A Family Company, Led By Values

In 1972 Lou and Jean Klause seized an opportunity to start a moving company in Jupiter, Florida. They knew they wanted to start a company that would make their family proud; a company that was built to last. Tom Klause, President of A-1 Moving & Storage since 1986, remembers his father acting odd one morning during his freshmen year of high school.

“He wanted to drive me to school. I thought, ‘that’s weird. He never does that.’ In the car that morning Lou said ‘Tom, I’m starting a moving company, but only if one day you will take over the company,” explains Tom.

Tom has never looked back. His father mentored him in every part of the business, beginning with unloading their first moving a truck--a 1967 Dodge milk truck. After school, Tom helped his dad pack and unpack the truck. When it was time to choose between going to college and working side-by-side with his father, it was an easy decision. After two years at Palm Beach Junior College, Tom told his father, “Don’t send me to Gainesville. I know what I want to do.”

Tom has grown A-1 Moving & Storage into a financially successful, value-driven company. From a small, one truck operation with a tiny garage A-1 Moving & Storage has now grown into a 45,000 square foot fully air-conditioned, state-of-the-art facility with multiple trucks of all sizes. But Tom takes little ownership of the company’s success.

“It's not me. I have a great supporting cast. They go out of their way to treat everyone with respect and dignity,” he says.

Tom has not only built a professional company, but also a team of moving experts. Most of the A-1 Team has worked together for over ten years and all have a background in moving and storage services. Katie Klause-Newitt, Tom’s sister and Vice President of A-1, joined the company in 1985 with her husband Andy Newitt starting with the team in 2000. Tom’s son, Eric Klause, works as a Professional Van Operator for A-1. In 2016, Lee Franc, Tom’s other sister rejoined the family business in Customer Service. Although unrelated by blood, the other A-1 employees feel like family too.

A-1 is a family company led by values: Excellence, Professionalism, and Integrity. Tom knows his father Louis founded the company on these principles, simply because they were who he was. Today, these are the principles which define A-1.

“The call backs, the follow through, the ownership of mistakes, the celebration of one another’s success, the honesty in our prices---this is what we do because it’s who we are,” says Tom.

We hope you’ll allow us, the A-1 Family, to serve your family. Please call us at 561-625-0600 to set up a free, pre-move consultation.