Recognizing our Grand Island Service Center

What happens when you mix one account manager, five ABF Freight® drivers and a lot of collaboration? In this case, amazing success. At least, that’s true for the service center in Grand Island, Nebraska. Since 1987, this service center has been a valuable location for handling goods and fulfilling freight shipping needs. It may be one of our smallest locations — with only 2,816 square feet of space and 12 dock doors — but it’s significantly impacting the region’s shipping capabilities. And while all 248 ArcBest service centers have unique attributes, the effective collaboration and growth happening in Grand Island are worth mentioning.

Facility focus

Grand Island is a satellite location of our Omaha service center, meaning it doesn’t operate under a full-time manager. Instead, the Omaha manager, Trevor Wilson, and his staff handle all calls relating to operations, quotes, load planning, route planning, reassignments and dispatching. This information is then communicated with the Grand Island drivers, who are actively involved in the decision process to see all assignments are completed quickly and efficiently to take care of our customers.

Geographic reach and freight distribution

Being a satellite location, Grand Island is considered an end-of-the-line service center in ArcBest’s ABF network. This means it receives shipments ready for final delivery, and ships out freight to other service centers to be distributed nationwide — it’s not used as a transfer point between any locations. Three service centers receive freight from Grand Island: Kansas City, Salt Lake City and Chicago, with Kansas City being its primary stop.

Determination leads to consistent growth

Though Grand Island is small, its growth is not. In 2016, the service center saw an increase in both revenue and shipment handling, and that trend is continuing in 2017. The consistent growth this six-person staff continues to accomplish at such a small location shows their true determination and commitment. In many businesses, factors like size, location and a small staff might hinder capacity and performance. But, the hard work and willpower of Grand Island’s employees contribute to the ability to transport as much freight as possible in the most efficient way.

How collaboration creates success

When asked why Grand Island is so successful, Matt Sutej, ArcBest district sales manager at Omaha, said:

“Teamwork. Stephanie Perdue [ArcBest senior account manager] does a great job working with the drivers, and the drivers know the community better than anyone. I’m impressed by how well they collaborate. I think we can all be successful in our job if we work together like they do in Grand Island.”

Success is achievable when teamwork is present. With an intent focus on collaboration, the Grand Island team operates a smooth system by practicing consistent communication, ensuring everyone, especially the customers, are continually updated. Because of the team’s positive attitude and perseverance, Grand Island was awarded the 2016 ABF President’s Quality Award — the highest award any service center can receive. To be recognized with such a prestigious award truly shows how this location and its employees value teamwork, quality, excellence and customer service. Stephanie and the drivers have The Skill & The Will® to collaborate effectively to deliver each customer’s freight on time and intact.

Experience excellence with ArcBest

The dedication of the Grand Island employees sets their service center apart as reliable and excellent. And with 247 other service centers nationwide, ArcBest provides a portfolio of logistics solutions to meet any customer’s needs. Learn more by calling 800-610-5544, or leave a comment below.

Drivers:

Adam Simonson
Gene Horak
Robbie Peregrine
Earl Swett
John Shultz