Founded by President Larry O’Toole in 1980, Gentle Giant Moving Company first opened its office doors in the Greater Boston Area in 1989. The company has gone from strength to strength ever since. What originally began as an idea, a man, and his van, has grown to become an award-winning and nationally reputable moving company with 22 locations throughout the country.
Given its long-standing history in Boston, Gentle Giant Moving Company has made its mark on the city. Its purple moving trucks are well known on Boston streets, while the term ‘best in the Boston moving business’ has become synonymous with Gentle Giant.
Award-Winning Moving Company
When O’Toole founded Gentle Giant, his goal was to establish a company of unique quality and service, and to ultimately make every customer a customer for life! Over the years Gentle Giant has gained a reputation for service that is second to none by building the best team of movers ever assembled. It draws heavily upon its resources within Boston’s rowing community and other athletic disciplines as the company has found that current and former athletes make some of the best movers. These individuals possess the strength, stamina, and attitude that it takes to turn a challenging job into something rewarding; and because of that Gentle Giant has gained thousands (and thousands) of loyal customers for life.
Gentle Giant’s stellar Boston reputation has been recognized by many organizations and awards since its inception.
The moving company is a proud nine-time ‘Best of Boston’ award-winner and was inducted into the ‘Best of’ Hall of Fame. Its first-rate customer service has also made it a 2020 Best of MetroWest Award finalist, a six-time Improper Bostonian’s ‘Boston’s Best’ winner, and four-time Better Business Bureau ‘Award for Excellence’ winner, among others. And it’s not just Gentle Giant’s quality customer experience that has received multiple awards and recognition.
Thanks to the employee-centric foundation laid at the commencement of Gentle Giant, the company’s commitment to its people is unsurpassed. This commitment has seen the company win several workplace awards including the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Top Workplace’, Boston Business Journal’s ‘Best Places to Work’, and Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts ‘Healthiest Employer’, to name a few. Gentle Giant’s most recent win as a WorkWell MA Honoree in 2021 recognized the company’s extensive workplace satisfaction initiatives which include free meditation sessions, access to an on-site CrossFit Gym and chiropractor, and some of the best benefits in the moving industry.
Involvement in the Community
Since its foundation in 1980, Gentle Giant has immersed itself in the Greater Boston community. The company is a proud sponsor or ally of many fantastic events and organizations in the Boston area in an effort to lend a hand and give back where it can.
In 2005 President Larry O’Toole established the Gentle Giant Charitable Foundation. The foundation was created with the goal of strengthening the community involvement that has characterized Gentle Giant Moving Company throughout its over 40 years in business. It focuses on two issues central to the values and practices of the company: youth leadership development through athletics and education, and homelessness prevention. Over the years the foundation has had the privilege of partnering with amazing organizations like Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Read to a Child, More than Words, Girls on the Run Greater Boston, Household Goods, Second Chances Massachusetts, and Move for Hunger.
Gentle Giant’s partnership with Household Goods is special to the company as it works to provide housing assistance throughout the Greater Boston area. As part of the alliance, Giants transport and assemble donated furniture and other household goods to the new homes of those who faced homelessness. Additionally, the company’s work with Move for Hunger has become a core element of its charitable endeavors. In 2021 Gentle Giant was named Move for Hunger’s ‘Mover of the Year’ having transported more than 385,000 pounds of food, the equivalent of 320,000 meals, to the Greater Boston Food Bank.
On top of its involvement with nonprofits, Gentle Giant also collaborates on several Boston-based athletic events. Since 1997 the company has partnered with the Boston Marathon to provide operational support in the lead-up to and aftermath of the event. You will also find many Giants handing out refreshments and cheering on the athletes from the sidelines. In fact, some of these athletes are Giants! Every year, several Gentle Giant employees compete in the Boston Marathon to raise funds for Boston’s St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Gentle Giant has also been a proud sponsor of Boston’s annual Head of the Charles Regatta since 2011, providing logistical support in the lead up to and following the regatta. The Giant team also hosts a booth and runs the popular Gentle Giant Speed Stairs Challenge over the weekend. But you won’t just find Giants on the ground, you’ll also catch them on the river as competing members of the Gentle Giant Rowing Club. The club, which was founded by President Larry O’Toole in 2005, is a key part of the Gentle Giant Charitable Foundation’s youth development program. O’Toole established the club with the goal of making the sport accessible to all.
A Leading Green Moving Company
Gentle Giant Moving Company is keenly aware of the impact the moving industry has on the environment, specifically within the communities that it operates. That is why it strives to be a green moving company through the implementation of various responsible initiatives. Among these initiatives are the exclusive use of biodegradable foam peanuts and oxo-biodegradable bubble wrap, reselling used boxes at discounted prices through its Boston-based Top Box service, and using FSC certified products for marketing materials.
Throughout the years Gentle Giant has been recognized for its efforts to become one of the leading green moving companies. The company’s sustainable initiatives, along with its annual voluntary work at the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts’s Boston Local Food Festival earned it the ‘Sustainable Business of the Year’ award in 2020. The company has also been recognized as a ‘Bike Friendly Business’ by the City of Boston and is an active member of the Climate Action Business Association.
Are you planning a move to Boston? We have some great resources to get you started! Check out our moving checklist for information on how to prepare for your move and use our free move estimate tool to determine the cost of your Boston move. If you are not in Boston, check out this page to discover if we offer moving services near you.