Robert's Sysco thanks community with open house         

[SEPT. 22, 2006]  ^"We were blown away with the turnout," said Lincoln's Robert's Sysco director of employee and community relations, Eileen Higgs Parn. "It certainly was a BIG weekend for us, and it took a tremendous effort on behalf of our employees to pull it off," she said. "Our employees really enjoyed the party, but I think they especially enjoyed showing off our new ‘digs' to the people of this community. Our employees understand that the community shares greatly in the accomplishment of bringing this facility from vision to reality."

Over 1,300 cars were parked during last Saturday's open house, which took place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During that time approximately 3,000 people from the community took the guided facility tour, over 1,400 desserts were bravely retrieved from the freezer, and over 1,700 meals were served.

The curious surely found satisfaction when they got a good look at all that is behind the dark glass front and white walls of the new 306,230-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility that sits on Lincoln's west side.

A magician provided entertainment for those who waited in the line out front. As the day wore on, tour groups were modified from 10 or 12 to 30 or more to reduce the wait. But once inside, nothing was skipped.

Tours began in the sleek, modern reception area. The journey into the unknown began beyond that point. The first area of interest was the test room, where food is regularly prepared and analyzed for quality and taste. The guide didn't say who gets to do the eating there, just that it's done often.

The next transition was to the employee area. The employee area includes a check-in, a break room with Internet access, locker rooms and an equipped workout room.

A row of docked, bright yellow electric skid loaders made an impressive display on entering the dry goods area. The storage area has strict moisture control to protect dry goods products. An employee sporting on his arm a large black pack that is a computer explained how the product is bar-code scanned as it is pulled from the shelves, and an alarm alerts the selector if he or she has pulled the wrong product.

Beyond that area it starts to get a little chilly, as you enter the first of the sections for cooler goods. Deeper in the cooled area are a couple of freezer areas of unspeakable temperatures. Backup generators are set to kick in minutes after a power outage. Ammonia (used for cooling) levels are strictly monitored, particularly in the event of an outage.

An elevated communications office area -- nicknamed the "Star Trek" deck, with no wondering why when you see the armed, black office chairs in front of the bank of windows -- allows supervision of both areas.

Upstairs you'll find offices where orders are processed. An emphasis on getting the order right from the start is evident in all areas of the company, but if an error has occurred, here is where it is made right. The company clearly places customer satisfaction as their goal.

Also on the premises is a state-of-the-art kitchen. A chef was conducting cooking demonstrations.

The corporate meeting room is also found upstairs. In addition to other purposes, every employee begins training in the room. It includes a view of the entire warehouse area below.

A guide explained how the company also shows an interest in its employees. President Robbie Roberts meets with every employee once a week to see how they are doing. That has to be a pretty big job, as there are currently 170 employees. They expect to hire another 80 soon.

"Currently our recruitment efforts are focused on hiring professional, courteous and safe truck drivers. They are the backbone of our industry," Parn said.

The truck fleet is now about 40 tractor-trailers, which will soon be increased to approximately 60.

Parn wrapped it up well, saying, "I'll tell you what, if you ever need something done... I wouldn't hesitate to give it to the people of this community. They sure show up, they get the job done, and they know how to celebrate their successes!"

[]

http://www.robertssysco.com