It’ s time to learn a little more about the people here at Thill Logistics. The idea is based on the websiteFormspring and the classic Bernard Pivot questionnaire, just imagine that I am holding my blue index cards and asking the questions in a soothing James Liptonesque tone. The format is simple, five questions. The first 4 will stay constant, (3 work related questions and 1 from Pivot) but the 5thquestion… that is up to you! Please comment and send in questions here on the Thill Blog, or send them to me via Formspring to carrieatthill.
Here are my 5 questions for Rick Yoblonski
What is your role at Thill Logistics? I am Operations manager of the Neenah facility. I work with:
order processing to get orders on the floor and insure the processing occurs as quickly as possibleRetail Fulfillment Coordinator to make sure we have all the tools we need to get the orders out rightthe fulfillment lines to make sure any and all questions they have are answered as quickly as possible to keep the flow of fulfillment goingshipping and receiving to insure the right product and the right quantity of that product gets to the right customerCustomer service to make sure any questions/problems external customers have are addressed quickly and efficiently
How did you get into your field? When I was 20 I was sent to Korea by the company I worked for to supervise cross country ski boot manufacturing. I was there for 2 months and apparently did an adequate enough job that I was sent back to Korea 6 months later to supervise the start-up of a new facility. A year later I was sent to Mexico to investigate the possibility of producing boots there. Even though I did not speak the language in Korea I still found ways to get things done within the cultural boundaries I was restricted by. I also like to think I taught the group I worked with some of the necessary needs of the Western culture, but the most fun I had there was teaching them the meaning of “Happy Hour.”With a basic understanding of the Spanish language I was able to achieve my goals in Mexico, but some poor snow conditions for a couple of years brought about the downfall of many of the small ski boot manufacturers, including the company I worked for. I had an opportunity at a young age to work in different cultures and societies which I believe gave me a leg up on competition in my field, and helped me realize my potential in the management field.
What is your favorite thing about your field? I think the constant activity, working with a variety of personalities, and finding ways to make those personalities work together is the favorite thing about my field.
What is your favorite word?My favorite word is “WHY.” If you keep asking that question you can find out the root cause.Conversely, my least favorite phrase is “It is what it is.” I think that leads to a defeatist behavior.
What has been one of the best books you have ever read? The best book I ever read was “Green Eggs and Ham.” The reason it is the best is because I had the opportunity read this book to my son’s pre-school class when he was 3 years old. The experience of reading this to a group of wide-eyed 3 year olds with the world and all of their dreams in front of them was undeniably one of the most rewarding things I have ever been associated with. I had been in the classroom for about a half hour before the story, and was expecting it to be a nightmare with children screaming and running around the entiretime. I would not have believed it, but when I opened the book you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on me until the end. Simply amazing.
