Ralph Herrin Applies Lessons Learned On Football Field To Build Business – Marth Davis Staff Writer
A former Waycross High School football player has built a successful business in Atlanta, which was chosen for a feature article in a new inspirational magazine for the Atlanta area. The story of how Ralph Herrin and his Georgia Pack and Load Moving Company have prospered calls to mind several lessons he probably learned on the football field.
Hard work. Strategy. Determination. Teamwork. Ralph is the son of Edwin and Cynthia Herrin of Waycross and the grandson of Mrs. Ralph Herrin, also of this city. The story about his business appears in the initial issue (September-October 2000) of “Show Me The Way magazine” published by Clinton T. Minor Jr. and his C.T. & T. News Group.
In 1995, Herrin and his business partner, Roland Carey, started the business in the living room of the apartment they shared in Atlanta. Their office equipment consisted of one desk, a borrowed computer, and a separate telephone line. A Christian friend, Dr. Norberto Fas, lent them some money which they invested in tools, furniture pads, dollies and other moving equipment. They began by using rented Ryder trucks. They couldn’t afford to hire anyone, so they moved their clients themselves. At first they averaged only two moving jobs a week. However, Ralph was determined to make a success of the business and went out and beat the bushes to obtain clients and build business relationships. By 1997 the pair had more jobs, paperwork and opportunities than they could handle. “We began to pray for someone that could get things moving,” Carey told the journalist who wrote the article for “Show Me They Way”.
In February of 1997, Carey and Herrin persuaded a friend and church member, Keith Dunn, to leave the company he was operating and join their partnership. “Keith took us to a level that Ralph and I couldn’t take us,” Carey said. At that time, Carey was working as a fulltime accountant with another organization. His financial wisdom has been an asset to Georgia Pack and Load. “Our goal is to provide a moving service that people feel comfortable with. We are very careful who we put in people’s homes” Herrin said. “I practice patience (with customers and staff), not to prejudge, and then go in with a plan,” said Dunn. Their company has established a reputation for excellence in the Atlanta area. There are now 25 full time employees. The company now owns its own trucks and is averaging about 84 jobs per month.