Ascending Beyond with Ron and Bill: Our 75-Year Story of Innovation, Resilience and Rising Above
Ron Dunlap in Conversation with Bill Graebel
As we celebrate 75 years of Graebel’s legacy, I had the opportunity to sit down with our board chair, Bill Graebel, to reflect on the bold decisions, resilient spirit and innovative thinking that brought us to this milestone. In a world of constant change, it’s a privilege to lead a team of fearless visionaries who continue to foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration and courage – one that empowers our people, partners and clients to continually ascend beyond.
That’s the theme of our anniversary – Ascend Beyond. It reflects both where we’ve come from and where we’re going: a people-first legacy built on values, and a forward-looking strategy focused on innovation, expanded global mobility offerings, enhanced talent solutions and advanced technology. These efforts are already underway and shaping the future of our business — and the impact we deliver.
Ron Dunlap: Bill, looking back, Graebel often made bold moves in times when others played it safe – whether that was changing the business model, investing in global capabilities or pioneering new technology. What drove those decisions, especially when the outcomes weren’t guaranteed?
Bill Graebel: It’s an honor to reflect on these moments with you today, Ron. Over the past 75 years, Graebel’s resilience has come from a deep commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our clients, partners and the industry at large. That’s really what it’s all about – a service ethos, a duty of care. What drove those decisions was a belief that doing right by people sometimes meant taking calculated risks and staying a few steps ahead, even when the path wasn’t always certain.
Whether it was opening our first overseas office, divesting the van lines company to focus on talent mobility or building a powerful lump-sum relocation capability to complement full-service moves, each step was guided by our willingness to take risks, find solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs and our promise to deliver value with integrity.
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"That bold approach continues to define who we are. It’s how we stay ahead of the curve while remaining true to our people-first values." |
Ron Dunlap: And that commitment to integrity-driven innovation is exactly what’s shaping our direction today. As we expand into adjacent services and sharpen our global reach, that same willingness to take smart, bold risks continues to guide us.
You’ve often said, ‘Someday, we’ll move somebody who will change the world.’ How did that mindset shape our approach to technology and service delivery early on, and where do you see its legacy still showing up today?
Bill Graebel: That belief has always been more than aspirational. It’s how we approach every decision, especially how we’ve embraced technology. From the beginning, we knew that if we were going to support the world’s top talent, we needed to deliver services with precision and care. Even in the early days, we invested in building proprietary systems - not because it was trendy, but because it allowed us to deliver a more personal, seamless experience at scale.
That mindset is still embedded in everything we do today. At Graebel, putting people first has always been at the heart of who we are, and that value continues to guide our innovation. Technology is central to how we support our clients and partners, whether through the “Plan My Move” feature in our CitySwitcher® platform, or our Graebel® Mobility Experience (MX) Coach tool, which empowers mobile employees to tailor their benefits. These aren’t just tech add-ons - they’re purpose-built solutions, shaped by decades of listening, adapting and anticipating needs.
We’ve come a long way from loading boxes into a moving truck in Wausau. Today, we're one of the world's premiere relocation management companies and the global leader in coordinating lump sum relocations, and we’re doing it with tools that are just as human as they are high-tech. That’s the legacy of that early mindset: believing that every move matters and building technology that makes it easier to change the world, one person at a time.
Ron Dunlap: That long view — seeing each move as a step toward a better world — is what sets us apart. It’s the reason we’re expanding our solutions to support not just mobility, but the broader talent experience. That belief continues to drive how we design, test and launch new tools, always with people at the center.
In moments of major change – economic shifts, industry consolidation, even a pandemic – Graebel didn’t retreat. We adapted.
I’ve seen those inflection points up close — economic uncertainty, a global pandemic, seismic shifts in client expectations. And each time, I’ve been struck by how our values — truth, love, integrity — help us not just react, but reimagine. Bill, what have those moments taught you about leading with both grit and heart?
Bill Graebel: We often speak of truth, love and integrity at Graebel, but it’s when we weave those values into our everyday actions, especially as leaders, that they become something real and lasting.
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"It’s not just about vision; it's about purpose. We are driven by a mission to make a powerful impact, ensuring every advancement serves a greater good." |
I’ve learned that empowering people - employees, clients, partners - to create meaningful change isn’t just good leadership. It’s the reason we endure. We lead with heart, not for show, but because it anchors our decisions in purpose. It’s how we’ve grown not just operationally, but in a way that reflects who we are and what we stand for.
Ron Dunlap: As we evolve our service model and introduce new solutions for modern mobility and talent management, how do you think our founding values will continue to guide us through the next 75 years?
Bill Graebel: Transformation is in our DNA at Graebel. Our core purpose is and always will be moving and managing the world’s greatest talent, but that requires us to move and evolve with them. To better serve our clients and expand our offerings to new groups, we’ve embarked on a transformative journey - one that will provide adjacent talent deployment services and new technological support to individuals across the globe.
The talent mobility industry is evolving rapidly and, in many ways, it's more complex than ever. But with your fearless leadership, Ron, I know our team is prepared for what's next and excited to help shape the future of talent management together. I’ve watched you bring bold ideas to life while staying deeply rooted in our values — and that’s what leadership looks like in this next chapter.
Bill Graebel: Ron, let me turn the tables and ask you a question. What does our anniversary theme of “Ascend Beyond” mean to you and how are we setting the stage for the next 75 years of innovation at Graebel?
Ron Dunlap: As you know, we’ve been gathering valuable feedback from clients, industry leaders, HR and finance executives around the world — insights that are helping us shape the next generation of solutions. These offerings leverage cutting-edge technology, including AI, and reflect our expansion into broader HR and talent solutions designed to better meet evolving talent management needs.
In many ways, we are building on your playbook, Bill — listening deeply, innovating boldly, and staying grounded in truth, love and integrity. But we’re also writing new chapters, together with our clients, as we expand what talent mobility and workforce solutions can mean in a global economy.
We’ve weathered change, defied the odds and shaped this industry for 75 years. And now, we’re just getting started.
Here’s to the next 75 — and to continuing to ascend beyond.