Jackson Moving & Storage History
Based in Naperville, Illinois, Jackson Moving & Storage has been providing services locally, nationally and internationally since 1888.
Thomas Jackson, founder of Jackson Moving & Storage, began his career working for a company by the name of Picnic City Express in Chicago, dealing mainly with the transportation of trunks and luggage on the Burlington Railroad line and transporting passengers and their picnic baskets to the Douglas and Garfield Park lagoon and picnic area. Tom eventually bought out that business when he was only 19 or 20. He then changed the name to West Suburban Express and incorporated in 1903. The name of the company was eventually changed to Jackson Express & Van Company and finally to Jackson Moving & Storage.
Tom’s first warehouse stood at 3611 W. Cermak Road in Chicago. Business was good and they were able to build another building on Madison in Chicago and three other buildings in Oak Park and West Chicago.
Jackson’s roughest times came during the depression years. When Tom had to make layoffs, he laid off the single men first, trying to keep those with families working. He even mortgaged his own house for working capital, and he had to sell off two buildings in order to keep the company going. His perseverance and sacrifice paid off in the end, though.
Tom was a great believer in employee-ownership, and he encouraged his full-time employees to purchase stock in Jackson. At the time of Tom’s death in 1968, there were some 365 shareholders in the little company.
Tom was involved in the founding of the Return Loads Bureau which later became Allied Van Lines. Jackson Moving & Storage was a charter and founding member of Allied Van Lines, and Tom served as a director in the early days.
Bill Conklin Sr. went to work for Tom in 1921 after graduating from the University of Illinois. He was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the Company in the mid-1920’s and served in that capacity until he was elected president in 1968 following Tom’s death.
Bill Conklin Jr. took over the company in 1976 and Brad McGuire, President and CEO of Jackson Moving & Storage, took over the company in March of 2001.
On October 31, 2007 Steven Kahn became the current President of Jackson Moving & Storage. Steven heads an ownership team committed to taking Jackson to new levels of achievement and growth. Through this prosperity, the owners of Jackson Moving & Storage intend to continually create benefits that can be reaped by their customers and employees, as well as by their industry and their community.
In 2005, to meet the needs of corporate America, we established a brand new employee relocation program that has completely differentiated us from the competition.
