WINTER 2025

14THE DISTRIBUTOR’S

14THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINKRobert FootlikRobert B. Footlik, PE is a retired Professional Industrial Engineer. With over 50 years’experience as a Warehouse and Logistics Consultant to a wide variety of clients includingFastener Distributors, Bob has a wealth of valuable information for our industry and he iswilling to share it. While Footlik & Associates is now closed, his expertise is still availableto his friends and our readers. For friendly advice, a second opinion or just to start aconversation, he can be reached at robert@footlik.net.THE “5-STAR” WAREHOUSE – THE PEOPLESEASON 1, EPISODE 2Are The People Around You Capable OfPerfection?Perfection starts with the people around you. Howwell do you know your staff? Well enough to wish them“Happy Birthday” once a year, or well enough to knowwhat is important to them. Are they working for you,working with you, or performing as a self-run team? Whatis their true potential?Many come to your door after an average schoolcareer. Typically, they managed to maintain a “C” gradein most subjects and were not stellar students. For thema job is only a way to pay the bills and buy what they andtheir family need to be comfortable. They are actuallya raw canvas awaiting some management artistry tounlock some new passions.Let us rejoin the tour that started in Episode 1. Asyou may recall, we were upstairs in a conference roomwith a large window overlooking the warehouse, andabout to go downstairs, when…One of the uniformed warehouse staff entered,excused himself for intruding, addressing us by name,and spoke to our guide, “Good morning Boss Mike, wehave a problem with the shipping cartons that needs tobe resolved today.”Mike answered, “What’s going on?”Bill, wearing a “Shipping Team” shirt answered,“The latest shipment of cartons has smeared ink and noone wants to use them. It looks unprofessional and weonly have a three day supply of old boxes on hand.”Mike replied, “Talk to Mary in purchasing, call theCONTRIBUTOR ARTICLEvendor and please get this resolved this morning. Seeif the carton company will OK sending the bad boxes torecycling. You are the Boss on this one.”“Love it!” replied Bill with a huge grin, “On my way now.”Mike then turned to us and said, “You just witnessedwhy our Team performs consistently well. Before we godownstairs let’s sit down in the “Wellness Room” for alittle backstory.”Stepping across the hall, we entered what lookedlike a cross between a classroom and an infirmary. Mikeexplained that it was set up for the bi-monthly familyhealth day on Saturday. The health insurance carrierpays nurse practioners to meet with every employee…and their family… to monitor blood pressure, glucoseand other vital conditions. This is just one of the benefits5-Star offers to everyone.The Back Story, How It All Began“One morning three years ago,” Mike said, “ourCEO’s daughter came to work and hated what shesaw. The place was no worse than the rest of theneighborhood, and that was definitely not good. Theparking lot was potholed, what little landscaping wasunkempt, littered and worse, the place was beyondmessy. She went straight to her father’s desk and askedwhy it had to be this way.”“Now this was in an open office and most of usheard the conversation. Sam, her father, reminded herthat his father started the company, and then Sam spentforty years taking the company this far.CONTINUED ON PAGE 94