Our History
Modern Piano Moving was established in 1935
as the first piano only moving company in St. Louis, Missouri. Built on a strong reputation for quality care and professional service, Modern Piano Moving prospered. In 1985, Russell Vitt, a native to St. Louis, purchased Modern. Already in the furniture moving business, operating Red Bird Moving, Russell knew what it took to meet the customers’ needs.
Big name entertainers have used Modern Piano Moving
to transport their beloved pianos. Among them are Chuck Berry, who used a 9 foot trailer to move his piano to Las Vegas. Carol Burnett, Tony Bennett , Tony Orlando, Barry White, former St Louis Symphony Orchestra director and now conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin, the piano used by Garth Brooks in the video, "White and Red" , the Kingston Trio and Nine Inch Nails.
In the early 1990s, Russell started A-Alliance of Service Professionals. A not-for-profit organization designed to help single item shippers (pianos, antiques, art, one room of furniture) locate companies who could best handle their needs. While customers welcomed the new service, moving companies ignored the moves or failed to pay for them. To keep his customers happy, Russell started his own long distance moving company, Modern Moving Systems.
By the mid 1990s it was evident there was a need for a specialized, pianos-only nationwide mover. To test the water, Russell traveled to the area most likely to support an exclusive piano mover, the eastern coast Virginia to Maine. After only 30 days it was obvious the need was there. In 1995, Modern Piano Moving became the first door-to-door nationwide piano mover.
In 1998, Russell moved his headquarters to the virtual center of the country in Sullivan, Missouri. Just 2 miles from Interstate 44, Modern’s new 29 acre home was a breath of fresh air. Focused on quality, Modern’s first climate controlled warehouse was built. In addition to being fully insulated, plastic sheeting was included in all walls to prevent high summer humidity and a humidifier was added to twin furnaces to maintain a constant climate.
In 1999, Modern added a full service shop with twin 80ft heated bays to maintain the truck fleet. While completing a move from Virginia to North Carolina, Russell met the sales manager of Volvo Trucks during the move of his wife’s piano. He was impressed with the care and concern shown. A week later he offered a show truck (used in the 1998 Super Bowl) to Russell for a two year test drive. Impressed with the quality, safety features, turning radius and driver comfort, Modern began upgrading its entire fleet to Volvo.
In 2000, Modern Piano Moving added its first satellite location in Virginia: a 17-acre horse farm just 60 miles from Washington DC. Crews could live there at a reduced rate. This location has a converted dairy barn that could be used as a climate-controlled warehouse.
In 2001, Modern Piano Moving added locations in California (Sacramento/San Francisco area) and Colorado (Denver/Colorado Springs area). Both 10-acre properties received a climate-controlled warehouse.
In 2002, Modern Piano Moving added locations in Indiana (Chicago-land area) and Georgia (Atlanta/Chattanooga area). Again, climate controlled warehouses were added to the 15-44 acre locations. Now the pride of our company, the crewmembers could work and live within 550 miles of their home base on the east and 850 miles on the west. This made leaving their families easier because trips were shorter.
From 2003 to 2004, Modern Piano Moving added enhanced training, upgraded equipment, and focused on improving service. Jobs completed without claims were reduced to 2% (industry average is 20%). Climate controlled trailers were added to the fleet. All straight trucks received heaters. Satellite vehicle communication and tracking was added. Software driven GPS units were added to make it easier to find our customers. Our website was upgraded to meet the needs of the internet shopper. A two family modular home was built at Sullivan to allow drivers to live close.
In 2005, Modern Piano Moving built a new office on its Sullivan campus and added 17 acres. The new office included a new computer/telephone/satellite TV system, upgraded internet/security service and three more customer service employees. A new warehouse in Virginia was added. Our first new Volvo 780 was added.
By 2007, Modern Piano added three new Volvo 780s to the fleet. Modern operated between 4-7 full-time professional crews throughout the United States. Modern began carrying shuttle vehicles on each tractor-trailer to allow for moves to be completed in areas where large trucks could not get close enough to the house. This was an instant success and surprised a lot clients who thought, "there is just no way." Modern completed more than 2500 long-distance piano moves.
In 2008 and 2009, Modern continued its success during the rough economic climate by offering timing and flexibility pricing options. Modern expanded its area of coverage to include Canada, Hawaii and virtually anywhere in the world.
Going forward, Modern Piano Moving welcomes the opportunities and challanges to better serve our valued customers. Our website has been updated in October 2009 featuring an affiliate section that supports many of the key players in the piano industry. Customers can locate professional tuners, technicians, restorers, instructors and piano stores close to their hometown.
The domain names modernpiano.com and pianomover.com are one and the same.