Freeland mover Backbreakers NW marks 15 years, returns to sole founder ownership

Backbreakers NW, the Freeland-based moving and junk-removal company Jeff Hansen founded in 2011, is marking its 15th anniversary while returning to sole founder ownership after a recent reorganization that separated its Skagit County outpost from the parent company. The firm offers moving, hauling and junk-removal services across Whidbey and neighboring regions.

Hansen, a Coupeville native who was born in Coupeville and raised in Freeland, said his return to Whidbey followed his father’s passing and a stint managing a 1-800-Got-Junk franchise in Bellingham. “In 2011, Jeff founded Backbreakers with a desire to serve the community that helped shape him, believing that honest work, integrity, and respect for others matter,” the company website states, noting that Hansen and his brother began “toying with the idea of getting a truck and starting their own business.”

Business demand remains concentrated in household relocations, a trend Hansen described succinctly: “I would say we move more people to the island than off the island.” Backbreakers lists Local Moves, Distance Moves, Onsite Moves, Office Moves, Packing Services, Junk Removal and Construction Cleanup on its service page and advertises coverage for Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands, the Olympic Peninsula, Snohomish County and customers coming from Seattle and beyond.

The company emphasizes stewardship and responsible disposal in its public materials. The Backbreakers website declares, “Backbreakers recycles over 50% of all materials hauled, ensuring disposal is handled thoughtfully and responsibly,” and notes regular donations of usable items to Good Cheer Thrift Store and Habitat for Humanity. The site also states the company is “a fully licensed, bonded & insured moving company in the state of Washington.”

Backbreakers opened a Skagit County outpost in 2021 but the satellite operation ran into a few “points of contention” that culminated in what local reporting termed a “business divorce.” The Skagit office has since become an entity entirely separate from Backbreakers, a change described as recent; Backbreakers has resumed sole ownership under Hansen and plans to renew its focus on serving Whidbey Island.

Hansen said he hopes to expand on-Island presence with an Oak Harbor office “in the near future.” Photographer Allyson Ballard captured Hansen and his crew loading a truck full of boxes from an Oak Harbor home on Tuesday, with Ballard’s images showing Hansen in the foreground.

Backbreakers says it grew “through referrals and became a household name known for dependability, care, and ethical service,” and its website repeats the guiding line, “At Backbreakers, we believe trust is built through experience, honest communication, and respect for the community we serve.” As the company marks 15 years and recent restructuring, it is repositioning operations around Freeland while keeping its stated service area and environmental commitments intact.