How Michael Leaburn Keeps Red Deer Moving: A Two Small Men Staff Spotlight

When Michael Leaburn first joined Two Small Men with Big Hearts, he wasn’t a manager, a dispatcher, or someone who juggled long-haul logistics across Western Canada. He was simply a driver in Edmonton, hauling couches and dressers, easing customers through the stress of moving day, and sometimes kicking a soccer ball around with a family’s kids once the truck was unloaded.

“I was a driver in Edmonton for a year before moving into management,” Leaburn recalls. “Previously, I was a carpenter and worked on the rigs.” 

Now, two and a half years later, Leaburn runs the Red Deer branch with the same hands-on work ethic that got him in the door. His official role might be dispatch manager, but in reality the title barely scratches the surface of what he does in a day.

“A little bit of everything, I’m on a truck, doing computer work, confirmation calls, answering emails, putting in the guys’ hours, dealing with sales, dispatchers, and whoever else happens to call me,” he says. “Even though we only have three trucks, we’re pretty much busy every day.”

Red Deer, he explains, doesn’t really do “local” moves. “I’m lucky if I do two moves a week in Red Deer. Most of my work is in the surrounding communities or between cities,” he says, listing off names like Lacombe, Sylvan Lake, Innisfail, and Ponoka. Long-hauls are common too, sometimes as far as Vancouver Island or Winnipeg.

One upcoming job sounds especially daunting: load in Red Deer, head to Nelson, pick up another load, go to Vancouver to unload the first job, ferry the Nelson load across to Chemainus, drive up to Gold River to load another job, then loop back through Langley, Wendell, and Lacombe. “It’s one of the bigger ones with two loads on the truck at the same time, but I’ve dealt with bigger ones,” Leaburn says casually.

That combination of calm and flexibility is essential when you’re running a busy operation. While he spends plenty of time on the phone and computer, Leaburn is still “boots on the ground.” 

“Right now, the manager stuff is more challenging because I’m on a truck for eight hours a day, then spend another four hours on the computer,” he admits.

Being a mover first, he says, helped him understand the needs of his team. “Getting them days off so they can rest” is one of the biggest challenges. Long-haul trips mean careful planning: booking hotels, mapping routes, making sure drivers are on the road at the right time, even securing ferry reservations. And of course, safety is constant a top priority.

“I make sure the trucks are always in for their scheduled maintenance and oil changes, and that the guys are aware of any issues on site,” he says. 

Leaburn also watches out for his drivers’ wellbeing on the road. “Probably the most important thing for safety is hours of service. If a driver is tired, I’ll extend the trip rather than risk them driving fatigued.”

Like most moving companies, Two Small Men sees peak demand in summer, but Red Deer crews work year-round. Winter brings its own hazards. “Keeping the ramp safe is huge, snow and ice build up quickly, so I keep buckets of ice melt on the truck,” Leaburn explains. “In winter we slow down a little, the guys can’t work quite as fast as in summer.”

Outside of the day-to-day hustle, Leaburn embraces the company’s commitment to community giving. “I’ve done a lot of charity moves here in Red Deer,” he says. That includes work for the Autism Society in Calgary and a Sylvan Lake women’s shelter, where his team moved an entire office.

His generosity extends beyond official initiatives. “If customers want to get rid of good furniture, I’ll store it in my shop until I can take it to Habitat for Humanity rather than charge dump fees,” he says.

For all the juggling, Leaburn has few complaints.

“My experience so far has been fairly good. I can see myself being with the company for a lot longer, but I don’t have plans on moving up. I don’t need the headaches of all the other stuff.”

In an industry where turnover can be high and burnout is common, that’s saying something. Leaburn has found his balance, part driver, part manager, all problem-solver, keeping the wheels turning for Two Small Men with Big Hearts in central Alberta. Whether he’s navigating a complex multi-city move, salting an icy ramp, or donating a couch to a family in need, his approach is steady and straightforward: do the job well, take care of the people around you, and keep moving forward.

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