Chris has worked at Harbor for 13 years and is currently working in her 4th role at the company. She had some great thoughts about what her time here at Harbor has been like.

What roles have you had and how did you make the transition at Harbor?

I am working in my 4th role. I was hired as a Merchandiser and to be quite honest, I was NOT good at it! In hind sight, it was a really great place to start as it allowed me to quickly become familiar with our products and to understand store layouts. That knowledge is key for any other position you could have at Harbor. Less than a year after I started, we launched a new program called ESP (Elite Service Program) and I moved into that role. My responsibilities there were to manage high profit categories (Snacks and Grab & Go) in some of our stores. I also threw a lot of freight! There was a good amount of customer interaction and again, so much to learn about our products.

I don’t really recall the evolution of that role but I ended up becoming an Account Manager and working primarily with Sue Pillette in her territory. This role was geared toward maintenance and service in accounts and similar to a territory sales position but without the pressure (or rewards!) of growing your territory. When a sales position became available about 5 years ago in Portland, I was given the opportunity to manage and grow my own territory and I’m happy to report that I’ve been managing and growing it ever since!

How long have you been with Harbor?

I have been with Harbor for 13 years this month!

Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor?

My advice to anyone who is wanting to advance their career at Harbor is simple. Do the very best job that you possible can in the place you find yourself right now. There’s no better way to prepare for where you want to be later.

As a long standing employee, what do you think the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor?

The knowledge you gain, the relationships you make, the customers you interact with and the reputation you create for yourself will be more valuable than anything else. And you can be sure that hard work, courtesy, common sense and the reliability will never go out of style or work against you. It’s exciting to work for a company that values helping it’s members achieve their career goals. And with the change and growth at Harbor and in this industry you can be certain that there are always new opportunities coming available. I have an idea of what I’d find rewarding as a next career move at Harbor. The position doesn’t even exist yet but maybe someday it will and I’ll be sure to be ready!