Rodeo Drive
The big event might have been called a rodeo, but instead of horses and a bull, contestants were riding in trucks and forklifts. For the past 13 years, Republic National Distributing Co. Inc. (RNDC) has held a national truck and forklift competition that takes the best drivers and operators from its 25 warehouse locations across the United States to compete for cash prizes.
The competition, explains Steve Feldman, vice president of operations, RNDC, serves as a safety exercise testing employee skills and know-how in day-to-day aspects of the job through a written test, safety inspection of equipment and an obstacle course. The tradition of holding such a competition began in the company’s Denver, Colo. warehouse and was so popular, the idea spread and now is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year for employees.
“It’s a great safety event, a great motivator and morale booster,” Feldman says. “You are talking about warehouse and driver associates who don’t necessarily get that type of acknowledgment or recognition and that’s what makes this such a terrific event.”
At the local level, all truck drivers and forklift operators participate in the competition, and from there, winners and their respective distribution and operations managers, go on to compete at the national level.
This year, the event took place in April in Houston, Texas with an award ceremony at the Omni Hotel. First place gets $1,000, second place gets $500 and third place gets $250.
Over the years, the competition also has included sponsorships provided by RNDC vendor partners, representatives of which also attend the big event.
“It’s an opportunity for [vendors] to meet all of us and for all of our people to meet key vendors that they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet with,” Feldman explains.
And the same theory goes for the coming together of RNDC’s employees and managers. “You have an opportunity where you have not only truck drivers and forklift operators from around the country meeting each other for the first time, you also have all of our managers coming together annually,” he says. “Every time you get managers together that all do the same thing, but in different parts of the country, something good always comes out of that.”
The date for the next event has been slated for May 5, 2012 and will be held in Denver. “We like to move it around a little bit and give each of our facilities an opportunity to host,” Feldman says.