The Corrigan Story
Frank "The Chief" Corrigan moved from the lumber camps of Quebec to Michigan in 1923, lured by the dream of earning $5 a day. In Dearborn, MI he joined the Ford Motor Company where he worked at the Ford farms. Sometimes he even chauffeured Henry Ford himself. The Chief was ambitious so when he wasn't working at Ford, he started an after-hours ice delivery service. Yes, back before refrigeration was commonplace people relied upon the delivery of blocks of ice for their refrigeration needs.
When The Great Depression hit, many folks were economically strapped and forced to move from their homes. The Chief made the most of the opportunity, and in 1929 switched from hauling ice with his three trucks to helping people move. This led The Chief into the moving industry, and with that Corrigan Moving was born.
World War II presented a great challenge to Frank and Corrigan Moving because of the difficulty of finding good help during the war years. When Frank's eldest son, Paul Corrigan, returned from the Air Force in 1946, he found his father ill from the stresses of running the business throughout the war. To help out the family, Paul passed up his dream of going to college and instead took over the company, putting himself through the ‘school of hard knocks’ instead.
Paul proved to be a gifted business leader, and under his guidance Corrigan began to grow and expand. In 1949 Corrigan joined United Van Lines because the idea of being part of an agency-owned van lines appealed to Paul. The agent-owned structure gives agents like Corrigan control over the direction of the van line. This is the foundation of the United agency system which has led United Van Lines to become the largest and most respected van lines in the nation.
In 1954 Paul married Kathleen O'Hehir and through the years they had six children: David, twins Jeannette and Joanne, Michael, Maureen, and Karen. During their lives all the children worked some part of the business, both ‘on the trucks’ and in the office. Michael reports, "Around the dinner table, we were talking a lot about moving and storage." David and Michael would both later join the company full time after graduating from Michigan State University in the 1980’s. But we are getting ahead of ourselves here.
In 1956 Paul Corrigan negotiated the first national account for Corrigan Moving & Storage with his father’s previous employer, Ford Motor Company. Paul visited Ford in the morning, and a Ford representative telephoned later that day with the first order. Contractual agreements were simpler then.
Corrigan expanded for the first time in 1959 when it opened its second office in Ann Arbor, MI. Corrigan operated as a two-office business for the next 25 years. In 1984 it began a relatively rapid 8-year expansion and acquisition phase. Branches were opened in Toledo, OH and Flint, MI in 1984. In 1986 Corrigan purchased a new 87,000 square-foot warehouse and office facility in Farmington Hills and relocated their headquarter functions from the Dearborn office into the new facility. In 1988 the next new office was opened in Auburn Hills, followed by a new office in Bay City in 1990, and then an office in Grand Rapids in 1992.
Throughout the expansion, the Corrigan family made certain to build their business around the fundamental ideas that quality service and customer satisfaction are the most important aspects of every move. Those in the community noticed this dedication to quality, and Corrigan began winning several prestigious awards. In 1994 the Michigan Movers and Warehousemen's Association presented their Mover of the Year award to Paul Corrigan and David Corrigan. This was the first time in the 72-year MMWA history a father-son team had been so recognized. In 1995 United Van Lines presented Corrigan Moving Systems with the inaugural Presidents Quality Award, recognizing Corrigan as the very best of the best of all domestic United agents, in quality and customer service.
In 1995 Paul’s sons took over the top positions in the company. David was named President and COO, and Michael was promoted to Executive Vice President. Paul Corrigan became Chairman of the Corrigan Board and CEO, and to this day remains actively involved at Corrigan.
As Corrigan grew, it also expanded its service offerings. A long way from hauling ice, Corrigan now handles a wide range of household goods relocations, for both individuals and corporations. Corrigan also branched out into record storage, commercial and office relocations, systems furniture assembly and disassembly, logistics management, and international freight forwarding.
Corrigan Moving Systems has always been open to expansion opportunities that will help the company increase its quality and service reach. Two excellent opportunities presented themselves to David Corrigan, and so in 2003 an office was opened in Rochester, NY, and in 2006 the newest office was opened in Chicago, IL. These were the first Corrigan offices in both of these states.
Today, Corrigan has grown into one of the most respected moving companies in the nation. They currently operate out of 12 Midwest locations, employ 500 people, 100 full-time owner-operator drivers, have 500,000 square feet of warehouses, and service $50 million of business each year. The Corrigan family has grown tremendously over the years. In addition to Paul Corrigan’s six children, he now has 19 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. The 4th generation of Corrigan’s have now joined the family business, as three of David’s children, Nate, Kevin, and Beth, are working full time at Corrigan Moving Systems.