For his dedication, team-first mindset, and consistent displays of Houston’s Core Values, he has been recognized as KC Warehouse Employee of the Quarter for Q1.

One of the Core Values Anthony has embraced most prominently is “Be The Change.” Since he came on board with Houston’s, he has grown his skills to fit the needs of the team and workflow.

“Ant has grown a lot since the time he got hired – he has learned how to drive all equipment,” said Brenda Willett, KC Warehouse Assistant Manager.

Scoring high marks on the SPARQ wall throughout the quarter, Anthony has also made a noted impact in accuracy.

“Anthony has minimal errors picking and minimal errors in put-aways and reach truck,” Brenda said. “Anthony is a very reliable team member and is willing to do any task and does it well.”

Anthony’s dependability extends to helping other members of the team, as well. His mindset of willingness to cross-train and shift tasks as needed is a valuable asset on the KC Crew.

“Anthony is a huge team player and is willing to help out anyone in need,” said Brenda.

Houston’s customers are even taking note of the consistent positive attitude and atmosphere of teamwork within the KC Warehouse.

Steven Cramer, Owner of our customer Double Trouble LLC and Jennifer Juarez, Owner of our customer Snacks on Racks have recently gone out of their way to share their positive feedback about the work coming from the KC Team.

As a vital part of the team, Anthony works hard to uphold the reputation of teamwork, friendliness, and accuracy KC is known for.

“Anthony does a wonderful job at everything he does,” Brenda noted. “I can always count on Ant to get the job done.”

Outside of work, Anthony likes spending time with his grandson. He is also a musician and enjoys writing music in his free time.

Congratulations on this recognition, Anthony – it is well earned.

Runners up for the quarter include Deverick Webb (First Runner Up) and Jacob Cruz (Second Runner Up).

Read about our other recently recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog. 

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Rodrigo joined Houston’s in March 2022, and since that time has demonstrated a willingness to learn new things and develop new skills to help fulfill team goals.

“Since Rod joined Houston’s, he’s learned a lot,” said Tony Sutton, Warehouse Supervisor. “He knows the reach truck and he’s learned a lot with our computer system.”

Not only has Rodrigo diversified his skills to fit team needs, he also maintains a high attention to detail while completing tasks.

Rodrigo recorded zero picking errors through the past month, and has also notched 5 stars in most of the SPARQ categories over the past quarter.

It is evident that Rodrigo makes the most of the opportunities that are presented, and through his quality work, shows his dedication to being a team player and taking good care of Houston’s customers.

“I believe Rod embodies all of Houston’s Core Values by his hard work he brings with him every day,” Tony said. “Rod has done an exceptional job.”

Outside of work, Rodrigo is a fan of games of many different types.

“Rod enjoys watching sports – especially soccer,” said Tony. “He plays video games, too.”

He was also able to take part in the Kansas City Royals baseball outing with the Houston’s team back in June to celebrate the company’s 90-year anniversary.

Rodrigo also likes to spend time with his girlfriend and daughter.

Congratulations Rodrigo! This recognition is well-earned.

Runners up for the quarter include Oscar Perez (First Runner Up) and DeQuan Triplett-Hall (Second Runner Up).

Read more about our other recently recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

The post KC Warehouse Employee of the Quarter Q4: Rodrigo Miranda appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Lula oversees the FedEx department in KC, meaning she is responsible for the freight shipments sent to our customers out of the KC facility.

It’s not uncommon for Lula to send out 20+ pallets of freight each day, and Tony Sutton, KC Warehouse Supervisor, has noted she has a sharp eye and keeps errors to a minimum, ensuring accurate orders for our customers.

“She does an outstanding job running the FedEx department,” Tony said.

Houston’s customers have come to rely upon not only Lula’s attention to detail, but her inviting and helpful demeanor, as well. In addition to her FedEx duties, Lula is also the first point of contact for customers picking up will-call orders.

“Lula is the smiling face all the will-call customers get to see,” said Tony.

Taking the time to connect with customers and make them feel welcome and appreciated has resulted in numerous customers writing or calling in to express their appreciation for her kindness and level of service.

Lula’s work ethic and positive presence are also appreciated by her coworkers and leadership at Houston’s.

Since joining Houston’s in October 2021, Lula has displayed a mindset of continued growth, starting as a picker for ground orders, and evolving into her current FedEx and will-call duties.

“Lula is a true asset to the KC Warehouse,” Tony said.

Outside of work, Lula’s hobbies include singing, making music, and family time. She is also an animal lover and enjoys spending time with her dogs.

Congratulations Lula! This recognition is well-deserved.

Runners up for the quarter include Rodrigo Miranda (First Runner Up) and Sadie Anderson (Second Runner Up).

Read more about our other recently recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

The post KC Warehouse Employee of the Quarter Q3: Lula Caldwell appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Initially starting within Houston’s Oregon facility, Randy made the transition over to the Kansas City warehouse, and will be celebrating 17 years with the company this coming November.

With his experience and versatility, Randy continues to lead by example and embody Houston’s Core Values. While he had previously worked as the local KC delivery driver, he learned to operate the reach truck and has grown into his current role within warehouse operations.

Randy’s dedication and skills have made a big impact, which has been especially visible in recent months. He earned recognition as the Q1 First Runner Up and it has been noted that he has minimized errors through the past handful of months.

“Randy has had minimal receiving errors and was the top auto-stocker for two out of the past three months,” said Tony Sutton, KC Warehouse Supervisor.

Indeed, Randy earned the Top Forklift spot on the SPARQ wall in both December and February, averaging 10.53 locations per hour through December and 9.8 through February. He was also recognized as one of the top Five Star employees this past month.

With the high level of experience and dependability Randy brings to the team, he has earned the trust of his colleagues and sets an example for others.

“Randy is looked up to by many individuals in the warehouse,” Tony said.

Outside of work, Randy likes to remodel houses, watch westerns, and spend time with his wife, sons, and extended family.

Congratulations Randy! This recognition is well earned.

Runners up for the quarter include Cliff Hill (First Runner Up) and Travis Cline (Second Runner Up).

Read about our other recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

The post KC Warehouse Employee of the Quarter Q2: Randy Draper appeared first on Houston's Blog.

With Random Acts of Kindness Day occurring on February 17, we asked the Houston’s Community to highlight acts of kindness, helpfulness, and goodwill seen around the office, in the warehouses, in stores, on the road, and out in the field.

Though it’s well established that kindness is woven into the fabric of our working environment here at Houston’s and HTrans – shining a brighter spotlight on the examples of people who go above and beyond can only serve as an extra positive reminder of the great environment we all create here together.

Here are some examples the Houston’s Community shared:

The Accounting Team and HR Team – for helping with holiday payrolls at the end of 2022. Stepping up with kindness helped through some stress.

The person who brought in the office fish!

Parisa Elahian – for being a saint and letting me use her assigned parking spot, before the change to open parking.

Whitley Turner – for taking responsibility for feeding “Huey,” the office fish. It’s above and beyond what she is asked to do, and her name is one of the most frequently seen on the “Who Fed Huey” chart.

Virg Cuff – for purchasing a coat this winter for a person in need of one.

Jenna Jay – for being patient with my training skills!

Tom DeGhetto – I noticed he went out of his way to assist another team member in bringing heavy, cumbersome items from downstairs to the upstairs workspace. Your kind gesture didn’t go unseen!

Jenny Johnston – I commented on her purse the other day, and a few days later she brought in her spare and gave it to me. Jenny, you’re too sweet and I appreciate you.

Austin Parrish– He sent me a cookie gift card for all the hard work I’ve been doing. It was MUCH appreciated! Thanks Austin!

Read more about the Houston’s Community on the Houston’s Blog.

The post Random Acts of Kindness at Houston’s appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Tyler Cushman

To qualify, a driver must have no chargeable or preventable accidents or incidents, no injuries, and must pass all roadside DOT inspections. Recognized drivers must also have zero log violations, must keep license and DOT medical card current, and turn in all copies to the HTrans office. It is each driver’s responsibility to remain current at all times.

In order to be inducted into the Haul of Champions, drivers must also have 10 or fewer speed events each month, and must report accurate mileage at the end of each work week.

Congratulations to these dedicated HTrans Drivers who earned Haul of Champions recognition 12 out of 12 months through 2022!

Larry Brown

Tyler Cushman

Aksel Dirkzwager

Jamal Jackson

Kevin Garnett

Jamal Jackson

Sandy Johns

Jack Meza-Rojas

Scott Owens

Herman Penix

Bill Reilly

Travis Rogers

Read more about our other recently recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

Aksel Dirkzwager

The post Haul of Champions 2022 Year-End Qualifiers appeared first on Houston's Blog.

“Jacob is very consistent on SPARQ, always around the top of every category in the SPARQ Program,” said Tony Sutton, KC Warehouse Supervisor.

SPARQ stands for SAFETY, PRODUCTIVITY, ATTENDANCE, RESPONSIBILITY, and QUALITY. In alignment with these values, Jacob always conducts his work in a safe manner, taking responsibility for his part in ensuring a good working environment.

According to KC leadership, he rarely misses a day, and maintains a high level of quality – making minimal errors throughout the course of accomplishing his work-related tasks. In terms of productivity, Jacob added a new responsibility to his plate this past quarter.

“Jacob stepped into learning the FedEx duties when KC was shorthanded,” said Tony. It’s a prime example of Jacob’s approach of doing what it takes to help the team.

“Jacob consistently goes out of his way to help his fellow teammates about questions, finding lot numbers, item descriptions, and loading & unloading trucks,” Tony said. “You can put Jacob anywhere and he will excel.”

His flexibility and willing attitude are valued within the team – Jacob also helps with training for picking and receiving duties. It’s evident that he has earned the trust of those on the team and within leadership.

Outside of work, Jacob is a huge gamer, and enjoys sitting back and playing games to relax. Jacob is also into all things ‘90s and has a dog named Cain.

Congratulations Jacob, this recognition is well deserved!

Runners up for the quarter include Randy Draper (First Runner Up) and Oscar Perez (Second Runner Up).

Read more about our other recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

The post KC Warehouse Employee of the Quarter Q1: Jacob Cruz appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Houston’s KC Team

It was 2002, Houston’s had made the decision to expand operations and open a warehouse in Kansas City, Missouri.

This September marked the 20-year anniversary of Houston’s presence in KC, and it was an opportunity to celebrate the milestone and recognize all those in KC who work hard to support company goals and uphold our Core Values.

Houston’s Event Committee coordinated on-site celebrations in both KC and Wilsonville, featuring food, games, customized apparel, and more.

In Houston’s KC warehouse, food was provided by famous Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Team members in Wilsonville were able to connect with the iconic cuisine of Kansas City with a catered barbeque lunch, as well.

The KC warehouse hosted visitors from other areas within the company, as well. National Sales Manager Jarrod Bowren and the Outside Sales Team held a meeting on site in KC and were able to take part in the festivities.

President Rebecca Phillips, Director of Warehouse Operations Mike Buddrius, Customer Services Manager Lenni Treat, Fleet Manager Steve Hall, and Maintenance Supervisor Phil Moullet were able to travel to KC to commemorate the occasion and celebrate with the KC Team in person.

Playing giant Jenga.

“Everyone had a fantastic time laughing and joking around – it was wonderful,” said KC Warehouse Assistant Manager Brenda Willett. “The Team enjoyed everyone that came.”

The festivities also included custom-made KC-themed caps and shirts designed by Houston’s Marketing Team to celebrate the milestone. Caps were given to KC Team members; every person within the company – including Drivers, Merchandisers, and remote team members – received a bright red KC 20th Anniversary shirt.

Looking back 20 years to 2002, Houston’s Sr. Executive Officer Bill Paolo identified Kansas City as an advantageous site for expansion.

“KC seemed to be a good, centralized location that would enable us to ship throughout the Midwest, as well as Texas and parts of the Southeast,” said Greg Jones, Warehouse Manager. “We have built very strong relationships with great customers out there.”

In addition to a central location, the people that make up the current KC crew provide an advantage to Houston’s operations.

The KC Team enjoying a game of soccer.

Brenda Willett shared her perspective on the team during the seven years she’s been with Houston’s. “We’ve seen a lot of changes and evolution in KC,” she said. “The teamwork is phenomenal – they always have each other’s back. The connection and respect the crew have for one another is amazing.”

“Our staff out there beams with integrity and a strong desire to do things well,” Greg added. “Some of our customers go out of their way to say how much help our KC staff has been.”

With good camaraderie, good food, commemorative apparel, and more, the 20-year milestone event was a good opportunity to celebrate and appreciate all things Kansas City.

“Thanks to everyone for all their hard work putting this wonderful event together,” said Brenda. “I have a lot of good memories here in KC, but I think this will be one of the best ones.”

To all Houston’s KC folks past and present, thank you for all your efforts and hard work. Here’s to 20 great years and to many more as we all excitedly look toward the future together!

Read about our KC Employee of the Quarter and our other recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

Houston’s Wilsonville Team celebrates KC!

The post Celebrating 20 Years in Kansas City appeared first on Houston's Blog.

According to Warehouse Supervisor Tony Sutton, one factor that contributed to Deverick’s nomination is his accomplishment in reducing errors over the past quarter.

“Deverick has grown tremendously since he was hired on, in terms of his errors,” said Tony.

Through the past quarter, Deverick has been one of the top KC order pullers in productivity, as well.

Deverick has also displayed an eagerness to develop his skills, as he has taken on the challenge of cross-training on all types of equipment within the warehouse. This growth in versatility also shows his attitude of being a team player.

“Deverick has the want to be great at everything he does, and it shows,” Tony said. “He takes a lot of pride in his work, always willing to do any task.”

Outside of work, Deverick likes playing video games, making music, and watching pro wrestling. He also has two dogs he enjoys spending time with.

Congratulations Deverick! This recognition is well deserved.

Runners up for the quarter are Rodrigo Miranda (First Runner Up) and Anthony Norwood (Second Runner Up).

Read more about our other recently recognized team members on the Houston’s Blog.

The post KC Warehouse Employee of the Quarter Q4: Deverick Webb appeared first on Houston's Blog.

For our Driver Team at HTrans this can be the same reality.

 With National Driver Appreciation Week this month (September 11-17), this is a good opportunity to communicate some of the things our drivers experience to help everyone notice, understand, and appreciate the hard work our Driver Team put in to make deliveries happen, as an essential part of Houston’s.

For most HTrans routes, drivers are out on the road multiple nights each week. Drivers are up and rolling before sunrise to ensure stops are coordinated as early as possible to meet customer requirements and to help our Merchandisers complete their work before heavy customer traffic hits their store locations.

Drivers will often use their legally allowed 11 hours per day as drive time, to cover the necessary ground required to maintain scheduling for our customers. It is common for the members of our Driver Team to cover 400 or 500 miles a day to make this happen.

This is when all things go right; add a small issue or delay – often completely out of anyone’s control – and our driver may be facing a situation that causes a chain reaction that may affect multiple customers.

Here are some examples of how these things affect our drivers.

A relatively small maintenance issue could be discovered during a pre-trip inspection or inspection at a weigh station. This can delay a driver for multiple hours and push back delivery times. Drivers are occasionally able to make up for delays and minimize the effect on customers. Working with the HTrans Team, drivers can change the order of deliveries or delivery days, to help ensure customer orders reach their destination. In these situations, the driver’s return home may be delayed.

When there are major mechanical issues, a driver could end up at motel for a couple of days while their truck is being worked on or the shop is waiting for a part to arrive. In these circumstances, HTrans staff is coordinating with the driver, the truck maintenance shop, Houston’s Inside & Outside Sales Teams, and Merchandising on solutions to getting our customers taken care of, while also making sure our driver gets home in a reasonable time.

Additionally, when a driver makes it home after enduring a delay, they have a legally mandated “reset time.” Delays can push a driver’s reset into the following week, which could affect our ability to service the route within our normal pool truck schedule.

 Drivers face mechanical issues, inclement weather, traffic delays, and other unforeseen events that add stress and anxiety to an already difficult job. Our drivers take these very large pieces of equipment into extremely tight spaces and over difficult stretches of roads and terrain. Our drivers successfully navigate adverse conditions and difficult deliveries so frequently they make it seem easy.

Due to their frequency of success, sometimes their extra efforts often get overlooked. I would like to encourage everyone this Driver Appreciation Week, to take the time to recognize our Driver Team for their continued invaluable contributions.

Thank you to all our drivers, we appreciate what you do!

Read more about our valued team members on the Houston’s Blog.

This article was written by Transportation Supervisor Brandon Raymond.

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