Pat Andrus is the embodiment of a Gentle Giant. While his body builder physique makes even the heaviest pianos seem lightweight, his approach to piano moving is gentle, calm and confident.
Pat grew up in Gloucester, MA, the nation’s oldest fishing port, and graduated from Westfield State College. After graduation, he dove head first into the corporate world, but realized after a few years that he was becoming burnt out. He began looking for a change of pace, and in his research for a new vocation, he came upon Gentle Giant.
“I thought to myself, if I am going to become a mover, I’m going to work for the best,” Andrus explains.
Being a collegiate football player made Pat use to physically demanding activities. He was fully prepared to meet the demands of Gentle Giant’s challenging daily moves. From the beginning, his favorite part of working at Gentle Giant was being able to manage customer’s expectations while executing difficult and stressful moves.
Pat spent his first year at Gentle Giant getting used to the pace of the trucks and ultimately thrived. The culmination of his hard work throughout the first year came when he was awarded co-Rookie of the Year with Brandon Sparks, who is now Branch Manager of Gentle Giant’s San Francisco office.
Shortly after his second year at the Giant, Andrus found himself at a crossroad. He loved the company, culture, and his coworkers, but wasn’t sure there was any room for advancement. Thankfully, Gentle Giant has a track record of promoting excellent people. We approached Pat with the prospect of managing Allston Piano Moving Company, Gentle Giant’s recently acquired piano moving division. Needless to say, Pat jumped at the chance to manage the business, develop new crew chiefs and book big jobs.
“Being placed in charge of Allston Piano provided me with an excellent opportunity to make my mark at Gentle Giant and help grow a brand within the company,” Pat notes. “I really enjoy the challenges that come with my position and the success we have achieved thus far.”
In less than five years, Pat went from a helper on the trucks to the Branch Manager of Allston Piano Movers.
“Working on the trucks taught me about teamwork, strategy, customer service, and properly managing high pressure situations. These are the tools I rely on in my management role” he said.
During his time at our Boston moving company, Pat witnessed the company’s struggle after the housing market collapsed. He was so impressed by how well Gentle Giant was able to streamline the organization without having to sacrifice any jobs.
“Surviving those tough years was no small task in an industry with such small margins, but Gentle Giant survived by maintaining their commitment to employees.”
Pat was one of our busiest Giants, estimating piano moves, booking jobs, managing crews and training rookie piano movers. He enjoys strength training, hiking, spending time with his English bulldog Riley, and taking every opportunity to enjoy the ocean.