In another Richmond Story, Jim Gordon (JG) sat down with Jeff Pawer (JP) territorial manager of Two Small Men With Big Hearts, whose office is here in Richmond. 

JG: Two Small Men With Big Hearts started over 40 years ago with one single truck. Addison Parfeniuk, chief executive officer and owner said that the company’s growth began by using the franchise business model of ownership. He initially joined the firm in Edmonton and later purchased the Edmonton operation with a partner. Parfeniuk continued to buy out additional locations and then bought out his partner. He owns all of the companies in western Canada and oversees the running of the entire operation. 

Today they have 25 offices from Victoria to Ottawa and are the largest independent moving company in Canada. Jeff, let’s start with the company name, I’ve seen the company trucks over the years, how did this come about. 

JP: The company was started by two friends about 40 years ago here in Vancouver and although they weren’t the biggest individuals in size, they wanted to change the industry with a ‘big heart’ caring for the customers and the staff, thus the company name.

JG: There are different models that can be used for companies, for example, head office owns all the franchises or there’s franchisees. With your company how is it set up.

JP: In Western Canada the corporation owns the majority of the franchises and we’re just in the process of expanding into Eastern Canada and picking up some franchises there.

JG: One of the things that we try to do in these segments is to include an educational component. Other then one’s health, moving is probably one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. We all have gone through this; can you give advice what people should be looking for in a moving company. 

JP: The biggest key to a successful move is to be organized in terms of having your items ready and letting the moving company know if you require packing because a lot of moving companies offer packing services. So, being organized is key, making sure the moving company that you select is insured and bonded and that they will take care of you if something goes wrong.

JG: Is that something that’s easy to research. 

JP: Go on line and check reviews. We get a lot of customer referrals or people will see our truck in a neighbourhood and approach us that way and also someone that you know who has moved is a good resource. 

JG: Since the dawn of time, in business you can’t please everybody. How does your company address complaints, unhappy customers because you are dealing with people’s memories and their possessions.

JP: Our company has an entire after-service department. Once the move is completed, they take over the file good, bad or otherwise. They handle claims if something happens. They have complete autonomy, investigate every claim thoroughly from start to finish, and typically favour the customer and that’s how we built our reputation. 

JG: I love when companies that have been around a long time feel strongly about getting involved in the community. Two Small Men With Big Hearts donates 10 per cent of profits back to local organizations. In 2022, you raised one million dollars for local charities and this year, pledged $200,000 for charities. Let’s talk about your company’s involvement in this community and other communities.

JP: I’ve been in transportation for over 40 years and been involved in a lot of community work. About 2 years ago, I switched gears in my career and one of the reasons I was attracted to Two Small Men With Big Hearts was because of their community work. It really is a corporate culture, that starts with our owner Addison, and goes all the way down to our movers, who are happy to give their time. We have a committee that investigates what we are going to do and how we are going to do it and I’m proud to be part of that committee. 

JG: In regards to fighting fires around the world and how we seem to be helping each other out, something that I didn’t know, is that your company moved used firefighter equipment to help first responders in the Philippines how important was that.

JP: In North America, firefighting equipment has a shelf life of ten years, but in other countries this equipment can be very valuable. We actually had our partners in Winnipeg drive a truck of firefighting equipment out to Vancouver and then we transferred the equipment to a container in Burnaby which was bound for the Philippines.

JG: For a long time, one of the questions I asked during COVID was how a business was affected. I understand your company, your team, were donating moving assistance for those in need and non-profit organizations. Can you talk about 2020 to 2022.

JP: COVID made us incredibly busy. A lot of people were moving because they were now working from home instead of at the office so it could be moving office to home or moving to a home with more space to accommodate these needs. One of the company’s core values is safety, so we had all the safety protocols in place. In terms of COVID and going into people’s homes, we were being very careful.

JG: One of the things that’s constantly in the news is, people are looking for staff. Is this something that your company faced.

JP: Staffing is a bit of an issue. Again, our company has been around for so long, potential employees recognize the name and the brand and because of our record for community giving, people want to be a part of that. It’s a bit of an attraction in that sense, but it is a bit of challenge getting good skilled labour.

JG: Let’s talk about the next few years, plans/expansion.

JP: We’re looking at some of the smaller areas within British Columbia and Western Canada. We just picked up Kamloops because it’s a good hub for our long-distance moves. We’re also moving east to the Ontario market.

JG: That’s interesting I can see how Kamloops as a hub, will allow you to reach out to the smaller communities in the region. Any last words you’d like to say to our viewers of the Richmond Sentinel.

JP: I’d just like to say that I’m proud to be part of a company that gives back to the community. I live and work in Richmond so, I’m happy to do that on a local level. 

To watch the video interview richmondsentinel.ca/videos