As the oldest Black-owned business in the U.S. expands in NC, Charlotte team wins award
The oldest Black-owned business in the U.S. that’s been quietly expanding in North Carolina will see its Charlotte office in the spotlight this month.
E.E. Ward Moving & Storage Co. will be the first Black-owned business to receive the trucking company northAmerican Van Lines Agent of the Year award on Monday for its Charlotte office at 3035 Horseshoe Lane. The award recognizes service quality, hauling growth, sales growth, and safety performance, according to E.E. Ward.
E.E. Ward, based in Columbus, Ohio, opened its Charlotte office four years ago to meet the rising demand of customer requests moving to the Southeast, company owners Brian and Dominique Brooks told the Observer on Tuesday. North Carolina and South Carolina are ranked in the top 5 states in the country for relocation, Brian Brooks said.
“It was undeniably time for us to expand to the Carolinas,” he said.
Last summer, E.E. Ward Moving opened an office at 1313 Transport Drive in Raleigh.
The 141-year-old company started with two horses and a buggy and now has a fleet of about 25 long haul and local trucks with 100 full- and part-time employees, including about 30 in Charlotte.
The company has “persevered,” its owners say, through the Civil War, Great Depression, two World Wars, the Great Recession, 27 president terms, and now, the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve never shut our doors,” said Dominique Brooks. The Brooks have owned E.E. Ward for 21 years. The company’s services include commercial and household moving, delivery services and logistics.
Growth during the pandemic
Last year, E.E. Ward Moving’s business grew by about 5% with households moving, Brian Brooks said. However, corporate relocations dropped as companies continue to have employees teleworking because of the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the contagious omicron variant.
“Considering what we went through in the past two years, we consider it a win,” Brooks said of the company’s growth.
The pandemic also meant a year that was anything but business as usual meeting the customer demand while also navigating COVID-19 restrictions and labor shortages. May to September is considered moving season, but the last two years, “typical went out the window,” Brian Brooks said. November and December were just as busy, he said.
“Among our peers, we joked, ‘Is moving season over yet?’” Brian Brooks said.
The moving company’s history
E. E. Ward Moving Company was founded in 1881 by John T. Ward, who had served as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. It is the oldest continuously Black-owned and operated business in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“As he was helping slaves find freedom, he was also transporting goods and services,” Dominique Brooks said. “It’s definitely an incredible story I think we all can draw inspiration from. The story of phenomenal entrepreneurship and perseverance.”
E.E. Ward Moving Company also pays homage to that history with an apparel line, called 1881.
Looking through the past 140 years and all that the people had to overcome and they had to endure, “we know that we’re here today because of them,” Dominique Brooks said.
“It’s a great sense of responsibility,” she said. “That’s why expanding into North Carolina was very important to us, to ensure that the legacy is never forgotten.”
E.E. Ward also forged a partnership with a NASCAR team seven years ago, moving Richard Petty Motorsports race shop from Concord to Mooresville, and two years later from Mooresville to Lexington, Brian Brooks said. E.E. Ward Moving also was a sponsor for driver Bubba Wallace.
While E.E. Ward Moving Company has received numerous other honors and accolades over the years, the latest award, the Brooks say, “wowed” them.
“There were tireless weeks of work, drivers were exhausted, and it was just non-stop all year,” Brian Brooks said. “It’s just a very proud moment for our team who persevered.”
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "As the oldest Black-owned business in the U.S. expands in NC, Charlotte team wins award."