Welcome to the first installment of our Meet the Oler Relo Team series of blog posts. Each month we will spotlight a different member of our team, so that you will know what they do here at our company, and can get to know them a bit better. To kick it off, we want to introduce you to Nancy Oler, president of Oler Relo, as she reflects on the history of the company, and what her hopes and business goals are for the future.
How does it make you feel when you see your name on the building?
“It makes me feel proud. It also makes me feel humble. It’s a big deal, but we have been through a lot to get here. I feel very blessed.”
What’s it like working with your sons, Bryan and Blake?
“It’s great! In the beginning, we struggled to talk about anything except work whenever we were out having dinner, or anytime. So, once they were married it kind of became a rule that we’re not going to talk about work all the time. Sometimes we fall back into that habit, but we have 4 grandchildren now – 4 years and under so they dominate most of our conversations.”
Did Bryan and Blake have a choice about coming into the business?
“Yes. When Bryan started college he was originally planning to go to work for Arthur Andersen or one of the big accounting firms in Dallas, and hopefully travel overseas. I’m not sure that accounting was really for him, so he ended up getting a business degree. He started working for us in the summer and it just developed for him from there. Blake graduated from college three years later and had worked during the summers also. He was more interested in the operational side of the business.”
Now that you have grandkids, do you see them in the business down the road?
“We’ve definitely talked about that. Some of them might want to follow in their dads’ footsteps, so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.”
As a family, everybody has their moments. Do you guys ever fight?
“Oh yeah. We can definitely disagree from time to time. We are a very close family, so we do a lot together. We all live within a half mile of each other. We enjoy that, and we have a family dinner once a week. It’s fun and I’m so thankful to be all together and close like this.”
What brought about the name change and rebranding of the company last year?
“It was a huge step. For a long time we have wanted to rebrand our company as Oler Relo, because it is a palindrome and relocation is our business. It seemed the best opportunity to make the change when we moved into our new building.”
What stopped you before?
“The KC Salley name was recognized within the van line and the South Texas market.”
What do you think is the one thing that sets your company apart?
“Our commitment to our customers. If we mess up, we are going to take care of it. It’s impossible to always make everyone happy. However, if there is an issue we try our best to resolve it in a fair and equitable way for the customer as quickly as possible.”
Are you surprised at how much the company has grown?
“I think we far exceeded the level we thought we would. Really and truly I didn’t want to buy the Houston location. It was a huge step for us at the time. It turned out to be best decision we ever made.”
What’s your main focus every day?
“My main focus is to be supportive of everyone involved in the company, and if there’s a problem I need to be involved in, I am there to help. I have had to learn to let go and let our employees do their jobs. For so long, it was my husband and myself. I’ve done every job in this company except drive a tractor. I’ve driven a bobtail, packed/loaded shipments, and checked shipments in to the warehouse, and I can take out the trash. We are blessed with the best employees in the business, so that makes my job much easier.”
What’s your overall goal for Oler Relo?
“Treat others the way you want to be treated! To be trustworthy and empathetic to our customers. We understand we have their whole lives in our hands when we pack/load and pull away from their homes.”
What would be something that people don’t know about you?
“I enjoy riding jet skis.”
What would you say to someone who wants to know more about Oler Relo?
“We love to meet new people. Come visit us at our new location.”
