ISSUE

72 Q3, 2016
A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY

COLUMBIAN LOGISTICS NETWORK

WAREHOUSING | TRANSPORTATION |FOOD LOGISTICS | MANUFACTURING LOGISTICS

WWW.COLUMBIANLOGISTICS.COM

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

FIRST IN FOOD
It's our thing.

Page 2

OUR VISION
A big part of my job as CEO is to
set, communicate, and live out
our mission, vision, and values.
In this issue, while we highlight
our core value of Performance,
we also take a look into our
vision. At Columbian Logistics
Network, part of our vision is to
be the most effective provider in
the food industry. We want to be
First in Food for a long time to
come. It is exciting to me how
much this newsletter does to
communicate and demonstrate
those mission and vision commitments we have
been making for generations. Take a look!
John Zevalkink
Chief Executive Officer

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 1

Values Series pg. 5

PERFORM

your best

CONTENTS
LETTER FROM CEO
FIRST IN FOOD
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY TRAINING
CORE VALUES SERIES
MEET HOLLIS PACE
EMPLOYEE UPDATES
EVENTS CALENDAR
LEGENDARY CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD

1
2
4
5
5
6
7
7

9/6/2016 3:07:03 PM

Network Newsletter

FIRST IN FOOD

THE ECONOMY OF
FOOD LOGISTICS
Food
manufacturing
accounted for

12.9%

$5.32 TRILLION TOTAL RETAIL AND

FOOD SERVICE SALES IN THE USA

($738.5 billion)

of all U.S.
manufacturing
shipments in
2012.

2 OF THE LARGEST LAND PORTS

FOR FOOD ARE IN MICHIGAN

TOP
TRANSPORTED
GOODS

70%
OF FOOD IS
TRANSPORTED BY

6.2%
AVERAGE ANNUAL
TRUCK DEMAND
GROWTH BY 2024

FOOD
CLOTHING
FURNITURE
ELECTRICAL MACHINERY

IF TRUCKING
STOPPED
FOOD SHORTAGES
WOULD BEGIN IN

At Columbian Logistics Network, we are often

asked what makes us the best in the delicate
science of food logistics. To put it another way:
what makes us First in Food? A typical answer
would rattle off a number of certifications
and point to a rigorous training program
(which we have). A less typical answer would
reference an organizational chart staffed to
food safety accountability (which we also
have). At Columbian Logistics, however, food
safety is personal. It permeates the culture,
the processes, and the systemsand it is
everyones job.
Recently, a Director of Business Development
was walking through a warehouse for an
impromptu tour and discussion. At the spur
of the moment, the sales person and the
potential customer decided to use the side
entrance to the warehouse. Upon noticing two
unrecognized persons on the warehouse floor,
a lift truck operator reported the unknown
visitors to his supervisor. The Warehouse
Supervisor then met the tour in the middle of
the warehouse floor and politely, but firmly,
asked the visitors to come to the front office
to sign in properly, review the food safety
guidelines, and obtain a proper badge for
the visitor. The tour group complied, and the
customer mentioned that this level of attention
was clearly not being paid at other warehouses
he had visited. At Columbian, it was par for
the course. Both the lift truck operator and
supervisor were recognized at the next allemployee meetings for this demonstration
of food safety (protection from unintentional
harm) and food defense (protection from
intentional harm) mentality.

only

24 HOURS

Sources: www.esa.gov/sites/default/files/foodbeveragetobaccoindustryprofile_1.pdf
www.kanhaul.com/news/kan-hauls-food-transportation-infographic/
www.trinitylogistics.com/blog/the-ultimate-collection-of-trucking-infographics-20-infographics-about-the
http://www.statista.com/topics/1660/food-retail/

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 2

9/6/2016 3:07:17 PM

Network Newsletter

Similarly, a recent Continuous

Improvement suggestion came in from
lift truck operators indicating that,
especially in nasty winter weather,
trailers being spotted to the door
would occasionally not be lined up
exactly with the dock shelters on the
outside walls. Citing food safety and
worker safety concerns, a request was
made to modify the Yard Management
System (YMS) to provide a way to
prompt drivers to re-spot the trailer in
a way that provides a proper seal from
the outside. One small modification
later, and the warehouse now has a respot button that sends a signal to the
tablet in the switching unit and keeps
everyone moving. This tremendous
gain in productivity and safety was
accomplished through our Continuous
Improvement program, but at its core
was a concern for food safety and
worker safety.
Many organizations can point to
plaques on walls or organizational
charts in order to stake a claim on a
food logistics culture. You will find
many of those bona fides nearby on
this page. Many firms that claim to
specialize in the food business focus
entirely on finished goods- cases on
pallets ready for the store shelf. Our
focus looks far upstream from there.
On a daily basis, we handle raw food
ingredients, packaging materials, Work
in Progress (WIP) inventory, allergens,
and more. For us, food logistics is not
an industry, it is a way of lifeand it is
personal.

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 3

WHY COLUMBIAN IS

FIRST IN FOOD

9/6/2016 3:07:19 PM

Network Newsletter

Columbian Logistics Network is pleased to announce that we have been selected for Food
Logistics Magazine's Top 100 3PL & Cold Storage list. This is the third consecutive year that
Columbian has been recognized on the list. This annual award serves as a resource guide of
third-party logistics and cold storage providers whose products and services are critical for
companies in the global food and beverage supply chain.

COLUMBIAN SUPPORTS THE AMERICAN WARFIGHTER

Blair Thomas, director of customer care, was selected for a public-private partnership to deliver warehouse
training to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), a support agency within the US Department of Defense.
The DLA operates more than depots for distribution of support materials from machine parts to fresh produce
in 48 states and 28 countries around the world. Putting the warfighter first, the DLA serves all branches of
the US military, but had little experience with warehousing best practices from industry. Blair Thomas was
part of a delegation of three professionals representing Western Michigan University who donated their time
for a four-day training session covering facility layout and design, warehouse business processes, material
handling equipment, systems, labor management, and others. The training took place the last week of June,
2016 on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickham in Honolulu, Hawaii.

It was an honor to be a part of this project. There are lots of smart, hard workers in
the DLA, but they deal with several complexities and constraints that we just dont see
on the mainland and in the private sector, says Thomas. Serving a global customer
base in a situation where service failure could be a matter of not only life and death,
but also national security, is very difficult, especially when you consider environmental,
historical, and other logistical limitations. According to the feedback we received, our
week together opened their eyes to industry best practices as much as it opened our eyes
to the complexities of serving a military customer.

Blair leading discussion

during training.

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 4

9/6/2016 3:07:20 PM

Network Newsletter

COLUMBIAN LOGISTICS CORE VALUES

PERFORMANCE
This series details Columbian Logistics Network's Core Values, which include
Safety, Legendary Customer Service, Respect, Performance and Agility.

Our customers expect us to perform and we expect performance and

accountability from associates. We provide the tools our associates
need to succeed and we will reward their performance. At Columbian,
we see top knotch performance every day. Things do not always go
as planned, but our employees go above and beyond to pick up the
pieces and deliver solutions to our customers.

MEET OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Please join us in welcoming our new Director of Business Development, Hollis
Pace. Hollis lives in Saint Joseph, Michigan and will primarily work out of the
office due to the nature of this position. Hollis graduated from Michigan State
University in 2000 with a degree in Supply Chain Management. After college, he
started at Penske Logistics as Inventory Control Specialist, then was promoted
to Lead Logistics Analyst. Later, he worked at DHL Express in Aurora, Colorado
as a Field Services Specialist. Before joining us, he worked for Hanson Logistics
in a variety of positions; Account Manager, Operations Manager, Director of
Transportation, and Director of Transportation Sales. His sales objectives at
Hanson included increasing their customer base and revenue for dedicated,
transportation management, consolidated transportation and storage services
offerings. During Hollis time at Hanson Logistics, transportation and storage
revenue increased by nearly 50%.
Executive Vice President, Doug Johnson, commented, Hollis wealth of experience
and industry knowledge is already making him a significant addition to Columbian.
I am confident that Hollis will play a key role in providing and fulfilling high quality
solutions for our clients. We are very fortunate to have Hollis aboard our team.
During his tenure at Hanson Logistics, he managed operations and played an active role in
business development for a transportation department that produced $35 million in annual
revenue. Additionally, he handled sales for Hansons cold storage division, which generated $30
million annually.
Hollis is very eager join the Columbian team. Its been great getting to know the people that Ive
met at Columbian thus far. Its a similar culture to what I am accustomed. In my limited experience,
it is a team-oriented atmosphere almost family-like. Its really refreshing to be part of something
in which everyone is striving for the same goal of growing the business, while providing excellent
service to Columbians customer base.
We are excited to have his broad background and experience on our team!

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 5

9/6/2016 3:07:24 PM

Network Newsletter

EMPLOYEE
UPDATES
Employee updates, information, and events.
Do you know someone that is job hunting? Tell them to look
no further! We now have two referral programs catered to our
employees. If an employee refers a warehouseman or truck driver,
they are eligible for a $250 referral bonus! First, they will receive a
$50 gift card when the applicant completes an interview. If they are
hired and work at Columbian for at least 6 months, the employee
will receive a $200 gift card. Some of our best employees came to
us by referral!

ACT
T
N
CO OW!
N
US

KEEP POSTED FOR THE "FRUIT

FOR THOUGHT" CHALLENGE!
TOUR DE MITT ADDING UP THE MILES

r, in Cadillac.

This quarter, Columbian employees toured the mitten state. Employees were rewarded
a "mile" for every minute of exercise they performed. The miles added up and
followed a virtual route to the Upper Peninsula and back. The goal was to complete
the 1,092 mile trip in four weeks. Four winners were randomly chosen for completing
the challenge. Bea Mohr won an additional prize for finishing the trip before Chris
Killman, human resources manager, or Jim Gadziemski, VP of warehouse operations.
Congratulations to the following employees for winning the prize drawings:

Jason Grover
Cathy Baweja
Marty Abbott
Sarah Mosher-Byer

tle switch drive

shut
Martin Abbott,

Rich Schultz, operations manager, visited Mackinac Island.

Chris K

illman,

EMPLOYEE OUTINGS

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 6

HR ma

nager,

visited

Harbor

Spring

s.

!
s
t
a
r
g
n
Co

9/6/2016 3:07:26 PM

Network Newsletter

Events Calendar
Columbian Logistics Network will attend the highlighted events.
We look forward to the opportunity to connect, and encourage you to contact
Blair Thomas, Director of Customer Care at blatho@columbian.us or by phone
at 616-514-5977 to schedule a time to meet.
CSCMP Conference
Commodity Trends 2017 Outlook
Food Safety Consortium

September 25-28

Kissimmee, FL

October 13

Hudsonville, MI

December 7-8

Schaumburg, IL

cscmp.org/annual-conference
rightplace.org/events/commodity-trends-2017

foodsafetyconsortium.org

LEGENDARY CUSTOMER SERVICE THE AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations go to the Legendary Customer Service (LCS) Award winners for the second
quarter of 2016: Marshall McKenzie and Dale Seadorf.

est.

1894

Custoicemer
serv

Rich Schultz and Marshall McKenzie

Marshall McKenzie - Internal Nomination

Marshall McKenzie, transportation supervisor, was awarded
the internal nomination for Legendary Customer Service.
Operations Manager at K2, Rich Schultz, wrote in his
nomination: "I wanted to take a moment and call out kudos to Marshall and his drivers.
After complications with a customer, Marshall and his guys stepped up, switched trailers,
and kept things rolling for the warehouse. Without the extra effort put forth by the shuttle
drivers we very easily could have shut the customer's productions down. I cannot thank
them enough for going above and beyond in what was a very hectic three hours."

Dale Seadorf and Christen Hickey

Dale Seadorf - External Nomination

Dale Seadorf, CDS Driver, was awarded the external nomination for Legendary Customer
Service. A customer needed heavy items delivered to a residence located on a very
narrow, tree-lined street. The customer mentioned Christen Hickey, supervisor at CDS,
was very helpful with finding a date for delivery that worked well for the customer. Without
any trouble, Dale delivered the items down the one-way road by himself. The customer
commented, "I just want you to know that even though my delivery was complicated,
both of these employees were very pleasant and polite! It was a great reflection on your
company! It really was a pleasure doing business with you!!!"
Dale is actually a third generation employee at Columbian. His
father and grandfather, both named Dale Seadorf, have worked
at Columbian. His father (pictured bottom left) unloaded rail cars
here as a Lumper, and his grandfather (pictured bottom right) was
a driver at Columbian- just like his grandson.

If you have experienced Legendary Customer Service from a Columbian Logistics employee, please
take a few minutes to nominate them! Fill out a nomination form online at
'columbianlogistics.com/legendary-customer-service'

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 7

9/6/2016 3:07:33 PM

9/6/2016 3:07:42 PM

Q3 NEWSLETTER
CONTENTS
LETTER FROM CEO
FIRST IN FOOD
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY TRAINING
CORE VALUES SERIES
MEET HOLLIS PACE
EMPLOYEE UPDATES
EVENTS CALENDAR
LEGENDARY CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD

Columbian-Q3-2016-Newsletter.indd 8

A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY

COLUMBIAN LOGISTICS NETWORK

WAREHOUSING | TRANSPORTATION |FOOD LOGISTICS | MANUFACTURING LOGISTICS

WWW.COLUMBIANLOGISTICS.COM
1
2
4
5
5
6
7
7

www.columbianlogistics.com Phone: 1-888-609-8542

2900 Dixie Ave SW Grand Rapids, MI 49418

Prsrt Std
US Postage
PAID
Grand Rapids MI
Permit 1