The Extra Mile: Warehouse Teams Step Up During Extreme Weather
The Extra Mile is a new recognition series highlighting team members who go above and beyond in service of Bridging’s mission, values, and community. Here we recognize the dedication and adaptability of our warehouse teams during a week of extreme weather challenges.
Minnesota summers are often unpredictable, but on Thursday, July 16, when extreme heat and air quality reached hazardous levels, many outdoor activities were suspended, including deliveries to protect the health and safety of team members. Across all three Bridging warehouses, team members adapted quickly to the changing circumstances. Through teamwork, flexibility, and a commitment to safety, each location found ways to support operations and minimize the impact on the people we serve.
This unusual weather event highlights how deeply the Bridging warehouse teams are committed to our mission.
“With air quality reaching its most severe hazard category, outdoor operations were suspended for the day on Thursday,” recalls Lorenzo Robinson, Roseville Warehouse Manager. “Rather than allowing the disruption to impact the families and individuals we serve, these team members adapted quickly and worked together to keep our mission moving forward.”
In Roseville, several team members truly went “The Extra Mile” in the days that followed, helping operations recover and return to schedule. Their extraordinary efforts included:
- Working beyond normal operating hours to complete client deliveries and donation pickups.
- Staying late to load trucks, coordinate logistics, and lead their teams through an unprecedented adjustment to normal operations.
- Demonstrating flexibility, teamwork, and determination that allowed us to recover from a full day of suspended operations and return to schedule by the end of Saturday, ensuring we were fully prepared for the following week’s operations.
“I want to thank these team members for their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to our mission during a week of extreme heat,” said Lorenzo.
While the Plymouth team doesn’t make client deliveries, their curbside pick-up schedule was disrupted by the weather and air quality.
“The team demonstrated great adaptability in responding to the changes in the schedule related to the hazardous air quality event. Everyone demonstrated a commitment to safety and quality service by recommending ideas to catch up on Friday and Saturday while avoiding the dangers from the smoke,” said Bailey Troth, Plymouth Warehouse Manager.
In Bloomington, nine deliveries were impacted by the Thursday air quality event. Six deliveries were rescheduled for after-hours on Friday or Saturday morning, and the remainder were incorporated into the following week’s Monday and Tuesday schedule. They also rescheduled three fee-based pick-ups.
While adjustments were made for staff safety, this unexpected disruption allowed many team members to collaborate on other important warehouse projects and support changes to delivery schedules. Andrew Ronning, Bloomington Warehouse manager, explained how great it was to see the whole team happily taking on these other necessary tasks. Their flexibility and teamwork helped balance staff safety, operational priorities, and client needs.
“I want to give a big shout out to everyone involved in delivering client orders late Friday afternoon and Saturday,” said Andrew. “We even had Joel Spoonheim and his daughter Nai’a come out to help in the warehouse on Saturday while another team was delivering. The impact was real, visible, and appreciated by clients, which is our goal. The way everyone stepped up to complete different tasks and help with these deliveries was stellar and shows commitment and thoughtfulness within this team.”
Lorenzo added, “Thank you to every team member who stepped up during a challenging week. Your resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to serving our community exemplify Bridging’s mission and values. Your efforts made a meaningful difference.”
Even when Mother Nature delivered extreme heat and hazardous air quality, Bridging’s warehouse teams delivered what mattered most: resilience, adaptability, and an unwavering commitment to the people we serve. And that’s going “The Extra Mile.”
Hat’s off to our Heat Heroes!
Roseville Team: Jeff Jones, Warehouse/Delivery, Thaw Hser, Warehouse/Delivery, Dominic McGinn, TC R!se Intern/Warehouse/Delivery, Sara Plan, Floor Supervisor, Harry Bingham, Assistant Warehouse Manager, Lorenzo Robinson, Warehouse Manager.
Not pictured, but contributed equally: Mike Cochrane, Warehouse/Delivery, Anna Hanson, Warehouse/Delivery
Bloomington Team: Andrew Ronning, Warehouse Manager, John Dorsher, Assistant Warehouse Manager, Randy Wunderlich, Warehouse/Delivery, Denzel Price, Warehouse/Delivery, Dustin McDermeit, Warehouse/Delivery, Jorge Garcia, Warehouse/Delivery, Ambrocio Gomez, Warehouse/Delivery, Luvy Cauley, Warehouse/Delivery, Sasha Benitez-Wise, Floor Supervisor, Erik Warner, Warehouse/Delivery
Plymouth Team: Kirk Hobbs, Warehouse/Delivery, Charles Hobbs, Warehouse/Driver, Assistant Team Member