Steve Jordan talks to Ron Dunlap as he settles into his new role as CEO of one of the industry’s best known Relocation Management Companies (RMCs).
Ron Dunlap took over as Graebel CEO on 24 July, 2024. It was an appointment that surprised few. Ron had been with the company for 15 years, served as president for four of them, and was clearly in line for the top job. It was a transition that had been some years in the planning.
“The story started seven years ago when Bill [Graebel] and I were talking about how the company and the industry were changing,” Ron explained. “We’re certainly at an inflection point today, and as Bill looked at where Graebel is headed, he decided to move forward with this change.” It is part of a planned transition that Bill and Ron have been working toward collaboratively for years.
In the press release announcing Ron’s appointment, the company was on record as accepting that digital transformation will completely revolutionise how it serves its customers. I wondered how Ron saw that transformation taking place. He said that companies had different views about how technology will be deployed. But he was clear about the Graebel strategy. “We are advancing our technology,” he explained. “Our next-generation of technology will include a range of tools to provide services to all customers. The days when everybody expects to have the same relocation experience are obsolete. People want to configure the technology to their own likes and needs. It’s a sliding scale from ‘I want someone to hold my hand’ to ‘I don’t want to talk to anyone’. The industry is already talking about it - but we want to deliver it.”
Does Ron think there will ever come a time when customers are so comfortable with technology that they have no further need for RMCs? “I don't think the need will go, but it will change. We think moving is easy, but it’s not. There will always be times when people need to reach out and contact somebody. Our own data shows that 72% of the people that are given lump sums by their companies still ask to talk to somebody. They want to know how best to maximise the benefit they get from the money the company has given them.” The services RMCs provide in the future will depend on what the customers want, which will be everything from access to an app to white-glove consultancy. Whatever the service, Ron believes his company’s duty of care is important to protect.
Expansion
A declared aim of Graebel is to expand its reach and ‘leverage’ its strengths. For a company that already reaches to the farthest crannies of the globe, what will that growth look like? ...
Photo: Ron Dunlap (left) and Bill Graebel.