Movin’ On Up: How two women hope to revitalize the moving industry in New Jersey

EAST BRUNSWICK – At 23-years-old, Mackenzie Kilgariff and her business mentor, Brittany Ishman, have planted their entrepreneurial seeds in East Brunswick.

The arrival of Two Men and a Truck, a renowned moving company, marks the first in the township.

With nearly 400 locations throughout the country, the reputation of Two Men and a Truck is well-established. Similarly, Kilgariff and Ishman have earned a reputable status within their industry as consummate professionals.

Ishman, who turned a temporary position at the company into a full-time career, serves as a manager in the company’s risk management and compliance department. Five years prior, she purchased the rights for the Two Men and a Truck location in Princeton. Thus, giving her the experience needed to expand into new territory.

Kilgariff, one of the company’s youngest franchise owners, initially began her career as a marketing intern at the company. Eventually, she transitioned into the role of general manager and after a few years, became co-owners with Ishman in East Brunswick.

Now, with a new location at 124 Tices Lane, the enterprising pair are eager to showcase the care and quality associated with their brand.

For less than a month, they have operated out of their new location. Yet, despite it’s infancy, Kilgariff and Ishman said that their arrival has been greeted with steady demand. According to their data and research, they explained that the East Brunswick area is bustling with movement as students arrive for college, families relocate, and new residents arrive.

Kilgariff stated that prior to establishing a location in East Brunswick, the travel costs associated with servicing areas in Central Jersey from their other locations, made it difficult for customers to afford.

However, with the new location, the immediate proximity to customers now enables them to offer affordable services that range from local and long-distance moves to junk removal and storage.

“We’re constantly getting calls for East Brunswick and New Brunswick. People that are moving from Rutgers, if they’re moving across the state, coming for college. A lot of people in Hillsborough and Freehold will call here.

“This whole Central Jersey area … we weren’t necessarily able to service … a lot of people didn’t want to pay for the travel cost.

“I’m really excited to service this area because we constantly get people. I’m really excited that I can call clients and say, ‘We’ll be there and it’s not going to take three hours of your travel to get there!’ There’s so much opportunity, there’s so many people moving around. This whole area is just constantly moving,” Kilgariff said.

For them, the goal is to rebuild the reputation of the moving industry by avoiding shortcuts and excuses.

“Unfortunately, there’s a bad reputation for movers in this area. We’ve heard from clients of movers not showing up. There are customers that the movers will hold their stuff hostage. There are customers that the movers have shown up and all of sudden, your prices are now doubled then what they originally estimated you over the phone,” Ishman said.

Ishman explained that their success is dependent on being recognized and referred to as the “Movers Who Care.”

For Kilagriff and Ishman, that seemingly small, yet important distinction is what separates Two Men and a Truck from its competitors. They stated that their commitment is based on understanding and considering the mental and financial stress associated with moving.

Additionally, they stated that the process shouldn’t be complicated by inconsiderate movers that alter prices or ghost clients.

“People are going through the most stressful times in their lives. Death, divorce, the pandemic, a lot of people lost their jobs or were laid-off. We want to make sure that it’s as easy as possible. Especially in New Jersey, where the moving industry hasn’t had the best reputation,” Ishman said.

With nearly 7,000 moves completed throughout New Jersey since the pandemic, they believe the latest addition to East Brunswick will soon increase those numbers.

Like past locations, they hope to benefit the community by providing a localized mover that offers customers a trouble-free experience.

Ultimately, they aspire to become the “queens of moving” in New Jersey by becoming a dependable and trusted name in the towns they service.

For more information on Two Men and a Truck, visit  https://twomenandatruck.com/