At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Business Really is All in the Family

Family businesses and franchises may seem like opposite ends of the business spectrum, but consider this: even McDonald’s started out as a mom-and-pop business. If you name any major franchise brand today, chances are it got its start as a small family-run operation—including TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.

During high school in the early 1980s, Brig Sorber and Jon Sorber began hauling trash, and eventually moving customer’s belongings, in a ’66 Ford pickup truck. With a set of wheels, they were able to create summer jobs for themselves moving small houses and apartments in the Lansing, Michigan area. When they left for college, the brothers thought their days of wrestling couches and mattresses were over. But their mother had a different idea in mind.

In fact, that truck was their future. Sheets decided to keep the business going so her two sons would have a job to come back to when they were on Christmas, spring and summer breaks. She named this growing business venture “TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.” To help drum up business for her sons’ part-time moving service, Sheets made a line drawing of two stick figures in a truck cab and placed an ad in the local paper.

Business picked up quickly; largely due to Sheets’ early discovery that local, residential hauls were a greatly underserved market. She initially ran the part-time operation from her dining room. But as customers kept coming and the business continued to grow, she found herself devoting more time and energy, and began drafting formal business plans and operating manuals. By 1988, at the urging of a woman she met while speaking on a panel at Michigan State University, Sheets decided she could leverage and grow TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® through franchising. A year later, she sold her first franchise in Atlanta to her daughter, Melanie. From there, Brig and Jon also purchased their own franchises, as did some of the moving men.

That was the beginning of a company that now operates more than 339 U.S. locations, 27 international locations, 265 franchises, 2,094 trucks and 8,000 employees. And today, those same familial ties still run deep throughout the entire TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system. Just ask Pete Ruffing and Jeremy King. Together, this father- son duo have made their TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations in Jacksonville and St. Augustine a family affair.

Since November 2014, Ruffing had been working at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s Lansing, Michigan headquarters. His son-in-law, Jeremy, was also a part of the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® team—starting as a mover nearly seven years ago, he continually worked his way through the brand’s growing system. He was then offered a position at the headquarters in Lansing to get into the training division as a move execution specialist.

Shortly thereafter, Ruffing was approached by Mark Golden, a franchisee for a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® in Gainesville, Florida. He explained there was an opportunity to purchase two existing territories in Florida as part of a transfer. Ruffing turned to his family to figure out what to do next.

“I already had strong family ties to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, and for me, this seemed like the perfect chance to work closer with my son-in-law,” Ruffing said. “The very foundation of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is built on family—that value is almost palpable in their entire culture. They have compassion for their customers, their community and their co-workers. And I wanted to be able to share that message alongside my own family as we helped to grow the business in Florida.”

Ultimately, Ruffing believes that TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s appeal is in its ability to truly practice what they preach—and that’s the importance of fostering strong relationships for the greater good of their franchisees, their employees and their customers.

“This is a company that started with this genuine belief of moving people forward. It’s a company with integrity. And it’s a company that truly cares. That’s something that comes from generations of families imparting their own values into this franchise system,” Ruffing said. “And I think when it comes to starting a business with your own family, you look for these kinds of things—you want to find a company that you feel good about. We found that in TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.”