Brooklyn's Progress
April 2004

A-1 First Class Moving & Storage, Inc., headquartered in Brooklyn, announced on March 4, that it has acquired Viking Moving and Storage Corp. (Flushing, Queens).  The acquisition is in response to growing customer demand for long-distance residential and commercial relocations.  It establishes a direct affiliation for A-1 First Class with national carrier Atlas Van Lines, Inc. 
 
Now officially known as A-1 First Class-Viking Moving & Storage, the company will handle all local, intrastate and interstate moves, including to Canada and Europe, for a customer base it has served since 1948.  Viking's affiliation as an interstate agent for Atlas Van Lines facilitates the ability of A-1 First Class to now provide seamless long-distance service to all residential and business customers.  Headquartered in Evansville, Ind., Atlas is the nation's second-largest carrier of household goods with some 600 agents in the U.S. and Canada.
 
Michael Laby, President of A-1 First Class-Viking, said, "As a fourth generation family owned and operated business, we naturally view customer service as a top priority.  We are excited to announce our acquisition of Viking and new affiliation with Atlas, which now enables us to provide a new range of solutions for those moving - wherever they are seeking to relocate."
 
According to Mr. Laby, A-1 First Class currently performs more than 2,000 moves per year, in addition to the company's 600 current storage clients.  He anticipates long distance moving services will increase A-1 First Class annual moves by 50 percent within two years.
 
Matt Schwartzberg, Vice President of A-1 First Class-Viking, added, "With this acquisition, we will continue to think locally, but can now act globally when needed.  Our reach has expanded considerably and we look forward to presenting more flexible options to customers, in addition to an already comprehensive base of moving and storage services."  Mr. Schwartzberg concluded, "Whether a customer is moving to Huntington, Long Island or Huntington Beach, California, we will be equally prepared to respond efficiently, with the same care and attention."
 
About A-1 First Class-Viking Moving & Storage:
Established more than 55 years ago, A-1 First Class-Viking Moving & Storage (http://www.a1firstclass.com/) provides a full suite of moving and storage services to residential and commercial clientele.  With offices in Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, N.Y., A-1 First Class services include local and long distance moving, professional packing, and long and short term storage.  The company also provides free in-house estimates and delivery of moving supplies as well as full-time uniformed, highly professional moving crews. 
 
A-1 First Class also is affiliated with South Shore Records Management, a document storage and records management company based in Oceanside, N.Y., and South Shore Storage Centers, a self storage facility with locations in Rockville Centre and Lynbrook, N.Y., including more than 80,000 square feet of climate controlled mini storage.
 
For more information on A-1 First Class and the services it provides, please contact Lawrence J. Laby at (718) 745-3400 or at move@a1firstclass.com.