Company History
Ferguson Moving & Storage Vancouver History
The oldest moving company in Vancouver

IRELAND, 1913: Jimmy, Vic and Henry Ferguson left their home country to head west across a major ocean and an even larger land mass called Canada. At the end of their journey they arrived in the small west coast city of Vancouver. For the three brothers this was to be their new home. So with a vision, a dream and a determination to succeed, Optimistic Transfer was born. With nothing more than a Ford flat deck truck with wood slats for sides and a canvas roof, the transfer business was on a roll.    

A fitting name…    

The name “Optimistic” was chosen by the Ferguson brothers as Irish Orangemen. In 1916, they changed the name to Ferguson’s Transfer. It expanded its operation from the house at 19th and Duchess Avenue in West Vancouver to include two offices – on Water Street in Vancouver and the foot of Lonsdale in North Vancouver.    

Growth and stability…    

Business continued to operate through World War I, the Depression and World War II. In 1932, the Ferguson brothers took over the Orange Hall at 22nd and Marine Drive in West Vancouver. They turned their new location into a furniture warehouse, bus stop, coal drop and general storage. Even Friday and Saturday night dances were held on a regular basis! If you knew Vic Ferguson, you could always find a game of cards going on somewhere in that building. In 1935, Wilf Griffiths and Henry Funk joined the company and helped with the expanding business on the ever-growing

In 1948, Jack Reano arrived on the scene with a keen commitment to offer a service that was very rarely seen in this industry. With time marching on, the Ferguson brothers decided to call it a day, Jack and Wilf took over the company in 1962. I remember Jack (my dad) saying “Lets quit the old freight business and stay with just the moving of household goods, “cause that’s what we do best.”    

With new trucks and equipment Ferguson’s was still on a roll. In 1973, Paul Reano joined the company as a junior man on the team. In 1980, Paul took over the company and in 1983 expanded the operation to include Vancouver Island, all of British Columbia and Alberta. In 1991, Ferguson Moving & Storage moved to a new location in North Vancouver, offering a combination of a mini-storage building and a specialized container warehouse.    

In 2001, Lorne MacInnes joined the company as Operations manager, bringing 12 years industry experience along with him. With Lorne & Paul working together as a team,in January 2004,Ferguson Moving & Storage expanded the size of its container storage from 6,700 square feet to 20,000 square feet. At that same time, Lorne purchased 49% of the company shares and was made partner and Vice President.    

With an eye on joining a larger network to service long distance and international orders, Ferguson Moving & Storage joined Mayflower Van Lines in 2005. This membership allows Ferguson Moving & Storage to be truly a complete moving and storage company. To this day and always we maintain the phrase, “Doing what we do best.”    

On Dec 31st 2010, Paul Reano has retired from Ferguson Moving and Storage and his former partner Lorne MacInnes purchased the remaining stock in the company. Going forward towards 100 years in business is an honour and a priviledge. Although the company is continually growing and expanding, Lorne will always value the past customers and staff that helped sustain Ferguson’s through 9 decades of business. This time that Lorne is here will be marked by many moments and accomplishments…Moving forward we hope to create a place for growth, opportunity for staff and 100% customer satisfaction.

Sincerely,    

Lorne MacInnes
President