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Atlas Van Lines company history timeline

1948

Atlas Van Lines History http://www.atlasvanlines.com/ "Atlas was formed in 1948 by a group of 33 local moving firms whose common interest was to provide interstate movement of used household goods and personal effects.

Since its inception in 1948, the company had been privately owned and tightly held by its agents, who had watched over its development from a fledgling enterprise into the sixth-largest moving company in the United States.

1949

1949 — The company reports $1 million in revenue.

1950

1950 — Atlas Van-Lines outgrows its offices on 67th Street and relocates to a larger space on South Western Avenue, where it employs 45 people.

1954

1954 — The Department of Commerce, United States Patent Office, registers the company's trade name as "Atlas Van-Lines, Inc." The Atlas Amplifier magazine begins regular publication, covering "things every Atlas Agent should know."

1957

1957 Trans-Ocean Van Service, of Long Beach, Calif., purchases Howard Van Lines, renames it Global Van Lines, and moves its headquarters to Southern California.

1957 — Robust growth necessitates relocation to larger offices on South Ashland Avenue.

1958

With the acquisition of Howard Van Lines in 1958, which was renamed Atlas Van Service, Atlas Van-Lines gained access to Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and California, extending the company's service territory from coast to coast.

1960

Through this subsidiary, Atlas Van-Lines began shipping household goods overseas, then in 1960 began shipping to international markets through the air, giving the company two conduits for its service to foreign markets.

1961

1961 — The company expands operations with service to South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming via Colorado.

1962

1962 — Atlas recruits 63 new agents and existing agents open 16 new branch offices.

In order to boost revenues for the continued expansion of the company, Atlas implemented a public relations campaign, the highlight of which was a New York Times article in 1962 that described Atlas Van-Lines' revival of Evansville's economy.

In 1962 the company purchased the authority owned by Golden Van Lines of Colorado, giving it the opportunity to add new agents from the independent moving companies located in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.

1963

Atlas Van Lines (Canada) Ltd., founded in 1963, has grown to a family of nearly 200 agents who provide service within and to all the Canadian provinces."

1963 — Atlas Van-Lines (Canada) Ltd. commences operations from offices in Toronto.

1964

1964 — National advertising begins in prominent home, business, and trade magazines.

In 1964 Atlas Van-Lines acquired various interstate operating authorities by purchasing three companies that added Washington, Oregon, part of Idaho, and part of North Dakota to the company's growing map of regions served by Atlas Van-Lines vehicles.

1965

1965 Allied becomes the first household goods carrier to exceed $100 million in revenue.

1967

1967 — Atlas begins sponsorship of unlimited hydroplane racing to increase its name recognition.

1968

1968 Stockholders approve a plan to reorganize the company from a non-profit venture to a standard business operation.

1968 — Atlas celebrates its twentieth anniversary.

1970

1970 — With 465 agents and 178 corporate employees, Atlas ranks seventh in size among domestic household goods carriers.

1971

1971 — The Traffic Managers' Forum On Moving is renamed Forum on Moving.

1973

1973 Vanguard Insurance, Allied’s in-house insurance agency, is created to serve the insurance needs of agents.

1973 — The Atlas O. H. Frisbie Training Center for van operators opens on the Evansville campus.

1975

1975 Allied’s Special Products Division is formed.

1975 — Ronald Reagan addresses more than 600 guests at the 8th Forum on Moving, where his remarks foreshadow the deregulation that will come to the industry during the first term of his Presidency.

1979

1979 — A consortium of five major oil companies signs an exclusive contract with Atlas International, the largest such household goods contract in the history of the industry.

1980

Until 1980, the Interstate Commerce Commission wielded extensive control over moving companies like Atlas, dictating whether a moving company could go into business, what goods it could haul, where it could operate, and how much it could charge for its services.

When the federal government deregulated the household goods moving industry through the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, the industry underwent radical and sudden changes.

In search of capital to finance further expansion, however, the agents decided to offer Atlas Van Lines stock to the public in 1980.

1981

1981 1981 WKG Corporation, of Houston, Texas, acquires Global Van Lines and Global International.

1981 — Legendary hydroplane driver Bill Muncey perishes in an accident while racing in Acapulco, Mexico.

1982

1982 — Chip Hanauer pilots the Atlas hydroplane in a Cinderella season that includes five major wins, four world-record qualifying laps, and a clean sweep of the sport's top events.

1985

1985 Contrans Corporation, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, acquires Global Van Lines.

1985 — Atlas marks its 25th anniversary in Evansville.

1986

1986 Contrans Corporation acquires Global International.

1988

In September, 1988, Atlas was repurchased by a number of its agents and it remains today one of the few agent-owned van lines in the industry.

1988 Allied stockholders announce an agreement to a $100 million acquisition by NFC of the United Kingdom.

1990

1990 — Atlas celebrates its 30th anniversary in Evansville; the mayor proclaims March 21 as "Atlas Van Lines Day." Atlas Specialized Products Division relocates the computerized records of Amoco Corporation from Chicago to an expanded data center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, using 14 climate-controlled vans.

1990 Global agents buy Global Van Lines and Global Worldwide (formerly Global International) from Contrans Corporation.

1991

1991 Allied introduces its new quality standards, entitled "The Quality Alliance," to agents, drivers, and corporate personnel.

1992

1992 Allied University, a van foreman training facility, opens its doors March 1.

1993

1993 Allied International opens new offices in Beijing, the Philippines, Bangkok, Moscow, and Vietnam.

1993 — Revenues exceed $283 million and net income rises 153 percent; the company opposes industry-proposed rate increases.

1994

In 1994, Atlas World Group, Inc. ("AWG") was formed as the holding company for Atlas and its subsidiaries.

1996

1996 — Atlas establishes the Milton M. Hill Quality Award to recognize agents who meet or exceed the highest standards for service excellence.

1997

1997 Allied adds several new features to its web site.

1997 — Atlas announces the two largest conversions in the history of the van line industry with the joining of Atlantic Relocation Systems (more than 600 vehicles and nearly 700 employees) and Bekins Northwest (more than 250 vehicles and operations in five states).

1998

1998 Allied wins its sixth Quest for Quality Award for its performance in shipping household goods and its second Quest for Quality Award for the shipment of high-value products.

1998 — Atlas Specialized Products Division launches an immediate response service and satellite tracking to ensure efficient, worry-free service for transportation of electronics equipment.

1999

1999 Allied introduces its on-line shipment tracking function, giving customers the ability to check on the current status of their shipments.

2000

2000 Allied Worldwide acquires Global Van Lines; moves headquarters to Fort Wayne, Ind. "

2001

2001 — Atlas hosts its first national sales symposium in Evansville and introduces a proprietary dispatch planning tool — PowerSuite — the industry's most advanced operating system.

2002

2002 — Atlas introduces a broadened brand identity and modified logo to communicate long-held values of integrity, quality and solutions and core competencies in global relocation, benefits, recruiting, logistics and travel.

2003

2003 — Atlas introduces "Sniffer," a golden labrador retriever puppy, in print materials promoting Atlas World Group companies.

2007

2007 — Atlas Van Lines awards 52 agents with the Milton M. Hill Quality Award.

2008

The Surface Transportation Board ends joint ratemaking for carriers of household goods and Atlas develops a proprietary tariff, ATVL 1000, to take effect January 1, 2008.

2009

2009 — Atlas is among the first in the industry to receive the ProMover(SM) designation, a quality credential of the American Moving and Storage Association.

2010

2010 — A partnership with AAA provides discounts on Atlas moving services to AAA members via the Show Your Card & Save® program.

2011

2011 — All Atlas Van Lines agents become members of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA) and receive the ProMover certification, the association's public assurance of quality and ethical business practices.

2012

2012 — The Atlas brand gets new luster and introduces a fresh marketing message, Go New Places™. A new app for PVOs saves time in the inventory function; this and other advancements put Atlas in the upper tier of the InformationWeek 500.

2013

2013 — Atlas joins the Move For Hunger and Atlas agents collect more than 100,000 pounds of shelf-stable food items for local food banks across the country.

2015

2015 — Atlas Subsidiary Avail Move Management launches a new website and service called movr™ for people in motion.

2016

2016 — Atlas World Group earns the Torch Award from the Tri-State Better Business Bureau.

2018

2018 — Atlas meets new market demands with the launch of SimpliCity™, a containerized transportation system for moving smaller shipments more quickly.

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Founded
1948
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Headquarters
Evansville, IN
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Atlas Van Lines may also be known as or be related to Atlas Van Lines, Atlas Van Lines Inc, Atlas Van Lines Inc., Atlas Van Lines, Inc. and Atlas World Group, Inc.