Four years ago, no one had heard of Big Man’s Moving Company. Today, it is the fastest growing moving company in Tampa Bay, employs 20 movers, and has completed 3,400 local, statewide, and out-of-state moves. Owners Brooke and Josh Anderson had a terrible experience with another well-known mover and consequently opened their own customer-centric, boutique moving company shortly afterward. Big Man’s Moving was voted the 2020 #1 Mover in Tampa Bay by readers of the Tampa Bay Times.

Being a woman owner in a traditionally male-dominated industry brings a unique perspective. One of Brooke’s focuses is screening and hiring the movers. “I look for people who are upbeat with positive attitudes,” she says. “Moving is a skill and can be taught. However, having an innate demeanor that fits our company’s culture cannot be taught. Our movers are the faces of Big Man’s Moving Company and represent us. If I wouldn’t send someone to my 93-year-old grandmother’s home, I wouldn’t send them to your home.”

Another benefit of having a woman owner is an emphasis on cleanliness. “In my 20s, my roommate and I used the cheapest mover we could find,” Anderson adds. “The movers, smelling like stale cigarettes, arrived with a disgusting, filthy truck that had probably never been swept. Did you know your furniture can get cockroaches from a moving truck? Believe me, it’s true! Cleanliness is our standard: for our trucks, our moving blankets and our movers! In moving, the difference between being ‘good’ and being ‘great’ is in the details. That’s one of my strong suits. We train our movers to focus on the details, from making sure the legs of a kitchen chair are blanketed to ensuring that mattresses are protected.”