For nearly 30 years, Universal Services has helped seniors settle into their new homes, taking care of planning, hauling, setting up and more.
In 1996, Rick Zanon came home frustrated. He was working as a mover for a big corporation and was increasingly bothered by the way seniors were being treated.
“Rick and I were sitting on the porch,” recalls Rick’s wife, Migdalia Zanon. “He said that seniors aren’t getting the services they need. Nobody wants to help set up their things. Everything extra is another cost, another cost, another cost. There’s no service.”
The couple had a thought – with Rick’s experience in the moving industry and Migdalia’s work in business administration, they could start their own company, one that wouldn’t nickel-and-dime seniors. Instead, it would be a boutique service that would help with every aspect of moving, focusing on the unique needs of older adults. That meant helping seniors set up their things, disposing of what they no longer needed, and making the moving process a smooth, easier experience. That next year, the couple officially started Universal Services to do just that.
Nearly 29 years later, Universal Services continues to provide seniors with that unique, turnkey, personalized service. It has received a Diamond Society Circle of Service Award from the National Association of Senior Move Managers for its decades of excellent service for seniors and their families. “We’re really a one-stop shop for seniors,” Migdalia says. “We organize, pack, move, unpack, sell on consignment, operate estate sales and remove unwanted items.”
Universal Services also runs a consignment shop called Consign w/Us, selling items that seniors don’t want in their new home. And if the person moving wants to host an estate sale, Consign w/Us will help them manage it.
“Moving can be a difficult emotional and physical process,” Migdalia says. “We’re committed to making this easier on seniors and helping them in every part of it.”
Sadly, Rick passed away in 2014. Migdalia continues to operate Universal Services and Consign w/Us. In memory of Rick, Migdalia will write a book on the company’s model called The Five Homes for Everything You Own©. When someone moves, they need to consider which of five potential “homes” is best for each item. The first choice is their new residence for everything they want to keep. Second is family and friends’ homes. Third, a consignment shop or estate sale. Fourth, charities that take donations. And fifth, recycling or trash removal for items with no other use.
The Universal Services moving process begins with a free consultation, in which the company creates a floor plan and presents a preliminary idea for how everything can be efficiently moved. “Sometimes I walk through that door into a consultation, and I can see it in a client’s face that they’re frustrated, overwhelmed and they don’t know what to do,” Migdalia says. “And so I explain every step, and by the time we’re done, they’ll say, ‘Oh my goodness. I didn’t know moving could be so easy.’”
Universal Services
262-257-0250
