The
whole
of any organization is always
greater
than the sum of its parts. This is a principle of synergy,
but only true if each part is functioning in an optimal manner.
This is an indirect lead-in to heap
praise upon two men who do this very thing- work optimally- in their key roles
here, without whose help the entire organization would flounder. We are, of course, referring to truck drivers
Dan Partridge and Dennis Sanders. Collectively, these men log an average of a
thousand miles a week facilitating home pick-ups as well as the distribution of
donated goods among our family of stores.
To put it mildly, these members
of the Goodwill family are “kept hopping,” and are experts in time management
and organizational skills, among their many redeeming attributes.
Dan, for example, knows about the work
ethic coming from a farming background during his upbringing. He brings the same dedication to his work
here that was instilled in him long ago from that early discipline, and has
done so on a sustained basis since he was hired back on June 22, 2011. Dan was
also Goodwill’s Achiever of the Year in 2012, and has continued to maintain
an unfailing loyalty to the
organization ever since.
Dennis, who looks wiry but who actually
matches Dan in physical strength, is a more recent addition to our crew as of
August 14, 2013. He also equals Dan in
his dedication and disciplined approach to work, utilizing talents gleaned from
a background working as a certified mechanic/technician in the automotive
industry.
Among his other responsibilities
here, Dennis also helps maintain inventory, restock and manage shipping in
three storage areas we utilize outside Goodwill proper. This is a big job itself involving a lot of
intricate juggling of merchandise.
Another interesting facet of Dennis’s
work life,
lies in dealing with daily house
calls, which consist of driving a truck to someone’s house to assist
in clearing out items meant for Goodwill. He also claims that he can be, “Real
fussy when it comes to furniture…it costs megabucks to dump the furniture at
Goodwill that we can’t use.” Dennis not
only takes time to do an excellent job of moving furniture and housewares, he
is also tremendously thoughtful about the time he spends with each customer,
making sure to give them the attention and care they deserve.
Dennis is very sensitive to his
customer’s needs. “Many of the people can be pretty darn lonely. If they have a
problem they want to discuss, I give them my time, I listen. A lot of people have helped me since I lost
my father on June 25, 2015. I want to
communicate, and share with them that I understand.”
He goes on to add, “Truthfully, I
like the transportation department whether we’re on the road or not. I like to meet new friends and communicate
with people. I want to see how I can help them, because in return, they’re
going to give me the
tools to help me.”
These ideas constitute the embodiment of
a few of our core values here at Goodwill: to lift people and strengthen
communities. Dennis and Dan work hard
every day to see that things run smoothly at our facility, and often do so with
no recognition or kudos. It takes all
the cogs
working together for the wheels of
any organization to go around, but the specific wheels Dan and Dennis operate
so efficiently are obviously of prime importance in steering our Goodwill in a
productively uplifting direction.
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