Being persistent pays. Just ask Curtis Specialized Moving and Storage owner Jamie Furrate. To paraphrase the Calvin Coolidge quote that hangs on his office wall: Persistence and determination are more important than talent, genius, or education.
“I’ve always been a critical thinker. You want to understand the solution, not just the problem,” he says. “Then never give up until you get it fixed.”
It’s a philosophy that’s served him well over the years. Since acquiring the company from original owner Curtis Wilson in 2003, he’s built the business into Dallas’ premier white glove relocation, delivery, installation, and storage operation.
His client roster reads like a who’s who of the city’s A-list interior designers. (Think Jan Showers, Neal Stewart, Christy Drew, Denise McGaha, Kathy Adams, among others.) Furrate also services the city’s most discerning homeowners.
“We’ve worked with the crème de la crème for decades,” he says. “Yes, they’re demanding, but that just makes you better.”
“With high-end clients, you know what the expectations are.”
Furrate credits the skill, longevity, and continuity of his mega-talented crews and management team. He shares some impressive numbers.
“Our top 12 installers have over 150 years of tenure with us. Our management team, 120 years,” he says. “We’ve had very little turnover among our experienced people.”
And it’s about to get even better. Curtis recently acquired high-end Eveready Services, a moving and installation business with a similar M.O.
“It was a perfect fit, from both a personnel and client perspective. The acquisition just added to the breadth and depth of our experience,” says Furrate.
Timing was opportune. Business has been brisk. Just last week, they coordinated three major moves to Colorado, each to a different city.
“Our biggest challenge is having enough qualified people to handle the work we have.” says Furrate.
Nothing is more important than superlative service and attention to detail.
“Our first and last priority is pleasing the client — whatever it takes to do that. The most rewarding part of the job is after you’ve worked on a big, difficult project, customers appreciate that you made it happen,” he says.
In some cases, big is an understatement. Some moves take six or more guys up to eight weeks to execute — not to mention the client wanting to do an estate sale simultaneously.
We also learned about some of Curtis’ more ambitious endeavors — like lowering a huge television from a helicopter onto a rooftop to be installed in a Galleria office tower. Or completing a complicated Dallas to Pinehurst Resort move in time for a U.S. Open party the following night.
“Many of our clients have second, third, even fourth homes,” says Furrate. “We’ve been to four corners of the country this year, from Port Townsend in northwest Washington state to Key West, Cape Cod, and La Jolla.”
Having been deemed an essential business, Curtis never shut down during the pandemic.
“I was here every day. We didn’t lay anybody off. Folks that were with us pre-COVID are still here,” says Furrate.
His best advice? “Never compromise your integrity. If you have that, you can make it through anything.”
Check out Curtis Specialized Moving and Storage’s full array of services.
