For Lesli Bertoli, what began as a part-time gig has blossomed into a nearly four-decade career in the moving industry. Today, Bertoli is Allied Van Lines’ Vice President and General Manager, but 36 years ago, she got her start working as a packer for an Allied agent in Canada. That weekend job soon led to a role in the warehouse, which eventually evolved into a corporate position. “At the time, I didn’t have any proper dress clothes,” Bertoli recalls, laughing. “I had to go out and get business suits — back then, you couldn’t wear casual clothes.”
These days, Bertoli works out of the company’s headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where her range of experience has helped form her leadership style. “The corporate office is a lot different, but I do understand and appreciate what working at an Agency means, and that experience has helped me with my relationships within our network.,” she says.
Throughout her career in the industry, Bertoli has learned a thing or two, both about moving and leadership, and has always kept her eye on the future. Here, she shares key findings and a few trends she expects will impact the industry in the years to come.
Breaking Down Three Important Learnings
Bertoli’s experience at both an agent and a corporate level, where she’s worked in departments from customer service to corporate accounts, gives her a unique perspective and keen understanding of what happens across the company. As she’s transitioned roles and grown at Allied, three key things have been impressed upon her: the value of drivers, the importance of understanding the customer experience, and how costs have risen since she joined the industry.
- Drivers: Since she started in the industry, Bertoli has seen time and again the immense value of drivers — from being out on the road to supporting our customers, they truly do it all. Bertoli says it’s hard to overstate their importance, especially as the industry deals with driver shortages, and it’s vitally important to understand and support our drivers while they are away from their families and ensure we respect their at-home time and family commitments. “I have the utmost respect for the Drivers and appreciate the challenges they face in their role. Certainly, in my role now, I could use a hundred more of them.”
- Customer experience: Whether you’re talking about a consumer, corporate or military move, the value of hiring a professional mover may seem obvious. But some customers, especially those who only move once or twice in their lives, may not truly understand what the process entails and what our role is in their move and what their role is their move. That’s why, Bertoli says, it’s important to both educate customers about what to expect, and to manage their expectations. “For us in the moving industry, it’s sometimes a logistical challenge, as we’re not selling ‘seats on a plane’, we’re servicing shipments based on the size of their shipment, dates that they are requesting and where they are moving to. We are an irregular route Carrier delivering to households across the Country. As a household goods carrier, we try to manage space on a truck, and delivering to residential areas, condo complexes, apartment buildings and self-storage facilities and sometimes, it can be challenging to meet all the expectations – both the customers and our Driver fleet,” she says. “So, it can be a little bit of a logistical challenge, trying to meet those growing customer expectations and demands.”
- Rising costs: From the cost of insurance, repairs and maintenance on equipment, gas, labor and material costs have increased from when Bertoli first joined the industry. Managing those costs is an important component to success and profitability for our network.
Leading by Example
Throughout Bertoli’s career, her colleagues have largely been men, and she has been — and usually still is — one of the only women in the boardroom. But working in a male-dominated industry, where she says she’s only been treated with respect, helped her find her voice and form opinions early on. “Don’t be intimidated to speak your mind,” she says. “Your idea may not be accepted, but if you never speak up, then no one will ever know what you stand for.”
Finding that confidence is one of several leadership lessons Bertoli has learned over the years. Being prompt and prepared for meetings is another, and one that she considers a matter of respect. “Time is valuable,” she says. “Make sure your notes are well-documented and you have an agenda and you have a good team supporting you, so you can take charge of that meeting.”
But perhaps the most crucial leadership advice Bertoli can give to anyone looking to succeed in the moving industry is that building relationships is essential. Our network of Agents are all independently owned and operated and they all have a unique perspective and strategy for their business, and understanding that and respecting that helps to build the trust between Bertoli and the network. “I think the relationships that I've formed with the agency network have been invaluable,” Bertoli says. “We may not always agree on the outcome of a strategic direction, but with our partnership, we’re able to have conversations and pick up the phone and say, ‘I'm not sure I agree with that,’ or ‘Let’s talk about this and come to a mutually agreeable solution.’”
Looking to the Future of the Industry
After the disruption caused by the pandemic in 2020, Bertoli says the industry is, for the most part, back to business as usual and honestly never really stopped. And as things return to normal, she sees a few trends to keep an eye on in the coming years.
- Driver and labor shortages: The moving industry is currently facing a driver shortage, which is affecting moving companies across the U.S. and Canada. Bertoli says we have to do everything we can to keep the Drivers we have, while continuing our recruiting efforts. “This is going to be a continuing struggle for our industry, which means we need to focus on what we have today while continuing to explore non-conventional methods," Bertoli says.
- Retirements/exiting the business: Bertoli also predicts that we may see continued deterioration of the mid- to small-size movers. Some of these moving companies have been in the business for years and are approaching retirement age, without a solid succession plan. Several of these movers are located in smaller, niche cities across the country making it challenging to service all markets. “In those cases, I can see where some agents might start picking up or buying those smaller agents.”
- Effects of rising costs: Since she started in the moving industry, Bertoli has seen how costs have risen and knows they will only continue to do so. As the industry looks to the future, it’s essential to be cognizant of these costs and find smart ways to ensure our Agents, Drivers and Allied remain profitable and continue to invest in technology and more efficient processes.
During her 36-year career, Bertoli has seen both the industry and her role in it change and evolve. And with each change, she’s learned to adapt and grow while leading by example. It’s a team-first mentality that’s served her well during her time with Allied Van Lines.
“We need each other to be successful and can’t do anything without our agents, drivers and employees. We share in successes and losses and are partnered together to move forward, and that’s our motto: 'Better Together.' Not to mention,” she adds, “our nice big orange trucks.”
Allied Van Lines, The Careful Movers, supports local, long-distance and international corporate moves — large and small — and is the largest mover network in the world. With over 90 years of experience, we’re here when you need us to ensure your company and your top talent move forward into the future, together. Learn more.
