A NEW HOME IN PACIFIC

Monday February 12, the Operations Department in Pacific moved into their new home. If you ever spent time in the second floor operations center, then you realize how overdue we were for a change. The move also allowed us to reunite all the operating divisions located in Pacific in the same workspace again, namely heavy haul, temperature control and logistics.

The most positive change is the additional space for each person. Driver managers in particular went from 3’ x 4’ cubes to 6’ x 6’ cubes. The change in personal space is a big stress reducer. Additionally, it allows everyone to conduct business without talking over the top of each other.

The open floor plan allows for better team work and better visibility to who’s at their workstations. While we went with a lower divider in the offices, the sound is actually much quieter than it was in our old offices. Additionally, with the management offices primarily along two walls instead of down a hall it makes for easier access and better communication.

One of the biggest changes is controlled access to the building. While we will always support an “open door” management style, having other GTI associates wandering around the operations building had become distracting. With driver managers, planners and customer service all working side by side, it can already be fairly chaotic.

We’ve chosen to conduct business with our driving associates at the north end of the building in the waiting area, or the conference room adjacent to it. However, with pre-approval from management or a driver manager, we encourage driving associates to come in and watch the operations process. A phone is provided in the waiting area and should be used to contact either the driver manager or operations management person you’re trying to locate. There is also an extension list provided for reference if you do not know the 4-digit extension of the person you are trying to reach.

In the coming months, we’ll be moving some more folks. The trailer office formerly used by heavy haul will become our new orientation center. The second floor of the old operations building will be renovated to become the new home for sales, customer engineering, and billing. After another facelift, driver services will move into the first floor of the old operations building. The final move is still in the works, but it looks at this time that we’ll be taking accounting and moving them into the previous driver services building, once we move it to a spot adjacent to the administrative building.

As you can see, our growth has created a need to find additional space throughout the business. We’re also working to relieve space constraints at our outside terminals, also in need of additional room. These are good problems to have, but they take time and money to resolve, so they can’t be addressed overnight. Please have patience as we work through the planning process. We value any input you may have.