On September 23, 2019, NorthStar Moving & Storage Company proudly turns 25 years old. We’ve moved a long way in those 25 years! We are now the largest independent moving company in California. We make 8,000 to 10,000 moves per year – over 132,000 moves since 1994. NorthStar Moving has redefined the moving industry by providing award-winning local, long distance and international moving services, along with full service storage.
Thinking Outside The Box For 25 Years
When Ram Katalan and Laura McHolm co-founded NorthStar Moving Company back in 1994, they knew that the moving industry had a horrible reputation for customer care. They also knew moving was a dreaded experience for most people. They set out to prove “moving day” did not have to mean chaos and dealing with an unreliable moving company.
Ram and Laura still believe in delivering excellent service and still love turning their clients into raving fans. With a desire to make moving as stress-free as possible, they continue to make it their top priority to provide special customized client care. They give their clients the red carpet treatment and were the first in the industry to offer eco-luxury moving packages.
A Legacy Loaded With Milestones & Awards
Truly, a key to our success is our company’s culture. We are a family of loyal, diverse, and dedicated team members. Many of our team members have worked at NorthStar Moving for more than five, ten, and even 20 years. In fact, NorthStar Moving was recently recognized for the tenth consecutive year as one of the “Best Places To Work” in the greater Los Angeles area by the Los Angeles Business Journal. This year, out of more than 244,000 businesses in Los Angeles County, NorthStar Moving ranked #33 in the medium-sized company category on the Best 100 Places To Work list.
We are also proud we were inducted into the Inc. 5000 Hall of Fame. Inc. 5000 ranks the top 5000 fastest-growing private companies in the United States. Companies only make the honor roll if they been an Inc. 5000 honoree five times or more. Fewer than ten percent of the Inc. 5000 honorees are listed for multiple years and earn the respected Inc. 5000 Honor Roll status.
Our achievements do not end there. NorthStar Moving has earned 102 awards and nominations.
Just this past year alone, we were presented with the following honors:
In August 2019, we received the Hunger Fighting Hero award. In May 2019, the Certificate of Achievement in extraordinary efforts to fight hunger. And in April 2019, the Mover Of The Month award. All were presented by the nonprofit Move For Hunger in recognition of our work to make sure everyone in Los Angeles County has enough to eat. We hold an annual Let’s Send Hunger Packing food drive. Over the past seven years, the food and monetary donations equals over 134,120 meals. We also help with leftover food pick-ups. We make sure the leftovers are donated, not discarded, from events like the Los Angeles Marathon and Rock ‘n’ Roll San Francisco Half Marathon.
In July 2019, we ranked #69 on the Top Woman-Owned Business List by the Los Angeles Business Journal. To be considered for this list, businesses must have at least 50% female ownership and are placed on the list based on 2018 revenue.
In June 2019, co-founder Laura McHolm was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal at the Women’s Council & Awards. Laura was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year for changing the dim views consumers once held of the moving industry, while contributing time, services and financial support to charitable and social conscious organizations.
In June 2019, we were presented with the World Refugees Day Award by Miry’s List, a nonprofit serving over 300 families who have recently resettled in America as refugees from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. Miry’s List honored Laura McHolm for NorthStar Moving’s integral role in settling refugee families into their new homes in this country.
In June 2019, the Community Leader Award was presented to Laura McHolm by the National Association of Women Business Owners in Los Angeles (NAWBO-LA). Laura received the Community Leader Award at NAWBO’s 33rd Annual Leadership & Legacy Awards. They recognized Laura for the success in her business and for making a tremendous impact in the community through her dedicated service.
In April 2019, we were nominated for the Women’s Council Award by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. The Women’s Council Awards honor women who make a difference in the community.
In November 2018, we were ranked as one of the most Influential Family-Owned Businesses by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
In November 2018, we were ranked as one of the Largest Family-Owned Businesses by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
Over the past 25 years, NorthStar Moving has been honored with more awards for service than any other moving company. Not only have we received the accolades listed above, we are recommended by The Franklin Report and MovingInsurance.com. We have been consistently “A+” rated by the Better Business Bureau; voted Citysearch “Best Mover;” and awarded the company with the most five star ratings on Trustlink, Google Guarantee and Yelp.
Our stellar service has attracted raving fans, along with popular social media influencers and landmark institutions like the Getty Museum to be part of our repeat client family. We have a star studded list of celebrity clientele that would make even the top Hollywood agent green with envy. Our A-Lister clients include: Angelina Jolie, Cheech Marin, Mel Gibson, Derek Fisher, Shirley McLaine, Miss Piggy, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Dane Cook, Eva Longoria and Dennis Hopper.
Packed In The Media Spotlight
NorthStar Moving has over 625 press placements. How many moving companies have been featured in Elle Décor, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, The Robb Report, Fortune Small Business, CNN Money, NBC Nightly News, Huffington Post, Real Simple, Thrive Global and is also a regular contributor to lifestyle, real estate and home media outlets? Just one. Us!
NorthStar Moving has also appeared in over a dozen films and television shows on networks such as HGTV, ABC, MTV, HBO, BRAVO and more. We are the go-to moving company for production companies, working with top films and TV shows including: ABC’s The Bachelor and America’s Next Top-Model.
Delivering Up A Commitment To Staying Green
NorthStar Moving started out green and is committed to staying green, winning awards along the way like Best Green Practices. Besides the use of sustainable packing materials (such as eco-bubble and moving boxes made of 100% recyclable materials), we offer box recycling incentives. We converted our moving trucks to run on Biodiesel. Even our storage facility and offices follow green practices. These green initiatives are part of our sincere dedication to help protect the environment. After all, it’s the only planet we’ve got. We are also proud to say business students from various top-notch universities ask to interview us and learn about our green practices. Seems like we’re kind of a green case study.
Moved To Give Back To Our Community
NorthStar Moving partners with, volunteers services, and contributes financial support to 28 community-focused charities and socially-conscious organizations including: Chabad of Chatsworth, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, E-Cycle Environmental, Global Green USA, Goodwill of Southern California, Habitat for Humanity, Karma Rescue, Lou Parker Project, Make-A-Wish LA, Shane’s Inspiration and the Women In Green Forum. NorthStar Moving is part of the Open to All coalition, which rejects discrimination, promotes acceptance and promises to interact respectfully with all people, on equal terms.
We are so well-known for our passion for making the world a nicer place, that Laura’s dedication to the community is recognized on a national level by the editors at Ladies’ Home Journal, naming her one of “16 Women Who Made The World Happier.” This past year, Laura was featured on the Los Angeles CBS News segment “People Making A Difference.”
Holding a special place in our hearts is Claire’s Place Foundation. Our co-founder Laura was on the founding board and now serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Claire’s Place was founded by a 13 year old, Claire Wineland, who lived with cystic fibrosis her entire life. The foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides support to children and families affected by cystic fibrosis.
In September 2018, Claire passed away at the age of 21. Laura met Claire in 2011, when she answered Claire’s heartfelt wish to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater LA for a newly designed, mermaid-themed bedroom. Laura was instantly wowed and impacted by young Claire’s incredible wisdom and inspirational outlook on life. They didn’t want their relationship to end there. Claire and Laura quickly became family. Over the past decade, Laura and her marketing and public relations team have worked closely with Claire’s Place Foundation to create campaigns and fundraisers to support families of children living with cystic fibrosis. Claire and the foundation catapulted into the national spotlight through press, TV interviews and films. Top media features include: Glamour magazine, The Dr. Oz Show, Seventeen magazine, CNN and more.
On September 2, 2019, the documentary “Claire” was released exclusively on YouTube. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Nick Reed and Ryan Azevedo and produced by Paul Foley, the film tells Claire’s story through interviews and footage, exploring her fight with cystic fibrosis and how she inspires millions to find purpose and to live proudly. For a life-affirming use of 40 minutes of your day, watch this new YouTube Original film on Claire Wineland’s YouTube channel.
We are honored to work with the nonprofit organization Miry’s List. Founded by Miry Whitehill, Miry’s List crowdsources supply requests for vetted refugee families. The supplies help them to rebuild their lives as they settle in the United States. And, the amazing Miry List’s community gives them a new sense of belonging and family. NorthStar Moving provides free services to store these essential household items and delivers them to the new homes of the resettling families. We are honored to help these refugee families (or, as Miry prefers to call them, “new arrivals”) feel welcomed; safe; and to know they have now arrived home and they belong here.
For the last seven years, NorthStar Moving has held our “Let’s Send Hunger Packing” food drives. One out of four children in Los Angeles County will go to bed hungry tonight. And, that’s simply not an easy way to start a successful day in school or in life. Join our fight against hunger. We have raised monetary and non-perishable food donations totaling approximately 134,124 meals. It is never too late to send hunger packing; monetary donations can always be made directly to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
We Are In It For The Long Haul
To some folks, 25 years may seem like a long time to travel a road but we’re just getting started. We know many folks count on us to always be their mover. They even told their family, friends and co-workers about us and now we’re their mover too.
We love becoming your mover for life. And, if you really want to sweet talk us, call us: “my mover.” We are committed. We’re staying put and not going anywhere. Whoops, we mean… we are on the move and we are going everywhere!
We get requests every day from families and businesses outside California and Arizona who want to move with us and we have to say sorry, no, we’re not in your community yet. We’d like to make our team even larger so we can move more of you to more places. We’ve begun to franchise and are looking for people who get our culture; our high standards of service; and our love for our clients, our team, our community and our planet. Is that you?
We’ll continue to strive to meet and exceed the high standards of service and integrity that is expected from NorthStar Moving. We promise to keep redefining the moving industry. And, we are committed to making the world a better place, one move at a time.
Hop on! It’s going to be a fun ride!
Thank you for making these 25 years possible!