Get to know your IPF crews: Stockroom
Left to right: Jeff Groll, Jennifer Powers, Jevon Williams, Olga Pathfinder, Robyn Perry, Tim Weirauch, DeAnn Openlander, Ruben Garza, Kristin Saier, Nick Brisbin, Alex Redfern, Richard Gentile, Zach Willoughby, Aaron Normandin, Frank Nylander, Sarah Van Der Woude, Bruce Bell
Anthony Yuhasz
November 20, 2019
What do you get when you combine a hardware store, a car buyer, personal shoppers and a rent-all store? You get the IPF Materials and Logistics Stockroom. Its staff handles everything from van purchasing to jackhammer loans, with a whole lot in between.
“We provide tools, materials and equipment primarily to IPF skilled trades, but really to anyone who asks,” said Jeff Groll, Materials and Logistics manager. “This can include research lab staff looking for a part to repair an instrument, or IPF managers needing fleet vehicles purchased and customized.”
For operations coordinators Ruben Garza and Sarah Van Der Woude along with clerk/receptionist Jen Powers, their days are filled with processing open order emails, getting competitive quotes, placing orders, working with vendors and providing personalized service to their walk-in customers.
“I love seeing satisfied customers,” said Garza. “When orders come in on time, they’re happy and I’m happy. I also try to challenge myself every day to save the university as much money as I can.”
Toolroom operations coordinator, Nick Brisbin and Materials and Logistics worker, Bruce Bell keep the rental counter running smoothly, taking care of tool loan requests and getting quotes for the skilled trades workers. They handle everything from drain snakes to hand tools, their “kingdom” is a handyperson’s toy store.
Shelves upon shelves of just about every kind of hardware, stocked to keep university running with minimal down time; that’s operations coordinators Deann Openlander’s and Kristin Saier’s domain. They manage an inventory of close to 6,000 different stocked parts.
“They do an amazing job of managing their inventory,” Groll said. “Last year we had a record inventory variance — 0.47%”
Logistics is the name of the game for laborers Tim Weirauch, Robyn Perry, Olga Pathfinder and Jevon Williams. Perry picks up local special and regular stock orders, delivering directly to customers when needed; Weirauch loads/unloads semi-trucks, receiving parts and materials and delivering them to job sites; and Pathfinder and Williams drive the dispatch trucks.
“From penthouse to basements, we deliver wherever the customer needs it,” Weirauch said.
And second-shift operations coordinator Aaron Normandin is the analytics man. He not only captures data, compiling it into valuable metrics reports but also maintains the safety data sheets and assists the Preventative Maintenance crews as needed.
Overseeing this hive of activity is planner/inspector/analyst Alex Redfern.
“Meeting customer timing is always the highest priority,” said Redfern. “Our goal is to place 97% of the material request within 24 hours of receiving the order.” He added, “since we started tracking this metric in 2015, we have successfully placed 96% of all orders received within 24 hours.”
When asked what they love most about their jobs, making customers happy was the common theme.
“We get a lot of thank-yous from our customers, it’s really gratifying,” Groll said. “We are all in the business of helping people.” He added, “this team is highly ethical and work hard to do the right thing every day.”
Openlander added, “our customers drive everything we do, which makes every day a little different; it’s pretty cool.”
It is clear just how much this team values their customers, and the university in general. They really are one of the shining stars of Team IPF.
“Our quoting process speaks directly to IPF’s value of stewardship,” said Redfern. “Last year, the team was able to save our customers over $349,000, and since cost savings was implemented in 2014, we’ve saved the university almost $1.5 million.”