1943 Arthur E. Morrissette purchases a used truck, pads and a dolly for $450 and founds company as Ace Moving Vans

1943 First move: an apartment billed at $12.50

1943 First storage site: a dirt-floored building at 821 Virginia Ave., SE

1945 Constructs two Quonset huts, providing 10,000 sq. ft. of storage

1949 First long distance move: to Syracuse, New York. Morrissette extends the four-foot tailgate with 2x4s, enabling him to transport 11,000 pounds

1949 First international move - shipment includes crated grand piano and a Jeep. Without forklifts, Morrissette uses a pinch bar and wood chocks to prop the items' four corners one by one until level with the van, then rolls crates into van on pipes

1952 Constructs 30,000 sq. ft. warehouse

1970 Disastrous fire destroys Interstate's warehouse at 821 Howard Rd., SE

1970 Headquarters built in Springfield, VA, on 30-acre site, including 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse; 5,000 sq. ft. office; and 10,000 sq. ft. maintenance facility

1971 Acquires Star World Wide Forwarders, which becomes Interstate International, Inc.

1975 Morrissette builds a two-bedroom, fully furnished training house for packers and movers to receive hands-on training and develops an innovative training program, consisting of films, manuals, handbooks and tests

1980 Receives I.C.C. authority to move within and between all of the continental United States.

1982 Named official mover for the World's Fair

1983 Establishes Interstate scholarship at George Mason University

1985 Becomes first in the industry to begin random drug testing of all employees

1988 Establishes Interstate scholarship at Northern Virginia Community College

1989 Establishes Interstate scholarship at Bowie State University

1991 Receives trademark for UltraPak method of maximum furniture protection for customer belongings

1993 Celebrates 50 years of service

1995 Receives the 1995 United States Department of Defense's Military Management Traffic Command (MTMC) Quality Award for customer satisfaction

1996 American Moving and Storage Association honors Interstate with industry-wide safety awards

1997 Interstate Relocation Service, Inc. formed as a full-service relocation management company to meet the evolving needs of the relocation industry

1998 Interstate becomes first van line ever to win the MTMC Quality Award twice

1999 Purchases Ambassador Relocation of Dulles, Virginia, adding a full- service branch operation with a 55,000 sq. ft. facility, 50 employees and 30 pieces of equipment

2000 Entire Interstate group of companies - all entities & facilities - receive ISO 9002 certification

2000 Interstate Relocation Service, Inc. awarded two contracts valued at $60 million as part of the U.S. Department of Defense' Full Service Moving Project (FSMP)

2001 American Moving and Storage Association again honors Interstate with multiple industry-wide safety awards: Safety Initiative, Fleet Safety and Most Improved Fleet Safety

2001 Fairfax County Economic Development Authority awards Interstate the Blue Diamond Quality First Award

2001 Interstate awarded National Capital Business Ethics Award by Greater Washington and Northern Virginia Chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals.

2002 American Moving and Storage Association awards Interstate International, Inc. Registered International Mover (RIM) Certification

2002 FIDI, the International Federation of Furniture Removers accepts Interstate International, Inc. as an affiliated member in good standing

( Overview   |   Awards and Honors   |   Milestones )