Don and Janet Hevener, former owners of houseboat transportation business Dreams in Motion, recently decided to pass on the baton and sell their business so they could enjoy life at a slower pace. The Houseboat magazine team has had the pleasure of knowing these good people for years and we wish them and their successors the best. Don and Janet explain their history with Dreams in Motion and why they feel ready to pass the business on to Cory Atchison and his talented staff below; here is what they have to say:
We at Dreams In Motion would like to thank houseboat manufacturers, boat brokers and all our individual customers for their business, their confidence and their loyalty in recommending us to their family and friends for their transport needs. We would also like to thank Houseboat magazine for their continued loyalty and service in advertising our business over the years. Although transporting houseboats was not without various challenges, safely delivering them to over 1,000 people in our 31 years has been very gratifying. We have taken great pleasure delivering “Dream Boats” to 43 states and shipping them to eight foreign countries.
The transporting business has given us the opportunity to meet and form many lasting relationships with a lot of wonderful people. At times we have gone down lonely back roads where we imagined no man had ever gone before, much less an oversized load. We have traveled in rain, snow, wind and a truckload of other challenges, but the smiling faces of our customers seeing their houseboats delivered safe and sound have been worth it all. We have seen a lot of beautiful places and met so many wonderful people.
Although God has blessed us with a very rewarding enterprise, the stress and physical labor have prompted us to consider passing our business to the next generation, allowing us to enjoy those places and visit those people at a more leisurely pace. We have logged over 2,000,000 miles on our various trucks over the years. We’re not really sure what our personal odometers read, but have decided to trip them over to a new adventure—retirement—not the rocking chair kind, but just a little slower pace.
It is a little scary and exciting at the same time. After all, Dreams in Motion has been our baby from its inception, to the crawling stage, to the walking stage and then to running full throttle thanks to our loyal customers. But we believe God has brought us the perfect couple to continue our legacy.
Cory Atchison lives in his hometown of Bedford, Ind., with his beautiful wife, Kim, and their little daughter Alexa. Trucking seems to have been in his blood since starting his first vehicle transport business, Southern Lakes Marine & Transport, at 18. He expanded that growing business into transporting Cruiser Yachts and Formula Boats. Although Cory and his staff had already established a successful marine and transport business in Indiana, when they saw our houseboat transport business for sale they seized the opportunity to diversify. At 36 he still has a lot of “Dream Boats” to deliver. We’ll be praying for their favor with the authorities now and safety in their travels.
We have met with them several times and they are good, honest people. We feel confident Cory and his staff are both willing and able to carry on the reputation we have built in those 31 years of not only competitive pricing, but also delivering your boat in a safe and timely manner. Since our cell phone numbers can be found on 1,000-plus houseboats around the world, Cory will retain those numbers of 704-813-8032 or 8034. We wish them all the success in the world.
Thank you again for your business through the years and may God bless you and yours in the future.
-Don and Janet Hevener