Resource Center

Keaton has worked at Harbor since April of 2013 and began in the Warehouse as an Order Selector. He transitioned over to the Store Solutions Team in December of 2015, and in 2023 transitioned into his current role as a Territory Sales Manager! Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? K: Order Selector, Store Solutions Representative, and Lead Store Solutions Representative, and now Territory Sales Manager. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? K: The transition from being an Order Selector in the Warehouse to being a part of the Store Solutions Team was a rewarding experience. I knew that Store Solutions was the direction I wanted to go in, so I was determined to put my name out there and come in contact with people in all positions are Harbor. There were many people at Harbor that were extremely welcoming and helpful with my transition to a new role. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? K: I have been with Harbor for over 4 years. April 22nd of 2013 Chris White and Adam Lynch hired me the day of my interview. I knew that day I would be with this company for a long time. It felt like a family since day one. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? Carry a good attitude and strong work ethic. These are essential to being a part of the Harbor family. 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: Confidence and integrity. These are important qualities that will help you with every job. Everything will fall in place if you are confident and be a good person to yourself and those around you.

David started at Harbor 17 years ago as a Driver. He made the transition to the Sales Team starting as a Territory Sales Manager and eventually moved up to the Director of Sales role. As someone who has held a variety of different positions at Harbor, David had some great knowledge to share. Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? D: Delivery Driver, Territory Sales Manager, District Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, General Sales Manager, and Director of Sales Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? D: It has been a long process, but because I had the raw skill set for the positions I had, opportunities were available. There were key people along the way that mentored and coached me that have helped me to succeed. Fred Pearson, Cris Bade, Dan Rochon, & Bryce Schneider were key to my development, although many others have played roles in shaping me at Harbor. What makes Harbor truly great are the people. When we are all focused on the goal of serving our customers at a high level we are unstoppable! Q: How long have you been with Harbor? D: I have been with Harbor for just over 17 years. In the summer of 2000, Harbor was in the middle of a huge growth spurt due to a wholesaler in Everett going out of business. I was the first Driver hired that did not come from the Warehouse in June of 2000. Back then it was easier to make the transition from Warehouse to Driver due to the lack of Federal regulations on obtaining your CDL. Because of the fast growth Harbor didn’t have enough Warehouse team members that wanted to make the transition so we had to look outside to fill the spot, lucky for me. I remember vividly at my orientation meeting Mike Erickson in his office and him saying as I left ‘I have a good feeling about you David”. Right away I felt like a member of the Harbor family. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? D: In every position I have had at Harbor my philosophy has been to work hard and exceed our customer’s expectations. With the right skill set, opportunities will always find you if you have this attitude. Q: As a long standing employee, what do you think is the most important quality to have to get your started at Harbor? D: In the beginning when I started my career at Harbor the most important qualities I had that helped me success was to learn not just my job, but how other positions affected the entire ordering/delivery process. I would also add that a great work ethic will help you overcome any learning curve your position brings.

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!

Eric started at Harbor a year ago as an Order Selector in the Warehouse. In that year he moved from a Warehouse role into a Customer Service role. Eric had some great insights on what it took to make the transition he did here at Harbor: Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? E: I was previously an Order Selector, and I am now in Customer Service. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? E: I made it clear when I got hired as an Order Selector that I intended to move up through the ropes. I have continuously requested training whenever it is made available to me, or I hear that someone else just completed a new training. I have previous experience in Customer Service from a prior job which helped me to land my current role. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? E: I have been here a full year plus a few days. My anniversary here is June 20th, 2016 and I have not been happier ever working anywhere else. So, I am very happy to be here. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? E: Stay on top of everything, be persistent. Always ask for help, as that is the goal here at Harbor. Everyone here happens to be here to not only better themselves in their current position, but to help others strive and reach their full potential. Q: As a long standing employee, what do you think is the most important quality to have to get your career started at Harbor? E: Dedication. You must show everyone, including yourself, that once you start a task you finish it. You go above and beyond what is asked of you to accomplish said task.

Jasmine joined Harbor in August of 2014 as an Order Selector in the Warehouse. Through hard work and being a great team player she recently moved into a position in Customer Service, and now a Replenishment Buyer. We asked her a few questions about what it takes to advance through Harbor and here is what she had to say: Q: What roles have you held at Harbor? J: I started my career here at Harbor as an Order Selector in 2014 and picked product for a couple of years in the warehouse. After that, I got the job to be a Customer Service Representative and worked with a great team and got to help out with the Credit department as well. An opportunity opened up and I was able to move up as a Junior Replenishment Buyer which helped me tremendously in being in my current role, A Replenishment Buyer. Q: How did you make the transition from where you started to where you are now? J: Determination, patience, and hard work. In every position I have been here at Harbor I always give my all. Staying positive, and always willing to help where you can. It is also important to not be afraid to ask questions and learn new things. Q: How long have you been with Harbor? J: I started working at Harbor on August 4th, 2014. Q: Any advice for advancing your career at Harbor? J: Be patient and just know that all the hard work you are doing will be acknowledged. Staying positive and being a team player will get you far here at Harbor! 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: An important quality to have to start your career here at Harbor is definitely wanting to strive in the position that you do apply for. It’s important that you are willing to help others around you and can always have a positive mindset!

In 2012, Harbor Wholesale Foods was experiencing growing pains after nearly 90 years in business. A facility expansion, a major software upgrade and the recent loss of its single largest customer confronted Jim Winkle when he stepped into the chief financial officer role that year. Winkle immediately went to work, strengthening relationships with lenders and stakeholders, and revamping the company’s accounting processes. The results have been undeniably successful. Harbor Wholesale Foods’ revenue has increased 65 percent since Winkle arrived. In addition to the company’s financial growth, he has overseen the hiring of more than 100 employees. Winkle, who served 10 years in the military before joining the corporate world, has been given the 2017 Leadership Award as part of the Business Journal’s CFO of the Year program. Read Full Article