Our Century, Decade by Decade
1926: It Starts With Ice and Coal
Howard and Mary Boerman start Boerman as an ice and coal delivery business serving the western suburbs of Chicago. It’s not exactly the business you’d expect a moving company to come from, but it’s where our story begins. Delivering ice and coal meant delivering appliances too, and it wasn’t long before customers started asking Howard and Mary for something more: help moving their household goods.
1940s–1950s: A New Direction
As the ice and coal business changed with the times, Boerman leaned into what customers were actually asking for. By the end of the 1950s, moving and storage had become the company’s full-time business, operating throughout the western suburbs of Chicago and building the reputation for reliability and careful handling that still defines us today.
1967: The Next Generation Steps In
In 1967, Ed Boerman graduated from Triton College with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. But instead of beginning a career in aviation, Ed was called into the family business, joining his uncle, Howard Boerman.
It marked the beginning of an important transition for Boerman Moving & Storage. Ed would eventually succeed “Uncle Howard,” carrying the company into its next generation of family leadership and laying the groundwork for decades of growth ahead.
1970s–1990s: Building the Team That Built Boerman
A company doesn’t last a century without the right people. In 1977, Jim O’Dell joined Boerman as a mover’s helper. Nearly 50 years later, “Uncle Jim” is still with us as our Director of Packing, Crating and Special Services, protecting our customers’ most delicate and valuable items.
In 1995, Rachel Cwiak started what she thought was a summer job. It turned into a career built on loyalty and attention to detail, and today Rachel serves as our VP of Administration.
The 1990s also brought the next generation of the Boerman family into the business. Ed’s sons, Dan and Mike Boerman, reached working age and began their own careers the same way so many others at Boerman have: as helpers on the moving trucks. They learned the business from the ground up, gaining firsthand experience with the work and the customers at the heart of the company.
Their stories are part of a bigger pattern at Boerman: people show up, stay, grow, and build careers here.
2000: A New Home in Woodridge
In March 2000, Boerman relocated its corporate headquarters to Woodridge, Illinois, moving into a 42,000-square-foot facility supporting both household goods storage and commercial distribution services, a sign of just how much the business had grown beyond its original roots.
2007: Growing the Operation
In 2007, Vince Clemente joined Boerman Moving & Storage as a dispatcher, overseeing both local and long-distance relocations. As the company continued to grow, so did the operation around him.
Boerman’s long-distance fleet grew to more than 30 drivers, while its local operation expanded to as many as 16 crews. That growth eventually created the need for dedicated local and long-distance dispatchers. Vince continued to grow alongside the company and today serves as VP of Operations.
2018: Room to Grow
As demand kept climbing, so did our footprint. In 2018, we renovated and expanded our Woodridge warehouse to 58,500 square feet, giving us the space to better serve customers throughout Illinois and beyond.
2021: Passing the Torch
In 2021, Ed Boerman celebrated 50 years with Boerman Moving & Storage and began transitioning leadership of the family business to the next generation.
By then, Dan and Mike had come a long way from their early days as helpers on the moving trucks. Dan had grown into leadership overseeing operations and warehouse management, while Mike had taken on leadership across sales, business development and marketing.
The transition represented another important milestone in Boerman’s history: a family business successfully passing from one generation to the next while continuing to grow.
2025: Crossing Into Wisconsin
In October 2025, Boerman expanded into Wisconsin through the acquisition of JL Moving, establishing a new corporate location in Cudahy.
“Our family has always had strong Wisconsin ties,” said Mike Boerman. “Expanding to the Milwaukee area allows us to serve more customers efficiently while maintaining the personal service that’s been our hallmark since 1926.”
2026: A Fourth Generation, A Century Strong
Today, Boerman is led by the fourth generation of the Boerman family, with Dan Boerman as CEO and Mike Boerman as CSO, alongside a team that includes people who have been with us for decades.
What began with Howard and Mary delivering ice and coal in 1926 has passed from Howard to Ed, and from Ed to Dan and Mike, with each generation building on what came before it.
With corporate offices in Woodridge, Illinois and Cudahy, Wisconsin, and as a proud agent for Bekins Van Lines, we now serve Chicagoland, Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and customers across the United States and internationally.
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