Vacated dorms create business opportunity for logistics firm

When COVID-19 brought business to a crawl for Berks Countybased Legacy Logistics, president and owner Ernie Magalotti decided to go back to school.

The fact that college campuses across the country were closing wasn’t a deterrent, but rather the purpose of his visits.

Over the summer, Magalotti launched ShipMyRoom, a new moving service aimed at students.

Initially, the idea was to put Legacy Logistics of Muhlenberg Township and its existing infrastructure to work collecting personal belongings from dormitories and student housing that had been abandoned at the height of the pandemic, then either ship the items home or hold them in storage.

What started as a plan to clean out rooms students couldn’t easily return to for one reason or another quickly showed promise as a full-fledged venture of its own.

“We’re building ShipMyRoom as a long-term business,” said Magalotti. “Underclassmen might want to store their items until they return to campus the following school year. Some want their stuff shipped back to their home and we can do that too.

“There’s sustainability to ShipMyRoom beyond the pandemic, and we’re committed to it.”

Already, ShipMyRoom has helped students move from schools up and down the east coast, from local institutions Albright College and Alvernia University to nationally recognized schools such as Penn State University and the University of North Carolina.

How ShipMyRoom works

COURTESY OF SHIPMYROOM Ernie Magalotti, president and owner of ShipMyRoom and Legacy Logistics, helps Alvernia University students move their belongings off the Reading campus after the school closed to in-person learning for COVID-19.