A.M.W.A.T Moving and Warehousing: coming together to meet all moving needs
In 1997, Dean Pugh literally was a man with a truck—he turned that concept into the local business, A.M.W.A.T Movers. The company, though, only consisting of one truck, could only go so far. As a result, his wife, Gloria, joined forces in 2005 to set the business in motion. Gloria as CEO and Dean as chief officer of operations have combined their strengths to create A.M.W.A.T Moving and Warehousing. Now the company also partners with Wheaton World Wide Moving, and provides global relocation.
Gloria, a native of New York, went to school and worked in Miami and then moved up to Tallahassee. Dean was the first person she met here; upon meeting, he told her he was going to marry her and buy the house that they now reside in as man and wife. Before they joined efforts in business, Gloria worked as a paralegal, private investigator, and eventually an investigator for the attorney general’s office. Because Dean had a pick-up truck, Gloria’s friends would often ask to borrow her “man with a truck” to help move things. The business basically fell in his lap and he enthusiastically pursued his talents in customer service and executing projects. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the administrative skills necessary to advance. Enter Gloria. Her strengths in marketing, research, development, and administration were the perfect complement to Dean’s hands-on talents. She had also worked extensively with white collar crime investigations earlier in her career, so she knew the rights and wrongs in business and is therefore committed to ethical behavior.
A.M.W.A.T Moving and Warehousing provides a multitude of services, including but not limited to: residential and commercial relocation, packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, shipping and receiving, etc. The company also has a 30,000 square foot climate controlled warehouse and handles both short and long term storage. Despite all the services rendered, though, it is Gloria’s business philosophy that keeps everything in tact. When evaluating any situation, she simply considers if what is being doing is right. Essentially, she strives to lead by example. Customers are treated well from initial contact to completion of project. Honesty is a policy never overlooked. She also stresses the importance of creating a positive environment for employees; without happy and quality employees, a business cannot thrive, and thus they are also always treated with the upmost respect.
Gloria and Dean, now married for 14 years, are wholeheartedly committed to serving others. Since they don’t have children, they contribute their time to the community as a whole. In one act of service, they move recipients of Habitat for Humanity’s efforts into their new homes free of charge. They also work with toys for tots, and Gloria is one of the founding members of the Tallahassee Film Festival. Those are just three of their several contributions to society. Gloria and Dean also love going out on the boat, and view time on the water as a mini-vacation. Although many people find it odd that they can work together and still get along, Gloria and Dean just find it fortunate. They love the job, the community, and each other, and feel blessed for it.
When looking toward the future, Gloria’s goal is not to thrive in business so that she and Dean can pocket a bunch of money; rather, she just wants to inspire other people to be good corporate citizens. Her motto is to lead by example, and she hopes to be example to other companies and her employees.
Article prepared by Lauren Novo
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