We haul pretty much anything…even a truck right in front of a towing place (look at the photo we captured).

Hey…

When you’re the best…you’re the best…and that’s us!!!!!

Honestly and truthfully…

We’re not that egotistical. We’re pretty humble, but it is fun to play around.

But we are good at what we do because we work hard at being the best.

We work hard because we don’t know anything different.

It’s part of us…

Josh’s dad, for example, is a great man and a good dad who taught his sons about a strong work ethic and that they can do whatever they want in life, and that he would be proud of them as long as they tried. Mr. Fendell has stood beside Josh his entire life and is proud of the man that he is today.

Josh is a father, a husband, a friend, a son, a brother, and a person who puts his responsibilities before his own needs.

That is the heart of BICO. We put our customer’s needs first, so that we can put our family’s needs first at home.

BICO Transportation is family, and you are all part of that strange and wonderful world.

Welcome home!!!!

Another day…another 582 miles (give or take depending on the day). We love it though!!!!

These are a couple of photos sent into us by one of our customers with the tagline, “Keeping the local farmers happy”.

We couldn’t say it better ourselves…

Thank you, and please keep sending us your photos and stories; we love sharing your successes.

BICO Transportation

360-269-5322

bicotransportation@yahoo.com

This is what the morning meeting looks like…

Sure it is sweet and romantic, but it’s hard to hire new employees because it’s more up close and personal than the squiggle dance that employees do at that one mega retail chain that we don’t want to mention because they don’t need any advertising help from us.

Can I Be More…A Shed’s Journey

Can we truly be whoever we want to be, and do whatever we want to do? The easy answer is no, because then we don’t have to try and can place the blame elsewhere. Saying yes takes work, but the work is worth it.

Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy, but that seemed to be an impossible dream for a toy puppet. Through the story of Pinocchio we learn that dreams can come true through hard work, trial and error, and from the help of others.

The same can be said of a shed that wanted to be a house, but unlike Pinocchio this is a real story.

Our story starts years ago on the banks of a river with a company in full production…

As the company grew, they needed to keep people out, and so they built fences and hired security to regulate who and what came and went. A newly built guard shack was part of that change.

The shack was nice…

Good size, sturdy, well insulated, had AC, a heater, windows, gutters, and even cabinets. The security team used the guard shack as their work home for years, until the company remodeled and went with a new unit.

When that change happened, the shack was moved onsite and became a shed to store paints and chemicals. Employees found it easier to bring the pieces that they were working on to the shed, rather than going to the shed to get the paint. Pretty soon the shed became a paint booth.

As time goes by, that particular paint booth was no longer required, and it becomes a sign shop for the company. The problem with that was that employees started bringing in other items to get personalized, like getting their names on their hardhats. The sign shop wasn’t producing and getting behind, while all along the room was filling up with other items to be worked on.

The leadership team put a stop to that, and the sign shop sat empty and unused.

Then one day news came…

The sign shop would be destroyed. Taken apart and thrown away because it wasn’t being used and was taking up space.

Meet Bob…

Bob was an employee of the company for years, and had always liked the little building, but had never thought much about it. Bob was also an avid fisherman who had way too much fishing equipment (according to his wife) to keep in the garage.

When Bob heard the fate of the building, he has an idea. He reached out to his boss with an idea that would save the company time and money. Instead of creating more work for the guys on the team, why not let him take the building home.

With a big truck and a forklift, the old sign shop became a shed in Bob’s backyard. The shed housed all of Bob’s fishing gear, making Bob’s wife extremely happy.

As time goes on, things change, and the shed’s future was once again unclear. Bob sold his house, and the new owners wanted the shed gone before they took possession of their new home. They didn’t care how, they just wanted it gone. Bob loved the shed and couldn’t find it in himself to take it apart, and so he placed an online ad to help find it a new home.

Meet Nat and Fred…

Nat and Fred are a couple who love to give back to their community, and try to educate others that as a community we can accomplish anything. They have worked and helped homeless couples in the past, and have this idea that by creating a small home environment throughout the city that we can reduce or eliminate homelessness all together. The change has to start somewhere, and so they took it upon themselves to create that environment of change by altering the lives of a homeless couple by giving them basic human rights; a home to go to, an address, a place to keep their stuff, a place to get out of the weather, security, and most importantly a place to create a fresh start.

All they needed was a small house.

Nat answered Bob’s ad, and the shed once again had hope, but right away there were issues. How would Nat and Fred get the shed to where they needed it to go? And to make things worse, there was another person who also wanted the shed to turn into a dog run. Bob wanted Nat to have the shed; however, he would give it to the dog guy over tearing it down, and so it came down to race of who could get it first.

The dog guy had an idea, but Bob stopped him in his tracks. The guy was hooking the shed up to the back of his truck and yanking it out with a chain, which would destroy the shed, Bob’s fence, and the corner of Bob’s house. Bob said come back with a better idea because that’s never going to happen.

On the other end of this race was Nat who was going about things logically. There was a team that could do it, but it would require a crane and a ridiculous amount of money.

Meet BICO Transportation…

BICO is a small business that prides themselves on the ability to do the jobs that others cannot or will not do. They like the normal hauls, but the unique keeps their mind sharp. BICO was founded and started by husband and wife team Josh and Shannon Fendell, with an idea that there were lots of people who were being overlooked by carriers who didn’t care and who put ridiculous barriers on loads that they didn’t want to take, like thousands of dollars to move a shed.

Nat found BICO, and BICO responded. They would do it. BICO had their back against the wall with time, because they too wanted to beat the dog guy. They love animals, but turning a shed into a small house to help fight homelessness is a better reason then turning a shed into a dog run.

On the day of the move…

BICO shows up at Bob’s house, and they load the shed onto their trailer. It is official; the shed is on its journey to becoming a house.

The run from Point A to Point B goes down without any issues. BICO delivered the shed and moved into place per Nat and Fred’s vision.

Meet James and Beth…

James and Beth are a homeless couple that Nat and Fred would often see. James and Beth didn’t hold signs asking for handouts, they sold local newspapers and did odd jobs as a way to make money. Their life was hard. Their life was about survival with no place to escape from their reality; constantly harassed by cops, thieves, bullies, and people looking down on them. They had no place to hide from those people or the weather. Every aspect of their lives was exposed, and sleep left them vulnerable.

Nat and Fred asked James and Beth about their idea of small home living. There would be a lot of work in turning the shed into a home, but Fred and James were both skilled in the trades to make that possible.

James and Beth said yes.

The shed had always been more than a shed, and it was always meant to be more. Its journey through the years lead it to where it needed to be. It was saved so that Nat and Fred could realize a dream, and so that James and Beth could sleep safe and sound.

It is an honor to be a part of that journey…

Guard shack…paint booth…sign shop…shed…small house…home…

The dream is real. 

Check out those wheels!!!!

The Impossible Move Made Possible by Customer’s Will and BICO’s Skill

The question on Victoria Mason’s mind was what she should do with her land? She could build, but was that the right thing to do?

After lots and lots of thought, Victoria decided that living on the land full-time was not for her; however, she wanted to use it more for weekend getaways and breaks from the daily grind.

So she started her research…

What sort of dwelling would fit the land?

Teepee? Dome? Cabin?

Then she saw it…

In the beginning of the summer, Victoria saw a cabin listed on Craigslist, but she would need to move it herself; which seemed like an impossible task with no construction experience or the ability to budge it an inch.

But she wanted it…

She asked for time, but the homeowner stated that there had been lots of interest, and that the first person to move it can have it.

So Victoria Mason went to work and called everyone who could possibly move a small house.

All of the cabin movers said no.

All of the home movers wanted too much (those of who didn’t say no).

These no’s could have been considered a setback, but they weren’t because everyone else interested in the cabin were having the same troubles.

Then Victoria Mason’s luck changed…

She came across BICO Transportation, a small independent company that she never heard of.

She called, and within a few minutes Josh Fendell called her back.

Victoria told Josh of her need, the issues, and that no one would even attempt it due to what needed to be done.

Others had said that there was no way to move the cabin. The big house moving companies could possibly do it, but to the impossible nature of the move it would cost her well over $10,000 for the one day run.

An impossible move and a big stack of no’s didn’t scare Josh…it intrigued him, and he went out and summed up the job.

Josh’s first thoughts should have been to run, but he didn’t.

Josh did not want to take the job after he saw what everyone before him saw. The time, the work, and overwhelming issues weren’t worth the money. He would have said no, but Victoria’s positive enthusiasm and can do attitude was catchy, and so Josh said yes.

Of course…

That yes was just a yes with no physical means to move the cabin.

So what were the issues?

The cabin itself is beautiful. The 14’ x 20’ layout is perfect for small house living or for the romantic getaway. Cedar shingle siding adds that rustic and warming look, and while there is a question to the age (1920’s or 1930’s) of the cabin, there is no doubt that it was rolled in on logs decades ago.

Of course the cabin had steps and a covered porch (that was part of the roof line) that would have to be removed prior to moving it, which was the first noticeable issue.

The bigger issue was that there was no way to get under it without destroying the cabin…it could not be moved as-is.

Also…

Even if BICO could get the cabin free of the land that it has been sitting on for years, then there were the issues of where it was going.

Victoria Mason has a beautiful 5 acre lot. A perfect backdrop for this old house (cabin).

However…

• It is open farm land
• It’s on a flood plain
• Limited access
• Building anything takes permits…lots and lots of permits

Josh wanted to help, but didn’t know how to help.

Over the next couple of months the cabin sat. Nobody could or would move it. During this time, Victoria and Josh were talking and exchanging ideas.

Then Josh saw a workable solution in one of Victoria’s ideas.

Building on the land was a no-no, but a home on wheels was okay, and with that Victoria got the go ahead from the governmental powers that be to proceed.

They had the end result…

Although the situation hadn’t changed, they approached with a newly refreshed attitude.

They had a win…no matter how small it was…they had a win.

Victoria looked at tiny home trailers, but they cost way too much. RV trailers were the wrong fit as well.

Then came along a burnt down 52’ office trailer. The trailer itself was perfect (just missing the office that once sat on top of it).

Perfect trailer, just not perfect for this particular cabin.

Luckily Josh is one of those people that know people…“I’ll have it taken care of…I have a guy”.

That 52’ trailer was cut down and modified to accommodate the 20’ cabin.

The plan was coming together…

Then the timeframe was moved up…

The trailer wasn’t ready…no brakes, no lights, no wiring, not road ready…simply a rolling chassis.

Josh shook off despair and got it done.

Then came the cabin itself…

There was no way to lift onto the trailer, or even get underneath it.

And so they jacked up the house…4” at a time, placing cinder blocks as they went. From there, a completely new frame was built under the house. Then they continued to go up, until the cabin was high enough off of the ground to back the trailer underneath of it.

Then came the best part (up to that point)…

The trailer and the cabin became a single unit as they were secured together.

It has to be said (as it is important), that on the day of the move it was the re-telling of the “The Perfect Storm”. The rain was pouring down hard, and the wind could knock you off of your feet.

Perfect weather for a big move…

The team set off down the road.

The weather was unforgiving, but they made it unharmed.

Then came the biggest struggle of all of their issues…

How to get the cabin to its new location on the property?

The ground was soaked and saturated from all of the rain. There was no way to avoid being stuck.

Victoria, however, had access to the dike. If Josh could somehow get up onto the dike, keep a steady hand along the tight path, follow it, and then come back off of it; they might have a chance. If anything, getting stuck at that point would at least be in the general area of the final destination.

They mapped out the idea, and went forth with it.

BICO Transportation never got stuck once, and they placed the cabin in the perfect location.

After everything…

It worked out perfect. Not one shingle was out of place.

The truth is that this move never would have happened without both Josh and Victoria. Neither one gave up, and they fed off of each other’s positive energy. It would have easy to quit because it wasn’t worth it, but the truth is that it was worth it. Every piece of this move was worth it.

Afterwards Josh stated that, “I did it. No one else would do it, but I did it.”

That’s not Josh being egotistical. That’s a confirmation that BICO Transportation has a very important role to play in this world. BICO is a vital part to the moving and transportation industry. 

The big guys said no. The little guys said no.

BICO said yes.

BICO Transportation is here to stay. We thrive on the impossible. We like saying yes when others say no.

We are BICO!!!!!

The Wedding Shed

An unknown author wrote, “A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future”.

We believe in family, and as parents, we have a daughter who will one day find the love of her life (she’s still young though and has plenty of time ahead of her…lots and lots of time).

Whenever possible, we take on jobs that move us. Meaning, that yes we do this for the money (it’s a business and that’s how we put food on the table), but our reward comes from meeting people and getting to be a part of their story. That’s what moves us, and fills our hearts.

Like Gene and his wife. They too have a daughter. They also have a shed.

Sorry…all we have is pictures of the shed, but again that’s our small piece of this story.

Gene’s daughter got married, and they built a wood floor to hold the reception and that very important first dance.

What Gene did afterwards is what touched us. He built his shed out of the wedding floorboards.

That was a gift to his wife so that the memory of that night and the vision of their daughter would live on forever.

So where does BICO fit into this story?

Gene retired, and his wife took a new position that required them to move from their home in North Bend to Chehalis. The move seemed to be a standard move (if there is such a thing); however, the shed caused an issue.

Was the shed part of the deal? Would the new home owners get the shed as part of the package?

The answer was no, the shed was not part of the sale, and so it needed to be moved.

Moved to their new home in Chehalis, WA.

How could we say no? As a true family business, our answer was always yes. We would have done the same thing if that was our story.

One day in the far off future, our daughter will walk down the aisle, and we hope that there is something that we can use to preserve that moment in time for eternity.

Gene inspired us to do just that. His daughter’s moment in time lives on in their shed, outside of their new home; allowing the family to continue enjoying those thoughts, and its functionality (it is a shed after all).

So here’s to Gene…thank you sir for allowing us to be a part of your story.

BICO Transportation