About Us

In 1946, Russell Sampoul, known by his many friends as "Sam", started Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. with one truck and a dream. Though it all began with one man and a flatbed truck with chicken-wire racks, Colonial quickly grew and became successful. In fact, by 1950 Sam had opened his Fresno location and added a few new trucks to his one-truck fleet.

In 1970, Sam met Doug Welton, and Doug soon became his bookkeeper. With someone tending to the books, Sam was able to expand even more, opening his Sacramento location in 1974. This Sacramento location soon became Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. headquarters. By 1975, Doug became much more than the bookkeeper; Sam invited him to be a partner in the business, making Doug the co-owner of Colonial Van & Storage, Inc.

Over the next 20 years, Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. flourished, providing nationwide moving and storage services to the residents in their two locations. With the purchase of Bender Moving & Storage in 1994, Sam and Doug opened Colonial's third location in Reno/Sparks, Nevada. Throughout the 90s and into the later 2000s, Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. successfully operated out of these three locations, growing the business and prospering in the industry.

In 2008, the celebrated Russell Sampoul passed away, and Douglas Welton took over full ownership of Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. Today, Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. owns more than 150 pieces of equipment, has more than 20 over-the-road drivers and operates the three locations in Fresno, Sacramento and Reno/Sparks. Although this distinguished moving and storage company began with one man, one truck and an ambition, Colonial Van & Storage, Inc. has evolved into a profitable, thriving transportation and storage company, executing moves all over the world.