Since its foundation in 1984, Eager Beaver Moving has been about relationships. After nearly 25 years in the moving and freight business, the company’s founder, Jack Watson saw an opportunity to build a local moving company whose values included quality and pride in ones work above all else. Jack’s experience with large companies like Gimli Transfer, Beaver Storage and Eaton’s helped shape the vision of his future enterprise, where he knew that a personal commitment and a handshake meant more to people than what big corporations could offer. His dream became reality when Eaton’s began selling some of its older fleet. Jack jumped at the chance to break out on his own and called on his friend, the head of Eaton’s asset management, to secure several of the now iconic Ford cab-over trucks to begin his venture.
With little more than an ad in the local Yellow Pages and a fiery personality, Jack built his company to a fleet of 6 trucks at its peak, operating as both Eager Beaver Express Moving, and the senior’s friendly Jack Watson the Mover.
The seeds of the second generation of Eager Beaver Moving began to sprout long before the first had even grown. Watching his dad manage the transportation department at Beaver Storage in the early 1960’s, it was no surprise when Bill got an early start in the moving business as well. At the tender age of 15, Bill’s first job was building the old wooden freight boxes in the warehouse, but it wasn’t long before he too embraced his entrepreneurial spirit, bought his first truck and hit the road, eventually embarking on dozens of coast-to-coast trips per year.
It was while working for Bekin’s Moving and Storage in Montreal that he met his future wife, and they eventually settled down in Edmonton, AB in the early 1980’s to raise their growing family.
After nearly 20 years in the business, life on the road was becoming difficult for the father of four, so he decided to pursue his dream conceived many years before, and followed in his father’s footsteps to establish the Edmonton branch of Eager Beaver Moving. Using the same friend at Eaton’s his dad called on all those years ago, he bought his first 2 trucks and had them painted in Winnipeg, electing (at the request of his 9-year old daughter) to go with the signature green and white design, rather than the red and yellow of the Winnipeg office.
Bill has since built a solid reputation around Edmonton, relying almost exclusively on repeat customers and referrals, eschewing rapid growth in favor of integrity and dependability.
Now a third generation is set to make its mark on the company. John Watson recently made the bold decision to give up a promising career at a major product supply company to pick up where his dad and granddad left off, and ultimately take Eager Beaver to new heights.
It is not easy to distinguish one’s company from the many movers that crowd the phone books, so naturally when a customer does come calling, Eager Beaver makes it their mission to ensure that the customer wants to tell their family and friends what a great experience they had with us.
