Two brothers, Charlie and Bill Coakley, started Coakley Brothers. Co. in 1888. They located their first warehouse in the heart of the hustle and bustle of a burgeoning Milwaukee at the location of the current Riverside Theater on Wisconsin Avenue. At that time, there were only two forms of commercial transportation into the city—boat and rail. Commodities were shipped in trunks and crates which Coakley Brothers picked up in coaches and buggies and delivered around town.
In 1906 the brothers decided to generate a little extra income by running sightseeing tours along Lake Drive. During the week their flatbeds were used for deliveries, and on weekends they attached seats to the beds and showed tourists around. Maybe it’s in the genes…as diversification is still a strong trait of the Coakley Brothers’ leadership today.
In 1933, Coakley Brothers became an agent for Allied Van Lines, a new full-service, long-distance transportation company.
The affiliation allowed Coakley Brothers to expand their reach and service offerings to a growing and increasingly mobile clientele.
In 1936, Charlie bought Bill out of Coakley Brothers; however Charlie did not have any children so he allowed two nephews, George and Charlie Coakley, of a different brother to work at the company. These two brothers also had a sister Georgia Coakley who did not work at the business, though her children would eventually inherit the business with their cousins, the children of Charlie Coakley. George Coakley never had any children.
Therefore, until 1952 this second generation of two brothers Charlie and George Coakley ran the business with an infamous woman named Miss Kelly. These two brothers never owned the company they just worked at the business as its ownership was held in trust by the M&I Bank for the next generation to inherit upon Charlie and George’s death.
Now the children of Charlie and Georgia Field inherit Coakley Brothers out of trust. There are six Field children and five Coakley children. The meeting minutes to these board meetings are quite interesting. The end result is that two Coakley brothers, Chuck and Neil Coakley, bought out the Field children and eventually bought out their sisters, Lios Field, Joyce Callen and Patricia Kowalsky.
From 1953 through 1978 Chuck and Neil dug in and built up the business of Coakley Brothers.
Some of their accomplishments were to become the leader in the industry for office moving at that time and in 1973 Neil recognized a need and started a record center which today is known as Datastore.
By 1978 Neil Coakley had purchased the remaining company stock from Charlie Coakley and became the sole proprietor of Coakley Brothers. That year, he designed the first “porta-rack”, an invention universally used in the moving industry today.
The porta-rack, while simple in design and structure, is ingenious because it eliminates the need for cartons.
In 1982 Neil started a fulfillment division to produce and distribute technical publications worldwide. This division, known as Coakley Tech, grew into a very successful company of its own and was sold in 2007. This strategic development can not be overstated. From asking a customer what they are challenged with Neil answered his client with a solution to their needs and in turn diversified his business and developed another revenue center.
In 1999, Peggy Coakley, daughter of Neil Coakley, was named President and represents the fourth generation of Coakley to be at the company’s helm. In the ten years since, the company has doubled in size and has become recognized as “more than just a mover”. Under Peggy’s leadership, Coakley Brothers has moved into Facilities Management, Office Space Design & Planning, Installation Services, Logistics, and cutting edge services for Records Management.
Today, Coakley Brothers owns six buildings in the Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay areas with over 758,000 square feet of warehouse space. With the latest computer and record-keeping technologies, modern facilities, and services such as office furniture installation, technical design and electronic warehouse inventory management Coakley Brothers keeps apace of modern relocation demands. Often reflecting on their history and strong family heritage, the company employees neither forget where they’ve come from, nor where they are going.
In July of 2012, Coakley Brothers announced the creation of a new brand, Brothers Business Interiors, in a new but related industry – Office Furniture. Brothers Business Interiors in the newest
Office Furniture USA dealership in the country. Peggy Coakley explains, “Brother’s Business Interiors is the logical progression of Coakley Brothers Company. After nearly two years of market research we are excited to officially announce the launch of Brothers Business Interiors, the commercial office furniture arm of Coakley Brothers.
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