Resource Center

Chase grew up around the C-store industry and joined Harbor about 10 months ago. Since then, he transitioned from the Store Solutions Team to the Sales Team. Even though he has been with Harbor a short time, he had great thoughts to share about progressing your career with Harbor. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? C: Store Solutions Lead and Territory Sales Manager Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? C: I’ve grown up in the c-store business and have always treated my positions with a mindset of “acting like an owner”. By thinking this way, I have been able to build relationships and make efficient decisions in the field. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? C: 10 months Q: Any advice for getting your career started at Harbor? C: Communicate your goals and work hard to accomplish them. Your managers will see the effort and appreciate it. Q: What do you think is the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor? C: People skills and being able to use them in a manner that reflects Harbor Wholesale values. This is a business of people whether you are face to face with customers or working with other peers within Harbor Wholesale Foods.

Alfredo has worked for Harbor for 17 starting out in the Tumwater Warehouse. He recently transitioned into a Warehouse Supervisor role. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? A: I started at the Tumwater Warehouse as a picker at the mezzanine (OTP), then I moved to cases and freezer. Once I learned all of those departments I became a floating employee, and then I became a trainer, later a supervisor, then a PM Assistant Manager in the Warehouse. Now I am a Warehouse Supervisor. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? A: I made my transition by working hard, always trying to meet goals, and always trying to surpass my Supervisor’s expectations. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? A: I have been at Harbor for almost 17 years. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? A: Harbor is a company that likes to meet its goals and rewards people who meet their goals. Always do your best and try to learn as many departments as you can. Be as accurate as possible. Q: What do you think is the most important quality to have to get your career start at Harbor? A: Dependability and hard work.

Jerry has worked at Harbor for 13 years starting in the Freezer/Cooler and eventually moving into a Buyer role. Jerry had great insight into what it has been like to work at Harbor in various different roles. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? J: Freezer/Cooler Location Replenishment, Picker, Replenishment Buyer, I have purchased all categories; with the exception of tobacco and candy/snacks during my career with Harbor. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? J: I submitted my resume at the time of my hire knowing my 12 plus years of experience as a Purchasing Agent/Inventory Control Manager gave me the opportunity to continue working in the field. Entering at the ground level is never a bad experience, this allows you to learn the company from the bottom up, inside and out. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? J: 13 years Q: As a long standing employee, what do you think is the most important quality to get your career started at Harbor? J: Approaching your required duties with our customers in mind at all times, our customers success is Harbor’s success.

Kristi has worked for Harbor since 2013. Kristi began in the Warehouse working as an Order Selector, and from there has worked 5 different positions. As someone who has worked both in the Warehouse and the Corporate Office, Kristi had great information to share about what it’s like to get your career started at Harbor. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? K: I started in the Warehouse as an Order Selector. From there I have been a Case Picker, Accounts Payable Clerk, Payroll Administrator, and now am currently a Staff Accountant. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? K: Honestly, I didn’t think I would be at Harbor long. I thought it was going to be a place to have an income wile I looked for something else to do. I worked hard and challenged myself every day. The opportunity presented itself to apply for the Accounts Payable Position. At first it was a hard transition. Running around to sitting down all day was hard for me. I went into my position with an open mind and took everything in. I wanted to learn more, do more, and I asked for more. now I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? K: 5 years in January 2018. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? K: Challenge yourself every day, ask questions and as the saying goes ‘fake it until you make it’. Believing in yourself and gaining the confidence can help you get where you want to be. Q: As a long standing employee, what do you think is the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor? K: Things are constantly changing at Harbor. I would say staying open minded and taking on the challenges that come your way.

On September 1st, 2017 a landmark anniversary was celebrated at Harbor. On this day Mike Erickson celebrated 50 years with the company. Mike reflected on his time with Harbor by sharing his thoughts about how the company has changed and evolved over the last 50 years. From when you started at Harbor, until now, how has the company evolved and changed? I will do my best to recap what has changed and the importance of what has not changed over my fifty-year career.  What is most obvious is the sheer scale of our growth, the geographic reach, number of employees, number of customers, size of our facilities, etc.  What is more important and deeply rewarding to observe are the advancements made in our organizational structure and the process of enhancing the talents of our employees at every level.  What has not changed is our company culture of giving our customers the best possible service in our industry, made able by empowering our employees to use their strengths and passion for success, to do there very best.  We have truly been blessed with opportunities and have the best people and processes needed to be on top of our game. What are some of your favorite memories of Harbor over the last 50 years? The first image to come to me after reading this question, were the names and faces of all the incredible people that I have had the pleasure of working with over my career.  Employees, customers, vendors, service providers, and regulators as well, all contributing to my individual development and the success of our company. The list of special memories is amazing, so I’ll try and keep it simple.  When still in high school, I was lucky have worked alongside my Grandfather, Father, Uncle, and two Brothers – a lot of family for a small business.  And we certainly were not shy about challenging each other to work harder and smarter, often becoming a lively competition – Grandfather usually played the role of referee. We had a tremendous growth opportunity in the late seventies and early eighties due to the expansion on the C-Store format, this being both unbelievably challenging and rewarding for our small company.  To facilitate this growth, we had to construct a freezer which we did in the after hours and build from scratch our first computer system – the first go live was scary and amazing!   During this time, we laid out plans to build a new facility on Port of Olympia property in Tumwater and when the big move happened on a weekend in September 1985 we were our way. I will never forget our first trade show in 1987, this a move to propel us into the big leagues.  Team Harbor and our vendor partners did a marvelous job of getting things set and ready to go that morning, when Ron Black looked at me and said, “what if no one shows up”?  As it turned out, we had a great customer turnout, sold a ton, and didn’t have to eat all the samples ourselves. Developing a vision for the future is a key element in the long term strategic planning process, and like the two previous generations of owners it was my turn to map the next chapter.  Justin and Scott were rapidly moving up the leadership latter so I thought it an appropriate time to pull them aside and ask them how they viewed the family business and what the future might look like.  The response overwhelmed me, not completely expecting their reply to be packed with so much energy, emotion, and gratitude for having the opportunity to chart the future of our company as fourth generation leaders. What are the different roles you have worked since starting at Harbor? I have always viewed our business as the family farm, starting with a hand full of employees and limited resources it was necessary for each of us to be able to multitask and be a jack of all trades.  Over time and with rapid growth we settled into tasks that matched our passion, occasionally promoted by default because a necessary detail was not being effectively executed or was lacking completely. I started at 13, like most family members with a broom in hand and several buckets that I could use to transport hot water to our building from the freight terminal next door, really, no hot water on site until 1972 – that year I learned plumbing. We could make 5 cents a case for running the cigarette tax stamping machine so that was the next logical move, along printing order guides, and if time allowed stocking freight. I think my brothers and I were all driving by 16 or earlier and when properly licensed, were picking orders and doing local deliveries.  As an adult, my first roles were centered around warehouse operations and facilities management, then expanding into sales, and sales management, product replenishment and category management. During latter phase of my career I filled the roles of Sales & Marketing Dir., Categories Manager, and Board Chairman. What is something you have learned over the last 50 years of working at Harbor? I have learned that it is possible for ordinary people to do extraordinary things because I witness this every day.  Our success is deeply rooted in the individual talents of our employees, only by tapping into this resource can an organization achieve what we have over our 93 year history. In your opinion, what is the most important quality to have to be involved with a company for 50 years? Perseverance, but it must be accompanied with a long-range vision and proper planning. What do you attribute to the success of Harbor? We have been blessed with the opportunity to serve the needs our customers for 94 years and have never lost sight of our purpose.  In the process, we hope that we have been able to enrich the lives of everyone that has been associated with our family business and the communities that we serve.  For four generations, our leadership has communicated our core values to our employees that deliver on this promise to our customers every day.

Jennifer started working at Harbor as a Lead Merchandiser and moved into the Territory Sales Manager role. Read about how she made her transition to her current role and the thoughts she had about moving positions within Harbor. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? J: The roles I have held at Harbor are Lead Merchandiser and Territory Sales Manager. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? J: The transition from Lead Merchandiser to Territory Sales Manager was very exciting for me. I leaned on the Sales Manager who trained me, asked a lot of questions, and took a lot of notes. He was very helpful. The customers I have were very understanding and accepting of me which made my transition easier. I was in Sales in my previous job so that helped. Having the support of my team members and my Regional Sales Manager is a part of my success. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? J: I have been working at Harbor for 3 years. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? J: My advice would be to work hard, be persistent, willing to go the extra mile when needed, and able to handle change. Always ask questions if you are not sure about something. Q: As a long standing employee, what so you think is the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor? J: There are many important qualities to have to get your career started at Harbor, but the most important I feel is to be a hard worker.

Jesse has worked at Harbor for 18 years. He started working in utilities, but over the years has transitioned through various roles and is currently on the Sales Team. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? J: At the Tumwater Warehouse I was Utility, Stocker, Picker, Receiving, Delivery Driver, and Inventory Control Assistant. At the Dominic’s Warehouse I was Picker, Stocker, fill in Espresso Delivery Driver, and Java Service In-House Technician. On the Sales Team I have been Java DSD Delivery, Account Manager and now Territory Sales Manager. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? J: In 1998,  when I was 16 years old, I applied for a part-time afternoon position being what was essentially the janitor. I cleaned the offices, swept warehouse floors, unloaded the trucks, and emptied all the garbage cans and cardboard bins. After 6 months, my work ethic was noticed and I was promoted to afternoon Stocker. I then stocked every department in the Warehouse except the mezzanine (shoutout to the OG employees who know what that is). When I graduated high school, I started working full time as a grocery picker. I then learned how to pick in the freezer and cooler and re-pack as well. On Fridays I would come in and work as a Delivery Driver in the morning and then work as a Receiver Friday afternoons. In 2001 I was asked to assist the Grocery Supervisor in the picking operations. I would organize the pick routes, work with the loaders in staging the routes, fill outs in the orders, organize Costco and cash and carry inventory replenishments, and close the Warehouse down at night. In 2002, I started college courses and was asked to work part time as an Inventory Control Assistant while in school. In 2004, I came back to work for Harbor in the Dominic’s and Java Warehouse. Similar roles at this Warehouse led me to filling in for a Java DSD Sales Driver. That fill in role led to a full time position in May of 2005. Java DSD was incorporated into Harbor Wholesale and I became an account manager in 2008. I was then promoted to Territory Sales Manager in January 2012 and hold the same position today. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? J: 18 years cumulative. 1998-2003 and 2004-present. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? J: Understand that nothing is given for free. Work hard, be reliable, show up early, continually look to improve yourself and never be satisfied with where you are. Never say no to a task asked of you and always show an eagerness to fulfill even the most mundane of tasks. Q: As a long standing employee, what do you think is the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor? J: Self motivation and reliability.

Neil has worked at Harbor for 12 years starting at Harbor as a Java Service Technician. Since then, Neil has held 5 other roles at the company. As someone who has worked in multiple roles, Neil had some great insights to share about what it’s like to advance at Harbor. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? N: I was originally hired at Harbor as a Java Service Technician. From there I’ve been a Coffee Route Salesperson, ESP Account Manager, Territory Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, and now Director of Sales. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? N: I would have to say it was mostly just learning my current role to the best of my abilities, but also being open to change, and any new opportunities. I’ve typically been one to raise my hand to volunteer and say “Sure, I think I could do that!”. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? N: 12 years in May. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? N: Get a running start, and leap right out of your comfort zone. When you see an opportunity at Harbor that you feel you’d be a strong candidate for – just go for it! That’s how I’ve always done it, and I can say I’ve never regretted it for a second. The company and our team doesn’t want to see anyone fail. That creates a ton of trust, and many layers of support. Q: As a long standing employee, what do you think is the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor? N: This is a really tough one to answer, as we’re such a diverse group of people. There are many people at Harbor that excel at their roles that I would likely be terrible at! For me, I’d say it’s mostly a passion for learning and an open mind. That, and always keeping a positive outlook and attitude. I have my own take on a phrase we all know. “If there’s a will, there’s a way…”