Beyond Distribution, part of the Berger Moving & Storage family of brands, has set the benchmark for highly tailored, adaptable delivery solutions. The company creates the perfect combination of delivery tools, transportation services, and specialized logistics to serve many of the biggest companies in retail, furniture, hospitality, education, and other sectors. For companies that need assistance modernizing their distribution logistics management systems, the “Beyond Distribution method,” as customers call the company’s integrated distribution systems, offers a seamless experience from the long haul to the final mile.
Established in 1910 and boasting more than a century of experience tailoring delivery solutions to clients’ needs, Beyond Distribution offers top-notch services that deliver on schedule, within budget, and with the professionalism clients search for. With nationwide locations from Atlanta to Chicago, Portland, and Phoenix, Beyond Distribution’s commitment to integrity, teamwork, and innovation results in 100 percent customer satisfaction and successful, long-lasting relationships.
From mainframes to mainstream
At the time of Berger Transfer’s founding, business assets consisted of a single horse and cart that were used to move household goods from the railway depot to the homes of new arrivals to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Today, the company is primarily known as a moving and storage company. “We had a long-term vision to evolve beyond a traditional household moving company, and we started having some specialized companies,” explains Vice President Brian D’Antonio. “Beyond Distribution is our final mile delivery—typically high-value furniture.”
Affiliated companies include Relocation Today, servicing corporate customers with moving programs to help employees relocate; Logix Transportation; Commercial Truck & Mobile Repair; and Beyond Freight Solutions, a brokerage firm. Beyond Distribution is a key part of the whole, enabling the company to take on high-touch or high-value delivery, warehousing, and distribution.
What are some of the reasons for Beyond Distribution’s truly impressive longevity? “When you start a family-run business, there are a lot of long-term employees who want to be here and work here,” D’Antonio says. “There are strong core values here; people are accountable. We’re looking for continuous improvement and long-term partners, and it’s working.”
It’s also a big company that doesn’t feel big at all, he adds. “You can walk into the CEO’s or president’s office and have a chat at any time. I’ve always thought my job is to make this company stronger for my boss, who’s the owner.”
Decisions, decisions
Decisions around diversification have also played a part in Beyond Distribution’s longevity, says Jeremy Bronson, Director of Corporate Distribution Operations. “With Beyond Distribution and Berger and all of the companies under our umbrella, if they have an idea, they’re encouraged to speak out and bring it to the forefront,” he says. “Beyond Distribution started as the idea, ‘let’s deliver furniture for this customer. It can’t be that hard.’”
The team subsequently discovered it was “horribly hard,” which led to learning how to be better, bring in the right people, and make the right decisions.
Diversification has been vital for the company, Bronson says, including taking on truck repair to ensure proper maintenance of its commercial truck and trailer fleet. “Our integrity on the road is a big thing,” he says. “Our customers have confidence in us because they know we’ll be upfront and honest with them with every decision we make. And if we’re not sure, we’ll go to them. It’s a true partnership with all of our clients. They have a voice, too.”
Beyond Distribution now works in 18 different markets and is continually looking to grow. In the last few years it has expanded into new territories such as Denver, San Francisco, and Portland, all in response to what customers need and want. “It makes me proud for a customer to ask us to do that,” says D’Antonio. “It’s a big commitment, but we trust our customers, too.”
Most recently, there has been expansion into Southern California, says D’Antonio. And it’s all for the customers. “They’ve asked us, and we’re proud that they want us to grow with them,” he agrees. “We’re putting the investment in.”
Growth also means new hires, of course, something Beyond Distribution is proud to embrace. “We have just promoted a couple of people in our network,” Bronson tells us. “We have regional managers for the west and the east now. We felt it was necessary with the volume and size of the company to have another layer that people can go to when they need that support, and to have decision makers we can lean on when we have a new customer.”
Service at the core
In short, this is a company culture centered around service and supporting people. “It’s more than just servicing the customer; it’s also making sure our employees are being served as well, feeling like they’re not just coming to a dead-end job,” says Bronson. “It’s somewhere they can make a change. There’s nothing better than getting surveys back from customers and seeing how well everybody’s done. It brings a twinkle to every eye to get that recognition.”
It’s a sentiment that Business Analyst Don Miller agrees with. “I’m in a unique position in terms of being able to drive the business forward,” he says. “Being the business analyst for Beyond Distribution, I’m able to integrate our analytics into our day-to-day operations. I work closely with our customers to deliver performance analytics that highlight both successes and opportunities. Turning data into actionable insights keeps us aligned with customer needs and drives a strategic advantage.”
Company growth also extends to the facility itself, with recent expansions and renovations including adding temperature-controlled units specific to the climate, something not frequently seen in this industry.
“Some of our growth has also come from efficiency,” adds D’Antonio. “Our models changed, and we had our own proprietary inventory management software written,” a warehouse management system (WMS) that was shaped by customer feedback.
“We listened to our customers who said they wanted all their products scanned when they come in,” Bronson explains. “They wanted typed-out receiving reports and websites to access [the data], to watch their inventory.” Customers need to know exactly what inventory they have and where it is stored, so bringing this information to the surface, taking away the guesswork and automating entry not only allows Beyond Distribution to be more efficient; it also helps the team execute projects more cost-effectively than ever before.
Technology is really at the core of what the company is trying to do from a strategic standpoint, adds Miller. Along with the WMS, Beyond Distribution is also building out a customer relationship management (CRM) system. “We’re introducing real-time tracking platforms for our customers, and we also use portals to improve transparency,” Miller says. “Looking ahead, we’re focused on becoming an AI-driven organization—using artificial intelligence for route optimization, performance forecasting, and other key areas. Our internal development team is central to advancing these initiatives and keeping us on the leading edge of technology.”
The company has achieved numerous accomplishments over its many years, but winning Furniture Today’s 2024 Reader Rankings award for best final mile logistics company, as well as being a finalist in three other categories, has been one of its most impressive achievements. “That was voted for by the readers, and [2024 was] the first year we participated, so we came out of the gates running pretty hard,” says Bronson. The company has now been nominated again by its customers, in four categories. “It goes back to being very customer-centric.”
Technology and people
Of course, there are always challenges, and staying at least one step ahead of the competition in its use of technology is key to Beyond Distribution’s continued success. “Another part of this company that I love is we think very carefully about technology, about what we buy off the shelf as opposed to what we build,” says D’Antonio. “We do have a commitment from the executive team to invest heavily in technology and to build in-house.”
Along with staying at the forefront of innovation, Beyond Distribution is committed to finding the best people, and is proud of its record for driver and employee retention. “We’re probably leading the charge with the lowest turnover rates among our competitors, something that sets us apart,” says Bronson.
“We took a step back a long time ago and asked, if we pay them more, are they going to stay? If we incentivize them for the good jobs they’re doing, are they going to stay? Ultimately, it was the culture and how we treat them, listening to their concerns, and working through any kind of issues they may have. They feel like they’re part of the team and are one of us, and that’s a big thing.”
Making both clients and employees feel seen, heard, welcome, and appreciated is truly at the heart of the company, and is the driving force behind its long-time success. “We’re always looking at ways to improve our organization,” Bronson says, “to avoid being top-heavy, and to really make sure we have adequate support for our employees.”
