The Senior Move Manager® story begins with modern technology meeting old fashioned relationship building. In the late 1990s, in various corners of the country, a few inspired people quietly began helping older adults move from their long time family homes into assisted living facilities, continuing care campuses, apartments, and other living arrangements. These senior move managers, as they called themselves, worked on their challenging, new businesses all day — sorting and packing the client's personal possessions, space planning, hanging pictures, organizing estate and tag sales, and distributing goods to charity and adult children. Then, late at night, these same individuals would surf the internet, hoping to locate others who shared their passion for transitioning older adults.
In October 2002, 22 high-spirited individuals from 16 companies came together as strangers in Arlington, VA to discuss developing a professional association specifically designed for the senior move industry. That long weekend of shared laughter and incredibly intense hard work resulted in the formation of the National Association of Senior Move Managers® (NASMM). These 22 founding members crafted a mission statement for the new organization and identified the various tasks required to transform their ideas into reality. Over that first winter, assigned teams worked on the daunting responsibilities of board formation, membership design and process, not-for-profit incorporation, website development, database management, member education and member benefits.
The founding members' shared vision began to form a single, compelling identity — NASMM. In November 2003, a defining moment in NASMM's history occurred as the Board and members proudly hosted the first annual NASMM conference. Sixty five people from 48 senior move companies assembled in suburban Philadelphia for a weekend of professional education and networking. Needless to say, more stories were told, more laughs were shared, and colleagues soon became friends.
In 2020, NASMM officially changed its legal name to the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers, to reflect clients of all ages and life situations seeking move management services – such as physically challenged individuals, families, military moves, divorced couples, and more.
Membership in NASMM now numbers over 1000 Move Management companies throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad with our annual conference attracting 400+ participants each year. For more information on our Annual Conference click here.
NASMM is now in its 21st year, and we will continue to grow and flourish as we assume an increasingly larger role in shaping the future of the Move Management profession.
