Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits celebrated National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, created by the American Trucking Associations, from Sept. 12 to 18.
In addition to showing appreciation for its professional truck drivers, Southern Glazer’s held its own Warehouse Employee Appreciation Week, a week-long celebration of the company’s warehouse personnel, from August 9 -13. These frontline employees operate 14.8 million square feet of warehouse space, and make 6.4 million customer deliveries possible each year.
“The dedication that our truck drivers and warehouse employees continue to demonstrate throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is unparalleled,” says Bobby Burg, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, Southern Glazer’s. “We are extremely grateful to them for the talent, skillset and most importantly, invaluable work ethic that they each bring to the table every single day. Southern Glazer’s is able to successfully serve its suppliers and customers thanks to its frontline employees, and they deserve a world of thanks for that.”
This National Truck Driver Appreciation Week marked a special celebration of America’s “Highway Heroes,” and paid tribute to all that professional truck drivers have done to help carry America through the coronavirus pandemic and keep the country’s economy and communities moving forward. There are more than 3.6 million professional truck drivers nationwide that deliver much-needed goods and products, and 70% of America’s freight tonnage is annually delivered by truck, amounting to over 10 billion tons. These professional men and women log more than 400 billion miles every year, and roughly 80 percent of U.S. communities depend solely on the trucking industry as the only method to receive their goods and commodities.
As part of the week-long celebration across its U.S. branches, Southern Glazer’s gifted its drivers polo shirts and hats, and also hosted various socially distanced festivities throughout the week, from catered breakfasts and lunches, to raffles and prizes.
The unwavering commitment of the company’s warehouse employees was celebrated in a similar fashion over the summer, with teams enjoying everything from food trucks and music, to sporting ticket giveaways, gift cards and other appreciation gifts.
“Our truck drivers and warehouse employees have not skipped a beat in ensuring our customers are well-served amid one of the most challenging times on record,” says Ron Flanary, Senior Vice President of National Operations, Southern Glazer’s. “These weeks of celebration took on a whole special meaning last year amid business shutdowns and having to adjust to a changed world. And as we continue to navigate the pandemic, we know how intrinsically important it is to turn to each one of these frontline heroes and say, thank you — you are valued and appreciated, and we could not do it without you.”
Southern Glazer’s reinforces its safety culture through safety programs for both drivers and warehouse employees. The Elite Safe Driver Recognition Program, for example, is available to all drivers who qualify based on having 20 consecutive quarters, or five years, of safe driving without a preventable collision. Rewards include a gold ring set and monetary bonus rewards.
“I’ve never been prouder of our Operations team,” says Kay Yoder, Vice President of Environmental, Health, Safety & Business Continuity, Southern Glazer’s. “I think these challenging times have really cast a light on just how remarkable and valued these employees are; it’s given everyone the chance to see what I see day in and day out. We are committed to fostering a safety culture that our employees feel safe coming to every day, and we will continue to lead with safety at the core of everything we do. Thank you to the Southern Glazer’s FAMILY of drivers and warehouse employees — I am forever appreciative of you.”
