The company was founded in 1955 by Leo Happ, who was a maintenance engineer for the Glenview community church. It was formed under the name Happ’s Light Hauling and its fleet consisted of a single pickup truck. Leo continued the small business for fifteen years until he died on the job in 1970. Afterward, his wife Delphine managed the business. Already established, Happ’s was grand fathered into the Illinois Commerce Commission with the original authority for “luggage and musical instruments” from the center line of Madison Avenue to the Lake County border.
Everett Dean lived in Glenview when his son Tony started working for Happ’s in 1972. By trade, Everett was a stereotyper looking to leave the printing business. He then learned Happ’s Light Hauling was for sale. He had strong sons and a good business sense, so in January 1973, Everett bought the business from the widowed Delphine. In 1975, the business was incorporated and renamed Happ Movers, Inc. The authority was extended to statewide moving of new and used furniture and office supplies. By this time, the company’s equipment was made up of one 16 foot van, one 14 foot van, and one pickup truck.
A major customer of Happ Movers at the time was Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Every Tuesday and Thursday, Happ would take their three trucks to Sears, pick up furniture and merchandise, and make all the deliveries. Eventually, Sears changed their delivery policy and Happ lost the client that provided the majority of its revenue. Throughout the years, Happ Movers rebuilt itself, earning a solid reputation and more loyal customers.
To this day, Happ has maintained its family orientation with Everett Dean as the owner, Greg Ostrolencki as Fleet Manager, and Carol Dean as office manager. The movers and the administrators combine for over 175 years of loyalty to Happ Movers, Inc. Today, our fleet is comprised of four 26 foot straight trucks, one 16 foot cube van and one 14 foot pack van. While Happ has grown over the years, the growth has not overshadowed the ethics of a small family business. We believe this has been the key to our success.
