A Moving Story
By Angie DeWinter-U-Haul Human Resources Vice President
Everyone knows that U-Haul Team members are the moving experts. After 29 years with U-Haul, I like to think I fall into this category, though I did have a head start. You see, my dad was in the Air Force and we moved around a lot, so moving is something I knew about all too well from a young age. Recently I was asked how many times I moved and I realized all I knew for sure was that I was born in New York and ended up in Arizona. Curiosity got the best of me, so after sitting down and making note of where I have lived I now know I moved nine times throughout my dad’s military career.
All of that moving around is a big reason why I’ve stayed in one place for so long. I made a promise to my two boys, Richard and Corey, that we wouldn’t move as long as they were in school, and I’ve been in the same house for 25 years now.
I’m often asked what has kept me at U-Haul for so long, and the answer always is the same—the people. When I leave work every day, I know that I’ve helped someone and that someone has helped me. When I came here, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in my career. U-Haul allowed me to find my niche. If you want to do something here, you can; you just have to seek it out.
It’s a family-oriented Company, and three generations of my own family have worked for U-Haul at some point. My mom was the first member of our family to join Team U-Haul, starting in California before transferring to U-Haul headquarters in Phoenix. I joined the Company in 1985 as an accounting clerk. And my son, Richard, is now a production supervisor in the U-Haul Art Department.
Another thing that makes U-Haul such a great place to work is our benefits. I’m proud to work for a company that understands the importance of offering comprehensive health care and continues to do so with no premium to our team members. We keep costs down because we partner with our team members. Also, we do a lot of educational outreach on how to engage with doctors. For example, how to know what to ask when you’re prescribed medications, when to get a second opinion, etc. And we teach a lot on prevention. For every five team members we have who lose weight or stop smoking, we’re seeing a domino effect, and you’ve probably experienced it as well. People say to their colleagues, “If you can do it, I can do it.” That’s great to see, and it benefits us all.
I have strong roots planted here—not only at U-Haul, but also in the Phoenix area—so I have no plans to move anywhere. However, I do welcome change in every aspect of my life. My passion for interior design, which involves moving around furniture, enables change to take place around me without me physically relocating. At home, I move furniture around every three months. I do the same at my office. I guess growing up in a military family means moving is in my blood. And after all these years with U-Haul, that blood is U-Haul orange.
Are you interested in joining Larry with a position at U-Haul? If so, take a look at our current job openings.
