforce, while serving an additional 7,500 children and adults through its special programs and services.  Partnerships with organizations like Olympia Moving & Storage are the cornerstone of our success.”

A Satisfied Hospitality Moving Client

Getting this job done quickly was on top of the to do list for this project. It was essential to the hotel returning to day to day functions and full capacity. The Executive Housekeeper at the Hyatt Regency had this to say about working with our team:

“From start to finish, the team at Olympia moving was fast, friendly and efficient. Coming into an environment that was new for them, even having done similar projects in other hotels, they were extremely quick to catch-on to the location and floors. Joe and his team arrived every day on time and notified me as soon as they were ready to begin which was right when they got here. What was significant was not having to look over Joe and his team during the whole process. His team was partnered up with a few of my associates and I couldn’t get over the fact that there were little to no hiccups during the transitioning of over 600 box springs. I want to thank the entire team at Olympia moving and would highly recommend them to anyone in the future looking for a project either large or small!”

Does your hotel or business have hospitality moving needs? Call Olympia to refurnish and recycle old furniture at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

Boston Liquidation Services

Olympia was on site for four days. The first day our team tackled the office storage area. They took away trash for disposal and packed and organized everything that needed to be moved. The next day the Olympia crew relocated furniture and items from the main floor to the basement storage to clear the space for renovation. On day three, our team rolled up their sleeves to decommission 30 cubicles. Olympia liquidated workstations, desk chairs, file cabinets, and desks.

Boston Commercial Interstate Moving

Finally, Olympia relocated some of the art and furniture to another William Raveis office in Connecticut. This is a clever sustainability and money-saving tactic. If your company is renovating or moving one office, move that office’s resources to another office location that needs it. That’s the benefit of working with a commercial moving company that does it all.

The key on this project was the execute as quickly and efficiently as possible. When the construction is complete, Olympia will be called on to install the new office furniture and move items out of storage.

Is your company renovating an office? Call Olympia to decommission your office furniture at 800-222-4744 or request a quote online.

Putting on a large event takes coordination of many moving parts. Organization and working with the right people can make the difference between a success and a logistics disaster. Olympia Moving and Storage provides moving services and event logistics for events held throughout the Boston, Washington DC, and Philadelphia areas.

2016 was our seventh year assisting with the B2VT Ride event. The event features a 130 mile bike ride starting from Bedford, MA and ending in Ludlow, VT. The B2VT has been taking place since 2001, originally the event was a ride between the Harpoon Brewery locations in MA and VT, but since then the event has taken on a life of its own.

Along with 7 trucks, Olympia provided a great crew including, Liviu, Adrian, Albert, Andrei, Florin, Irmanta, Kestutis, and Paulius. Each put in hard work and enjoyed being part of such a fun event.

In the morning at the start line the crew collected each of the bikers’ bags and belongings, rather than making the journey harder for the bikers. Our crew also made sure there was a hearty supply of water at each rest stop for the riders along the way.

Once in Ludlow, the Olympia crew cheered on the bikers as they crossed the finish line. From there the crew used pad wrapping to protect the bikes from any damage and loaded them into the trucks to be transported back to Bedford at the end of the event.

Olympia Moving provides full event logistics for this along with other events like the Alzheimer’s Ride and Special Olympics Massachusetts Summer Games. For information how your event could utilize our services contact us today at 800-222-4744 or request an estimate online!