Keo Sounthavin, KC Employee of the Month

Having a great culture is something that Houston’s is very passionate about. When new employees fit in right away and take part in those company activities it speaks mountains. Keo Sounthavin started with Houston’s in October of this year and is already enjoying spending some of his time away from work with his coworkers relishing in one of Kansas City’s favorite traditions, watching the Kansas City Chiefs play! Keo gathered with many of his new co-workers this past weekend to watch the Chiefs take on the Dallas Cowboys.

When not taking part in company outings, Keo’s favorite weekend activity is to visit his large family in the Lawrence, Kansas area. On his visits home, he gets to relish in food from Thailand where he was born and lived up until he was just 6 months old. His mother and Aunts prepare a large Laos meal and he enjoys the time with his family and of course the hearty meal! Another activity Keo enjoys is volunteering at his Buddhist Temple in Olathe, KS every chance he gets.

When not enjoying time away from work, Keo really likes his time at Houston’s. He is first an order picker but also works in receiving products as well as transfers. His favorite part of his job is the people he works with and the great-spirited group camaraderie they share.

“Keo was my nomination for October employee of the month because he has made great strides in his time with Houston’s. He has buckled down to learn all that goes with his position. He has always been eager to learn. In October he was a picking star with no errors for the month. Way to go, keep it up Keo!” raved Sherman Dodd, Day Supervisor.

Congrats Keo! Thank you for all your hard work and welcome to Houston’s!

The post We Are Houston’s: Keo Sounthavin appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Brenda with her 5 grandchildren

Brenda Willett began her job as the Kansas City Warehouse Swing Shift Supervisor in November of 2015 and truly enjoys the team environment that Houston’s provides. With the many different backgrounds and opinions brought to the table she appreciates that they work well as a team and have fun together while working. When asked what she loves about her job she says, “Houston’s feels like home and everyone feels like family.” The only thing that Brenda says can make her dread coming into work is the summer heat.

Outside of work Brenda lives with and takes care of her 89 year old mother and feels blessed to spend this time with her. They enjoy hunting for treasures at estate sales, thrift stores, and yard sales and have found some really wonderful and unique items such as a beautiful, vintage porcelain ballerina doll for Brenda’s granddaughter who is a little ballerina herself. They also love to go on long drives out in the country to see the Dogwood trees in bloom or the beautiful trees changing colors in the fall.

Brenda is an avid sports fan and loves to support her local teams, the Royals and the Chiefs. She also loves to visit her two sons and five grandchildren in Arkansas whenever she has the free time. Family time there includes fishing, riding four-wheelers, and horseback riding.

If you are looking for tips on how to find the best treasures at yard sales or swap fishing stories, or even costume makeup advice (see Brenda’s winning costume from last year’s Halloween contest), feel free to reach out and say ‘hello’!

Brenda in her zombie costume for Halloween 2016

Brenda fishing with the family

The post Getting to Know You: Brenda Willett appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Rocky Liberty, KC Employee of the Month (September)

It can really change your day when someone takes pride in things that may seem like “the little things,” but are really not that little. Harold (Rocky) Liberty, our Janitorial Associate out of our Kansas City Warehouse, is exactly one of those people. He works tirelessly to make sure that our Kansas City facility is in as pristine order as possible. But his efforts don’t stop there; he also assists Ken, in our maintenance department in KC, when needed with equipment and building issues.

Rocky takes great pride in the overall cleaning of the facility, which is his favorite part of his job. He also says that the people he works with are some of the best he has ever worked with. Sherman Dodd, his supervisor on day shifts raves, “Rocky is a refreshing addition to our Houston’s team. He is ready and motivated to go when he hits the front door, usually with a jolly chuckle. He take on all cleaning tasks from keeping us from overflowing with trash and empty boxes, to cleaning the restrooms and break area are priorities on a daily basis. He also make a monumental attempt at the floors with the floor scrubber. He completes each task with great enthusiasm making sure it all gets done. He has also taken on the task of making sure his fellow associates are well supplied with popcorn on Tuesday and Thursdays every week. I’m glad he continues with us. It takes loads off my mind to have these things done without having to think twice about it.”

In his free time, Rocky’s hobbies are quite diverse. He enjoys riding his Harley motorcycle and has even gone to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, a dozen times. Rocky also like bowling and even bowls on a league every Tuesday night. Bowling isn’t his only favorite sport, he is also a die-hard Kansas City Chiefs fan with season tickets for 28 years and counting! He even had his photo featured on the sports page of USA Today and caught a football from one on the Chiefs rivals, Phillip Rivers of the (at the time) San Diego Chargers! Wow, what a catch! One other interesting thing you may not know about Rocky is he took the plunge into the Royal Gorge Canyon attached to a bungee cord when he was thirty and says he obviously survived.

Congrats, Rocky, on being selected as our Kansas City Employee of the Month for September 2017!

The post We Are Houston’s: Harold (Rocky) Liberty appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Sherman Dodd

As a supervisor, part of your role is working to elevate the employees you over-see. To help them grow in their jobs and as an individual, while helping the company around you grow as well. As the First Shift Supervisor in our Kansas City warehouse, Sherman Dodd does just that. He takes pride in training and working closely with other employees to contribute to Houston’s overall success, gaining a sense of satisfaction in seeing employees he has helped train go on to tackle more advanced assignments and roles.

In addition to training employees, Sherman is very attentive. Paying close attention to details helps minimize mistakes. As a testament to his leadership skills and dedication, “He [Sherman] is very proud that his first shift team had no pick errors for the month of July,” says Robert Jones, Kansas City Warehouse Manager.

Away from work, you’ll often find Sherman spending time with his wife, or taking care of his mother, who lives next door. A couple times each year Sherman enjoys participating in Civil War re-enactments, spending a whole weekend “fighting” for both sides, and then sharing “war stories” around the campfire. You may not know, every holiday season for the past twenty-five years Sherman has dressed up as Santa Clause for his local community. He now sees grown adults who sat on his knee as a child bringing their children to see him as Jolly Old Saint Nick, allowing Sherman to reminisce about the many years worth of Christmas wishes.

Another aspect of the supervisor role is to assist and cover for managers while they are away from the facility. “I can always count on Sherman to make sure things get done as needed in the Kansas City facility,” says Robert. Sherman’s hard work and commitment to employee training an the paying attention to the small details has made his crew a force to be reckon with.

The post Getting To Know You: Sherman Dodd appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Michael Kohlmeyer, KC Employee of the Month

The workday often passes more quickly when you have a coworker who is full of fascinating stories or interesting facts. With an interest in conspiracy theories and six years of service as a Lance Corporal E3 in the Marines, Mike Kohlmeyer, “always has interesting stories to tell,” says Brenda Willet, his supervisor.

Mike learns about many of his theories while listening to Coast to Coast AM, a radio talk show on which people call in to discuss specific topics and theories. You may be wondering what Mike’s favorite conspiracy theory is. The Illuminati, a secretive power elite with globalist agenda aspiring to eventually rule the world! To prepare himself in case such a situation ever arises, Mike is also a survivalist, meaning he is always stocked up on the essentials needed to be self-sufficient for a period of time

When he’s not listening to conspiracy theories, camping, or reading, Mike enjoys his time at Houston’s. He feels that the people “are more like friends and family than just coworkers,” like at other places he has worked before. Being able to complete his goals as a part of a team makes the experience more meaningful. Each month Mike has contributed to the achievement of our warehouses’ minimal picking errors goal, with minimal personal errors. Whether it is picking orders, loading trucks, or receiving and auditing orders, “Mike is a great employee always willing to learn new things and lend a hand wherever needed,” says Brenda.

Congratulations, Mike, on being selected as our Kansas City Employee of the Month for June 2017! We appreciate all of your hard work, dedication, and interesting stories.

The post We Are Houston’s: Michael Kohlmeyer appeared first on Houston's Blog.