NorthStar Moving
NorthStar Moving is a Los Angeles-based moving and storage company serving residential and commercial customers.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
NorthStar Moving is an American moving and storage company founded in 1994 by Laura McHolm and Ram Katalan. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company operates as a service brand focused on residential and commercial relocations, with offerings spanning local moves, long-distance transportation, international relocation support, packing, and storage. Its documented operating footprint has expanded beyond the Los Angeles area to include locations or service operations in San Francisco, San Mateo, Newport Beach, Phoenix, and Austin. The company presents itself as a service-oriented alternative within the moving industry, combining relocation logistics with customer support, packing assistance, storage, and household organization guidance. Its business serves both individuals and organizations, including households moving within a metropolitan area, customers relocating between states, and commercial clients requiring office or business moves. NorthStar Moving has also been associated with broader relocation and storage networks, including membership in the International Association of Movers. Environmental sustainability has been a recurring part of the company’s operating identity. NorthStar Moving has described the use of recyclable packing materials, biodiesel-powered trucks, and electric moving vans as part of efforts to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and packing waste. In 2016, the company announced an expansion of its franchise operations, indicating an effort to extend the brand’s geographic reach through a broader operating model. Community involvement is another notable part of the brand’s public profile. NorthStar Moving has participated in initiatives connected with Move For Hunger, Claire’s Place Foundation, Miry’s List, and Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles. Since 2012, it has organized the annual “Let’s Send Hunger Packing” food drive, supporting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and helping fund meals for food-insecure families in Los Angeles County. In 2025, the company also participated in relief activity following the Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles County by transporting donated household goods and supplies for people displaced by the fires. NorthStar Moving has received workplace and industry recognition, including repeated inclusion in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” medium-sized business category and appearances in California moving-company rankings published by Forbes and USA Today. Co-founder Laura McHolm has also been quoted or cited by consumer and general-interest publications on moving, storage, and home-organization topics. The company’s history also includes significant trademark litigation. In 2022, a federal court found that King David Van Lines and associated operators had willfully infringed NorthStar Moving’s trademark and had misled consumers into believing they were contracting with NorthStar Moving. The court awarded NorthStar Moving $13 million in damages. This case is a major legal event in the brand’s public record because it involved protection of the company name and alleged consumer confusion in a competitive moving-services market.
History
NorthStar Moving was established in 1994 by Laura McHolm and Ram Katalan in Los Angeles, California. From its beginning, the company operated in the moving and storage sector, serving customers who needed assistance with household relocation, commercial moves, packing, transportation, and storage. Its home market was Los Angeles, but the company later extended its reach to other locations and markets, including San Francisco, San Mateo, Newport Beach, Phoenix, and Austin. Its service portfolio also came to cover local, long-distance, and international relocations. The brand’s development has combined geographic expansion with a full-service model. Rather than limiting its role to transportation, NorthStar Moving has provided related services such as packing and storage, allowing customers to coordinate several parts of the relocation process through one provider. The company has served both residential customers and commercial clients, including organizations undertaking office or business moves. It has also maintained an industry connection through membership in the International Association of Movers. Environmental considerations have been a recurring feature of NorthStar Moving’s public identity. The company has promoted recyclable packing materials and the use of alternative-fuel or lower-emission vehicles, including biodiesel-powered trucks and electric moving vans. These measures place sustainability alongside operational reliability as part of the brand’s differentiation in a sector that typically involves substantial vehicle use and disposable packing materials. In 2012, NorthStar Moving began organizing “Let’s Send Hunger Packing,” an annual food drive benefiting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The initiative has supported meal provision for food-insecure families in Los Angeles County and became one of the company’s continuing community programs. NorthStar Moving has also participated in or supported charitable partnerships involving Move For Hunger, Claire’s Place Foundation, Miry’s List, and Make-A-Wish Greater Los Angeles. These activities broadened the company’s public role beyond commercial relocation services. In 2016, NorthStar Moving announced an expansion of its franchise operations. The move indicated an effort to scale the brand’s presence through franchising while retaining its identity as a moving and storage provider. The company’s public profile was further reinforced by workplace and industry recognition. It was identified in California moving-company rankings published by Forbes and USA Today, while the Los Angeles Business Journal named it among its “Best Places to Work” in the medium-sized business category for ten consecutive years. Co-founder Laura McHolm has also appeared as a source for media coverage concerning moving, storage, and home organization. A major legal turning point occurred in 2022. NorthStar Moving brought trademark claims against King David Van Lines and associated operators. A federal judge concluded that the defendants had willfully infringed NorthStar Moving’s trademark and had caused consumer confusion by giving customers the impression that they were dealing with NorthStar Moving. The court awarded NorthStar Moving $13 million in damages. The case underscored the commercial value of the NorthStar Moving name and the importance of brand protection in a fragmented moving-services market. In 2025, NorthStar Moving contributed to wildfire relief efforts in Los Angeles County after the Palisades wildfires. Its role included transporting donated household goods and supplies for individuals displaced by the fires. This activity connected the company’s core logistical capabilities with emergency community support. The available reference material identifies NorthStar Moving as an active company with a continuing presence in residential and commercial moving and storage, although it does not provide detailed information about current ownership, financial performance, or the identities of present-day senior management.
- 2025
Los Angeles wildfire relief support
[1]NorthStar Moving transported donated household goods and supplies for people displaced by the Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles County.
- 2022
Trademark litigation judgment
[1]NorthStar Moving prevailed in a federal trademark infringement case against King David Van Lines and associated operators and received a $13 million damages award.
- 2016
Franchise expansion announced
[1]The company announced an expansion of its franchise operations to extend its market presence.
- 2012
Launch of Let's Send Hunger Packing
[1]NorthStar Moving began its annual food drive supporting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and families facing food insecurity in Los Angeles County.
- 1994
Company founded
[1]Laura McHolm and Ram Katalan founded NorthStar Moving in Los Angeles, California.
Products and positioning
A full-service moving and storage provider positioned around professional relocation support, environmental practices, community engagement, and service coverage across major U.S. markets.
Moving service
Residential moving
NorthStar Moving provides relocation services for households, including the transportation and handling of personal belongings during local and broader residential moves. The offering is part of the company’s full-service model, which can also include packing, unpacking, and storage support.
Moving service
Commercial moving
The company serves commercial customers undertaking office or business relocations. Commercial moving requires coordinated scheduling, transportation, and handling of workplace property, allowing NorthStar Moving to extend its services beyond household moves.
Relocation support
Packing and unpacking
Packing support helps customers prepare household or commercial contents for transport, while related unpacking assistance can help restore the destination premises. The company has associated this service area with recyclable packing materials and its broader sustainability efforts.
Storage service
Moving and storage
NorthStar Moving combines transportation with storage services for customers who need temporary or longer-term holding of belongings during a relocation. Storage complements the company’s local, long-distance, and international moving operations.
Relocation service
International relocation
The company provides international relocation services in addition to domestic local and long-distance moves. These services address customers moving across national borders and may involve coordinated transportation and storage requirements.
Controversies
2022
Trademark infringement case involving King David Van Lines
A federal judge determined that King David Van Lines and related operators willfully infringed NorthStar Moving’s trademark and misled consumers into believing they were hiring NorthStar Moving. The court awarded NorthStar Moving $13 million in damages.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Let's Send Hunger Packing
Los Angeles County
NorthStar Moving established an annual food drive benefiting the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. The program uses the company’s public platform and community presence to support families experiencing food insecurity.
Outcome. The initiative has continued annually and has raised funds to provide meals for food-insecure families in Los Angeles County.
- Move For Hunger partnership
United States
NorthStar Moving has participated in charitable activity associated with Move For Hunger, linking relocation services with food-donation and hunger-relief efforts.
- Wildfire relief support
Los Angeles County
In 2025, NorthStar Moving used its transportation capabilities to support relief efforts for people displaced by the Palisades wildfires.
Outcome. The company transported donated household goods and supplies to assist affected individuals.
Brand decisions
2022
Pursue trademark protection through litigationOtherBackground
NorthStar Moving alleged that King David Van Lines and associated operators used its trademark in a manner that confused consumers about which company they were hiring.
Action taken
NorthStar Moving pursued federal trademark litigation and obtained a judgment finding willful infringement.
Aftermath
The court awarded NorthStar Moving $13 million in damages, making the case a significant public example of the company defending its brand identity.
Court-awarded damages. $13 million (2022)
2016
Expand franchise operationsStrategyBackground
After building a moving and storage business centered in Southern California and other U.S. markets, NorthStar Moving sought to broaden the reach of its brand and operating model.
Action taken
The company announced an expansion of its franchise operations.
Aftermath
The announcement marked a strategic effort to scale the company’s geographic presence, although the available source does not provide detailed franchise-count or revenue data.
Recent events
- 2025
NorthStar Moving assists Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts[1]
Other
The company participated in relief efforts following the Palisades wildfires by transporting donated household goods and supplies for people displaced in Los Angeles County.
- 2016
NorthStar Moving expands its franchise operations[1]
Other
NorthStar Moving announced an expansion of its franchise operations as part of efforts to broaden the brand’s presence beyond its established California markets.
Sources1 sources
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