Bekins Van Lines, Inc.

Bekins Van Lines, Inc.
Subsidiary of Wheaton World Wide Moving
Industry Moving and Storage
Founded 1891 (1891)
Headquarters Indianapolis, IN, United States
Number of locations
 Over 300
Area served
 International
Number of employees
 Over 5,300 (over 5,000 drivers and 300 agents) (2009)
Parent Wheaton World Wide Moving
Website www.bekins.com

Bekins Van Lines, Inc. was founded in 1891[1] by brothers John and Martin Bekins. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Bekins provides private and corporate domestic and international household goods relocation services as well as special commodities and logistic services.[2] The United States Military also is one of Bekins' largest customers.[2]

Bekins is the oldest and was the largest household moving company in the United States in 1969,[3] and is one of the largest moving companies in North America.[2][4] In 2009, the company had over 300 locations and a fleet of over 2,100 vehicles.[2] The company also owns warehouse space that exceeds four million square feet.[2]

Bekins was acquired by Wheaton World Wide Moving in 2012.[4] After the acquisition, the Bekins Van Lines brand name continued to be used as a separate brand.[4]

Industry endorsements

  • In "Tank" with James Garner, His family is moved by Bekins Van Lines.
  • At the end of False Alarms (1936), The Three Stooges drive off in a Bekins van.
  • In Impact (1949), the protagonist stows away in a Bekins van after an unsuccessful attempt on his life.
  • In Step Brothers, The Huff's, played by Mary Steenburgen and Will Ferrell are packed and moved using The Bekins Company.
  • In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, moved to Harvard using The Bekins Company.
  • In The American President, Sydney Ellen Wade moved to Washington, and her things are moved in boxes marked "Benkins".
  • In the film version of the musical Hello, Dolly! a horse drawn "Bekins Moving & Storage Co" wagon is shown in the opening sequence set at New York City in 1890. As the company did not exist at this time, this reference is an anachronism.
  • In Antitrust, Milo is moved to Portland using The Bekins Company.
  • In the beginning scenes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. A Bekins box is in the mothers room as she awakes to get her son Barry.
  • In the movie It happened on 5th avenue, a Bekins truck can be seen in the beginning of the movie. It is parked in front of the O'Conner Office buildinig construction site.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Company Overview of Bekins Van Lines, Inc". Bloomberg. January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Plunkett, J.W. (2009). Plunkett's Transportation, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Almanac 2009. Plunkett Research Limited. p. 242. ISBN 978-1-59392-142-2. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  3. ↑ Benson, Lee (January 8, 2017). "About Utah: Meet a man who loves his boss". DeseretNews.com. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Wheaton acquiring residential mover Bekins". Indianapolis Business Journal. February 11, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2017.

Further reading

  • Antelman, G.; Derdak, T. (1988). International Directory of Company Histories. International Directory of Company Histories. St. James Press. pp. 48–50. ISBN 978-1-55862-218-0. (subscription required)
  • Richardson, Ian (December 13, 2016). "Developer eyes landmark Bekins warehouse for apartment complex". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Clint Stencil, owner of the Sioux Falls-based Clint Stencil Construction, has approached the city with plans to convert the 110-year-old former Bekins Moving and Storage building ...
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