By Lindsay Field Penticuff
Imagine being asked to move a family’s most prized possessions, whether that’s a Picasso (yes! a Picasso) or a $1 million mattress. Not a bed; a mattress.
These are just two of the many, many items that Operations Manager Mark Paratore and his team at Colwright Designer Delivery—a McCorquodale Transfer company—have been asked to delicately and safely move over the past two decades for families and interior designers.
“I started working at the company about 20 years ago,” Paratore says. “I sort of stepped into it. A friend was involved with the company, and I decided to come on board. I started off at the ground level and worked my way up. I deal with mostly clientele and the designer portion of it, and I am now directly involved in dealing with designers and the guys on the road, and making sure everything flows easily.”
Colwright delivers what they describe white glove services for a host of designers, private clients, real estate agents and contractors, moving everything from a whole home or simply helping a client rearrange a space.
“‘White glove’ at Colwright is about going into a space with a good presence—smile on your face, good rapport—and our expectation is to take our time,” Paratore explains. “We aren’t trying to rush into a home and deliver their items. We want to make it an experience … taking our time to make sure everything is delivered the right way and nothing is damaged.
“At the same time, we are also conscientious that we are there to support the interior designer. We are there to be a support structure. How we look is a direct reflection of designers, so if we don’t leave a good impression, we are making that designer look bad. Our aim is focusing on making everyone look good.”
Their services also include being the direct link between a designer and vendor. If there are issues with a delivery to their warehouse, it is Colwright’s job to report problems directly to a designer or client, and with immediacy.
“If anything is wrong, it usually has to be reported and handled within three days,” Paratore says. “Our primary focus at the warehouse is to make sure everything gets recorded.”
These issues or concerns may be a chair that was delivered that’s the wrong color or in the wrong fabric, or it could also be damages, which they may be able to repair.
“As a receiving partner, we have to make sure that everything that is coming in is coming in correct,” he continues. “That’s the big focus as a white glove company. Designers may not realize all the things that go in at the beginning of the process. Sometimes, it’s not just enough to order the sofa and the chairs, the client may not be ready for the move-in or something is wrong and needs to be handled before we can deliver products.”
Colwright offers an online dashboard that helps coordinate all communication with the client, whether it’s to simply let them know a product has arrived, or if they need to know there’s delivery issues or repair that’s needed.
“The website is a two-way window. Whenever something comes in, we go ahead and catalog it, but at the same time, we keep that line open, so we send out notifications and let them know if something has shown up, or if something has shown up and it’s damaged,” Paratore says. “Items may come in that are not properly marked, but if the designer has that channel, they can contact us to see where something is. It’s an all-purpose tool. It’s very helpful.”
And for interior designers who haven’t worked with a company like Colwright before, Paratore says it’s a partnership worth considering, especially if you’re sourcing pieces at High Point Market in North Carolina and are looking for a reliable receiving house in place to purchase at the trade level.
“Manufacturers directly ship from their factories to us, but we also have to have the ability to pick up from High Point directly, and you have to have a local, white-glove company that we work with that can do those local pickups, whether it’s there or somewhere up and down the East Coast,” he says.
“We make arrangements to have those pieces picked up. Sometimes, they aren’t coming from the vendor and have to be picked up locally. A lot of the people who we talk to, especially, will ask us to make the arrangements to have something picked up from the show house in North Carolina or New York and get it brought down safely. That’s one thing a lot of designers may not know, but a lot of times you have to make it happen for them.”
To learn more about Colwright and see where they’re offering services, visit mtmoves.com, and be sure to watch our entire interview with Paratore.
