OOIDA’s Shipping and Receiving Department puts members first

If all that the Shipping and Receiving Department of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association handled was mail and packages, its staff would still be a busy bunch. However, the responsibilities of this team go beyond that.

Brad Hennon is the manager of the small but important group of dedicated employees that he said handle “anything that comes in or out of the door.” The team processes and ships online orders, Truckers For Troops care packages, insurance paperwork and any other mail that comes in or goes out of the office. In total, the department handles roughly 3,000 packages a year and processes more than a half-million pieces of mail.

If a mountain of parcels weren’t enough, the team also is called upon to help with other various tasks and projects around OOIDA’s Grain Valley headquarters.

“If there’s something going on anywhere on-site, we are in some way involved,” Hennon said. “(It’s) usually behind the scenes, and nobody even knows.”

One of the employees Hennon relies on to tackle the ever-changing workload is Team Lead Tate Godwin, who has been with the company for nearly 20 years. Godwin thinks of himself as a “Swiss Army knife” when it comes to job responsibilities and enjoys taking on new challenges each day.

“We kind of consider ourselves the glue of the company,” Godwin said. “We’re just there for anybody.”

The all-hands-on-deck approach of the department is apparent in utility player Marcia Schreier, who started in housekeeping with OOIDA eight years ago. Since then, Schreier’s responsibilities have expanded to include whatever Hennon or the staff throw her way.

“I like doing all kinds of different stuff. It’s not just one thing,” Schreier said. “I mean, I do it over and over, but my daily routine isn’t always the same.”

Of course, being thrown curveballs on a daily basis isn’t for everyone, but Schreier handles it with ease. She said she takes pride in doing her part to make it easier for all the other employees at OOIDA to do their jobs.

“It’s the atmosphere and the people I work with,” she said. “It’s fun to work with them.”

Liking what you do – and who you work with – is an important part of being happy with your work. And for OOIDA’s Shipping and Receiving staff, that fun isn’t by accident.

“I tell people when I hire them, ‘It’s a requirement to have fun. Enjoy your job. Enjoy who you work with – who you work for,’” Hennon said. “I stick to that. If someone is in a bad mood or miserable all the time, I want to know why.”

Hennon, who has been with the company for 27 years, said he prides himself on the low turnover in the department and wants his staff to feel appreciated. Godwin said that “family-oriented” approach is one of the big reasons he has spent nearly two decades with the Association.

Purchasing

Another small yet crucial division within OOIDA is the Purchasing Department. This department consists of just one employee – Purchasing Coordinator James Saddler.

Saddler has been with the company for nearly 22 years, and while he may be running a one-man band, the work he does impacts every employee in the building.

If something needs to be bought – whether it’s office supplies or products for the Road Gear store – Saddler is the one who makes it happen while seeking the best value for OOIDA. Despite playing a supporting role, he knows the work he does has a positive impact for the members of the Association.

“My job is to support the employees, but that is hand-in-hand with the members,” Saddler said. “Because if I’m making it easier on the employees by keeping costs down, that’s something we can pass on to our members.”

Saddler said he didn’t have a background in trucking prior to joining OOIDA in 2003 but that he quickly jumped on board with the Association’s mission of fighting for the rights of truckers.

“You think you have an idea of the industry and how things work, but some of the meetings and training courses I went through made me realize how difficult it is for these guys,” he said. “I did not realize how hard it was, not just for owner-operators but all the drivers out there. It’s one of the things that got me to realize that my goal should be to do whatever makes it easier on them.”

That mentality of putting members first is what drives the employees of OOIDA – even the ones playing a supporting role.

“If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have a job,” Schreier said. LL