Former NFL Player Tackles Relocation

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RISMEDIA-NRRE VOL 16-2 March 2000

Former NFL Player Tackles Relocation

By Frank Szivos

Unlike many NFL players, Jim Schwantz was able to walk away from football while his legs could carry him.

After seven years as a backup linebacker and special teams player with the Chicago Bears, Schwantz saw his age and salary cap restrictions bearing down on him like a pulling guard. At 30 years old, he was a grizzled veteran and the trend was to drop “older” players with bigger salaries and sign rookies in their place.

It was time to get on with his life after football. The game had given him more than he could have imagined ? a Super Bowl ring (1995), a college education (Purdue) and great memories. This all happened even though he was undersized (by NFL standards) at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds and wasn’t sure if he could play college football. Schwantz has been an over-achiever all his life.

He also discovered that his football experience made him an ideal fit for the moving industry. During his NFL career, he had relocated many times which gave him a feel for clients’ needs. Through mutual friends he met Brad and Judy Von Sydow family, owners of the Arpin Moving Company office in his hometown of Palatine, Ill. Ironically, Arpin is the official mover of the NFL.

“I started part time and went through an accelerated learning process,” Schwantz says. “My name recognition in this area got me in a couple of doors. I helped them [the company]. It got me in a couple doors. I helped them out. It’s a good partnership.”

Schwantz was a natural. His pro athlete background opened the doors of many companies that had been unresponsive to sales calls in the past. Today, Schwantz has become the company’s national sales manager. He says his football background has prepared him well for his new job. He understands what it takes to run a good business ? hard work, time management and commitment.

One of Schwantz’s biggest challenges as sales director is getting exclusive rights to all of a company’s moves. More firms have gone to third-party vendors, making it more challenging for moving companies to land exclusive accounts. Schwantz’s game plan has been to tap into the third-party movers.

“You just can’t walk into a company and make a pitch and land an account,” Schwantz says. “You have to build relationships with third-part vendors. You have to show you can do a good job. Most of our business is repeat referrals. You’re only as good as your last move.”

Schwantz and his family (a wife and a daughter) have moved several times during his professional career and he knows how stressful relocating can be. “People don’t want to worry [about a move],” Schwantz says. “When they start a new job or go to a new city, that’s enough of a headache.” After hanging up his shoulder pads, Schwantz misses the excitement of game day on Sunday afternoons. When he was a player, he enjoyed the excitment as game time approached and he stepped onto the field in front of thousands of screaming fans. But he doesn’t miss the bumps and bruises the day after. He has the time to spend with his family, get to Purdue football games (his alma mater) and enjoy living in Palatine where he grew up.

His primary concern now is tackling his challenges as a sales director. His background as a professional football player helps open some doors to new business but he has to sell his company’s professionalism and ability to deliver service.

“We want to make moving as effortless as possible,” Schwantz says. “If we can give clients peace of mind, show up on time and be personable and conscientious then we’re doing our job. Building a reputation for those kinds of services will only increase our business.”