Pickens-Kane
Pickens-Kane is a family-owned Chicago moving and storage company founded in 1914, serving residential, commercial, international, and specialty customers across 135 countries as a charter Allied Van Lines agent with over one million square feet of warehouse capacity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1914
- HeadquartersState College, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Pickens-Kane does
Pickens-Kane is a privately held, family-owned moving and storage company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, operating continuously since 1914. The company delivers residential, commercial, international, and specialized moving services across the Chicagoland market, the United States, and 135 countries worldwide through its charter member agent relationships with Allied Van Lines and Allied International. Its service portfolio spans local and long-distance residential moves, office and business relocations with IT disconnect/reconnect and contract furniture installation, international door-to-door relocations with customs coordination, and specialty services including fine art and antique transportation, healthcare facility moving, FF&E consolidation, and white-glove delivery.
The company operates more than one million square feet of owned warehouse space across three Chicago buildings and one suburban Bloomingdale facility, including over 20,000 square feet of museum-quality climate-controlled storage maintained at constant 67°F and 55% humidity. Its technology stack centers on a computerized barcoded inventory management system for commercial storage clients, GlobalCom real-time shipment tracking providing 24/7 visibility from origin through customs to delivery, and a dedicated personal move coordinator platform assigning a single point of contact to every job. The company never uses subcontractors for international moves, and all crews undergo extensive background checks and training. Pickens-Kane holds top 5% ranking in Allied International's Excellence in Customer Service and has won the 'Customer Choice/Quality Agent of the Year' award twice.
Pickens-Kane's business model is project-based professional services revenue generated per move, with pricing determined by shipment weight, distance, service scope, and add-ons such as packing, custom crating, and storage. The go-to-market motion is sales-led through toll-free phone, website quote forms, and in-person or virtual on-site assessments, complemented by inbound referrals from the Allied agent network. The company serves hundreds of named enterprise customers across financial services (Northern Trust, Chase), professional services (Accenture, Deloitte, McKinsey), cultural institutions (Field Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra), healthcare (Lurie Children's Hospital), hospitality (Four Seasons, Hyatt), aerospace (Boeing), and real estate (JLL, CBRE), alongside a long-tail residential consumer base. No revenue, funding, or headcount time-series data is disclosed in available materials.
Pickens-Kane firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pickens-Kane
- Legal name
- Pickens-Kane
- Website
- https://pickenskane.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1914
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Pickens-Kane is a family-owned Chicago moving and storage company founded in 1914, serving residential, commercial, international, and specialty customers across 135 countries as a charter Allied Van Lines agent with over one million square feet of warehouse capacity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pickens-Kane industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Moving and Storage Services
- NAICS
- General Warehousing and Storage (493110)
- SIC
- Trucking (No Local) (4213)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interstate White-Glove Moving & Setup (Assembly/Installation) (HSAKABAM)
Keywords
Where Pickens-Kane is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- State College
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Pickens-Kane business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Residential Moving Services: Full-service residential moving including local moves within Chicagoland, long-distance interstate moves, and intrastate moves within Illinois. Revenue is generated on a per-job basis determined by weight, distance, and additional services (packing, crating, storage). Pricing is provided via free written estimates after on-site or virtual assessment.
- Commercial Moving Services: Office and business relocation services including furniture installation, furniture removal, IT disconnect/reconnect, computer and electronics moving, and contract furniture services. Custom moving packages are created to suit each business's needs and budget.
- International Moving Services: International relocation services to over 135 countries worldwide, operating as an Allied International agent. Services include door-to-door shipping via ocean freight or air, customs clearance assistance, and destination-country delivery coordination. Pricing based on dimensions and weight of belongings.
- Storage Services: Secure storage solutions including containerized household storage, over-sized rack storage, and museum-quality climate-controlled storage. More than one million square feet of storage space across three Chicago buildings and one suburban facility. Storage pricing based on square footage for regular units and cubic footage for climate-controlled units.
- Specialized Moving Services: Specialized services including fine art and antique moving, FF&E consolidation, healthcare facility moving, white-glove services, crating and rigging, and Chicago area delivery. These premium services command higher pricing due to the sensitive handling and custom crating required.
- Auto/Vehicle Shipping Services: Automobile relocation services for cars, trucks, and vehicles shipped domestically or internationally via Allied Van Lines network. Pricing based on destination and vehicle type, with flexible short-term and long-term vehicle storage available.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom per-job pricing based on move scope and services selected |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Pickens-Kane product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pickens-Kane is a full-service moving and storage company providing residential, commercial, international, and specialized relocation services from its Chicago headquarters. As a charter member agent of Allied Van Lines and Allied International, the company coordinates local, intrastate, interstate, and global moves to 135 countries. The company operates more than one million square feet of warehouse space across three Chicago buildings and a Bloomingdale, Illinois facility, including museum-quality climate-controlled storage for fine art and high-value items.
Product overview
Pickens-Kane offers a comprehensive moving and storage service portfolio built around its core competencies in residential, commercial, international, and specialized moving services. The company's product architecture consists of four primary service lines: Residential Moving Services (encompassing local movers, long-distance movers, intrastate movers, and auto movers), International Moving Services (leveraging the Allied International network with service to 135 countries), Commercial Moving Services (including contract furniture installation, furniture removal, reusable moving crates, computer/electronics moving, and IT disconnect/reconnect), and Specialized Moving Services (covering fine art/antique moving, crating and rigging, FF&E consolidation, white glove services, and healthcare facility services). Storage Services function as a complementary capability across all moving services, offering household storage, commercial storage, and climate-controlled storage for fine art and high-value items. The company operates over one million square feet of warehouse space across multiple Chicago-area facilities and positions itself as a full-service provider rather than a modular platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Moving Services Full-service residential relocation including local moves within Chicagoland, long-distance interstate moves, intrastate moves within Illinois, and auto/vehicle shipping. Includes packing, custom crating, furniture wrapping, appliance moving, and household goods storage.
- International Moving Services Overseas relocation services including door-to-door shipping via ocean freight or air, customs clearance assistance, and destination-country delivery coordination to 135 countries worldwide. Operates through the Allied International network with never using subcontractors for international moves.
- Commercial Moving Services Office and business relocation services including furniture installation, furniture removal, IT disconnect/reconnect, computer and electronics moving, and contract furniture services. Custom moving packages are tailored to each business's needs and budget. The company is the largest commercial relocation company in Illinois.
- Storage Services Secure storage solutions including containerized household storage, over-sized rack storage, and museum-quality climate-controlled storage. More than one million square feet of storage space across three Chicago buildings and one suburban Bloomingdale, Illinois facility. Includes computerized barcoded inventory management and 24-hour security.
- Specialized Moving Services Precision handling services for high-value, sensitive items including fine art and antique moving, healthcare facility relocation, FF&E consolidation, custom crating and rigging, and premium white-glove delivery services. These premium services command higher pricing due to sensitive handling requirements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Top 5% in Excellence in Customer Service within the Allied International Network
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Pickens-Kane
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pickens-Kane technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Pickens-Kane partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Allied Van LinescorePickens-Kane is a charter member agent of Allied Van Lines, the largest transportation, distribution, and service organization of its kind in the world. This partnership provides access to a nationwide network of skilled moving professionals for domestic interstate relocations and enables Pickens-Kane to serve customers moving anywhere in the United States with coordinated, quality-controlled service.
- Allied InternationalcorePickens-Kane is a Partner Agent with Allied International, the global arm of Allied Van Lines serving 135 countries. The company consistently ranks in the top 5% in Excellence in Customer Service within this network and has won the 'Customer Choice/Quality Agent of the Year' award twice. Allied International provides the global network infrastructure, move standards, and quality benchmarks that enable Pickens-Kane to offer door-to-door international relocations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pickens-Kane competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Allied Van Lines: National van line and Pickens-Kane's parent agent network; provides the infrastructure for Pickens-Kane's interstate and international moves. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same moving and storage category with a far larger geographic footprint.
- United Van Lines: One of the largest U.S. moving van lines and a direct competitor to Allied Van Lines. Offers comparable residential, commercial, and international moving services through an agent network, making it the most analogous direct competitor to Pickens-Kane at the network level.
- North American Van Lines: Major U.S. interstate moving carrier with a similar agent-based model and corporate relocation focus. Directly competes with Pickens-Kane/Allied for enterprise and household goods moves nationally.
- Atlas Van Lines: U.S. and international moving van line with household, commercial, and government relocation services. Comparable agent-driven operating model and broad service portfolio overlapping Pickens-Kane's core offerings.
- Mayflower Transit: National interstate moving carrier offering household, corporate, and military relocations. Competes head-to-head with Pickens-Kane in long-distance residential and corporate relocation segments through its agent network.
Direct peers
- Two Men and a Truck: Largest franchised local moving company in the U.S. with strong Midwest presence; offers residential and commercial moving plus storage. Closest direct comparator in service mix, scale, and target customer (SMB/residential) to Pickens-Kane's local operations.
- Crate & Freight (Crate Solutions): Specialty crating, rigging, and white-glove moving provider serving museums, galleries, and high-value commercial clients — directly overlapping Pickens-Kane's specialized moving and fine art/antiques service line.
Emerging players
- Pods Enterprise: Portable container moving and storage provider competing in residential and commercial segments with a more self-service, technology-led model. Targets similar customers with a different delivery mechanism, putting partial pressure on Pickens-Kane's local and storage lines.
Regional players
- Crown Relocations: International moving and relocation specialist with strong Asia-Pacific and global corporate focus. Comparable international door-to-door relocation services competing for the same multinational corporate transfer clients Pickens-Kane serves via Allied International.
Others
- Cort Furniture Rental: National furniture rental and FF&E services provider serving corporate relocations, apartments, and commercial spaces. Adjacent in the corporate relocation ecosystem where Pickens-Kane provides installation and FF&E consolidation services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pickens-Kane social profiles
Digital presencePickens-Kane financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pickens-Kane leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Pickens-Kane funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pickens-Kane M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pickens-Kane
What does Pickens-Kane do?
Pickens-Kane is a full-service moving and storage company providing residential, commercial, international, and specialized relocation services from its Chicago headquarters. As a charter member agent of Allied Van Lines and Allied International, the company coordinates local, intrastate, interstate, and global moves to 135 countries. The company operates more than one million square feet of warehouse space across three Chicago buildings and a Bloomingdale, Illinois facility, including museum-quality climate-controlled storage for fine art and high-value items.
Is Pickens-Kane a public or private company?
Pickens-Kane is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Pickens-Kane founded?
Pickens-Kane was founded in 1914. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Pickens-Kane based?
Pickens-Kane is headquartered in State College, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pickens-Kane make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Residential Moving Services are the primary driver. The others are commercial Moving Services, international Moving Services, storage Services, specialized Moving Services and auto/Vehicle Shipping Services.
Who are Pickens-Kane's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Allied Van Lines, United Van Lines, North American Van Lines, Atlas Van Lines and Mayflower Transit. Direct peers are Two Men and a Truck and Crate & Freight (Crate Solutions). Pods Enterprise is listed as an emerging player. Crown Relocations is listed as a regional player. Cort Furniture Rental is listed as an others.
Does Pickens-Kane have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pickens-Kane.
What industry is Pickens-Kane in?
Pickens-Kane's product category is Moving and Storage Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAKABAM, Interstate White-Glove Moving & Setup (Assembly/Installation). Its NAICS code is 493110 and its SIC code is 4213.