Perhaps you are running out of space and you want to continue to expand your business. Or perhaps your existing facilities or equipment need to be updated. Whatever the reason, preparation is the key when moving your company.
Business Report recently sought out some advice from three local executives who have survived moves of their own—Laurie Lipsey Aronson, President and CEO of Lipsey’s; Stan Shelton, senior vice president of planning, development and construction at Woman’s Hospital; and Robert Bond, executive vice president and Capital Region CEO of Business First Bank—as featured in the magazine’s latest Case Study feature.
Aronson says it helps to assign specific tasks to key employee regarding the move.
“We moved into our new distribution center in April 2014. While the move itself only took three days, it took several months to prepare for the seamless transition,” she says. “There were many details that needed to be well planned, so we put a few team members at the helm to orchestrate the many moving parts.”
A seamless transition is certainly challenging, says Shelton, but it’s not impossible possible.
“All it takes is a little planning … well, maybe a lot of planning,” he says. “Moving presents an opportune time to review existing processes to improve outcomes and efficiencies. Identify the differences between the current and new facilities to anticipate process changes. Staff should map, test and practice processes at the new facility.”
As with all major business decisions, Bond says, communication is key during a physical move.
“Frequent communication on the relocation should come from a single source involved in all aspects of the project. Otherwise, rumors and speculation will fill the information void,” he says.
Read the full feature for more advice on moving your business. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
