Introducing Us!

This blog space is an opportunity to discuss various aspects of relocation and downsizing, as well as general interest items related to the multiple demographic groups who are interested in senior relocation. 

Treasures Transitioned, although relatively new, comes from a place of deep experience, both professionally and personally. 

Professionally, Susan and I have spent almost 60 years combined working for the federal government. We have led and mentored people, were responsible for large financial budgets, and strove to leave our offices in better shape than we found them.  If I must say so myself (and I must, since I’m the one writing this), we were pretty successful. And along the way, we were good enough at our jobs and people skills that our friends and mentees continue to reach out to us regularly to chat or get advice.  

We have worked in the public service sector, both on Active Duty (Charity) and as civilians (both), which does differ from commercial experience. But we believe this difference benefits our current and future clients more than anything. Why? Because service and integrity are ingrained as our first responsibility—with the commercial necessity of return on investment and profitability coming second. We aren’t changing who we are as people; we’re just pivoting how we can serve others. 

What professional experiences transfer:

• Integrity. Working with people in their homes is about as intimate as you can get without being family or friends.  And we take this seriously—we may see things that people admit they own--even to family members--or memories that aren’t necessarily shared on social media which reflect a different time or complex situation in their lives.  We want our customers to feel safe in their homes, even as they make difficult decisions related to downsizing while sifting through what may be a lifetime’s, or at least part of a lifetime’s, belongings.

• Transparency.  As public servants responsible for spending taxpayer dollars, transparency to our Federal Agency and through Congress was ingrained from Day 1.  We think each of our clients deserves to know exactly what’s going on—with their belongings, with costs associated with the move, and with what’s to come.  Downsizing and moving can include the individual(s) making hard decisions and can be stressful—so Treasures Transitioned is focused on providing information you need to make the tough choices—whether financial or emotional. 

• Organizing, leading, and managing teams. Both of us have a lot of experience in leading teams. And we seldom had contracts binding our cross-organizational partners to initial agreements--we had many "coalitions of the willing" that relied on good leadership and teamwork to keep everything on track. So we are huge fans of low-drama conflict resolution if an unexpected decision or event takes place.  We are here to lower your stress levels—and we do it using the skills we have honed working with peers, seniors, subordinates, and outside entities for a combined 60 years.  

• Project management.  Many of the projects we were assigned to over the years were complex, had end dates that were grounded in federal laws and regulations, and timelines dictated by outside circumstances.  All of that to say, we are REALLY good at project planning and execution.  We will still hit snags—it would be irresponsible to pretend we won’t because life doesn’t work that way. But we’re prepared to provide clients with the best possible options when unexpected events happen. And the rest of the time? We will be on a roll, getting stuff done with a sense of purpose and urgency.

• Professionalism. We have a team of professionals behind us to help guide our decisions and products. Whether the topic is sales tax or contracts, we work with those trained and (when appropriate) certified to make sure we do things right. Why? So you won’t get overcharged, your rights will be protected, and we'll know what's the most right solution in complex situations.  And that philosophy is core to our business model.  We work with reputable partners and are transparent about what we know about third-party vendors and their reputations.  Our model does not include us making any profit from any of the partner vendors, so you can be confident we'll provide the best recommendations for YOU.

  
  

What personal experiences transfer:

• Local experience. Susan helped move her parents from a very large house to a much smaller one (more detail in a future post!)  Suffice it to say, she and her parents were steeped in the day-to-day complexities and emotional upheaval that downsizing can create. She also has experience with multiple vendors and knows who treated her parents and her parents’ beloved belongings well. So although we’re working to develop new partners who are leaders in their industries every day, we also have solid relationships built on trust and prior personal experience to guide our recommendations when you’re at the point to need them.

• Empathy for dispersed families. For Charity, she’s seen how moves with dispersed family work, and how hard it is—in different ways—for different members of the family.  After her husband’s widowed mother could no longer take care of a large home, she kept the home fires burning while her husband traveled multiple times to MN to join his brothers in moving their mother to an independent living facility (again, more in another post!) 

• Wanting value for the cost.  Both Susan and Charity can be bargain-hunters, but also value quality and understand our customers need to balance those options as well. For something that you only do once, like downsizing, it has to be done right the first time.  So we have an eye on the total outlay for our customers, but never want frugality to be a false economy.  

• Communications. From both professional and personal experience, we know excellent communications are critical.  So whether you talk to us in person, call, email, text, or fill out an online form, our focus is keeping you informed of what’s going on and what decisions you have under your control.  Downsizing can make people feel like they are losing control of the most important aspects of their lives. Our goal is to give as much of that control back to the client as possible.

• Empathy.  Finally, we strive to be empathetic with each client.  Your experience is uniquely your own. We may be able to assist with various aspects based on previous experiences, but like humans, downsizing situations are unique and no one should judge another’s situation.  Being kind is a core tenet of our chosen industry, and we strive to treat each client and family member with dignity, trust, and compassion.

Have questions? Reach out and talk to us!  Use the Contact form on the website. We look forward to speaking with you.