My Farewell To Zebra.

 Yesterday, I said "Goodbye" to the Zebra Warehouse.  It appears I have been saying goodbye to a lot of things lately...   But, as with every play you watch or book you read,  the actors must exit the stage as the story ends.  And yesterday was my final curtain call.... 

I can hardly believe two years have flown by so quickly!   It seems like yesterday when my hired "class" came into the unfinished warehouse and began working for GXO.  Many of us had no experience with warehouse work and had no idea what to do or how things were "Supposed" to work.  But the few that survived those initial months ended up being a tight group  of folks.   Good friends.   Dare I even say... Family!  

And that is what it felt like after the GXO to Zebra transition.   Those employees that made the cut were even tighter and it was a great place to work!   We all had struggled with the same issues and made it to the other side.   Every day was an adventure with your best friends!

I was fortunate to have been  one of those few employees who had the opportunity to do everything in the warehouse.   I once sat down and thought about how I had handled just about every product that came through those inbound doors.   Either when doing DIMS, receiving, serial capture, or any number of other projects along the way.  I also got to do just about every job on both sides of the building.   From pulling it off the truck and loading it onto the docks;  receiving the items; putting them away; picking them; packing them; manifesting them; and even loading them onto a truck that was outgoing!   

As a joke,  I created badges for my vest.   At some point,  the "Certification patches" got a little out of hand and I ran out of room!  And I'm sure there were other jobs and small things that I simply did not have time to create.   ( Probably a good thing!)   It earned me the nickname "Patches" and everyone in V.A.S. was constantly threatening to take my badges away whenever I screwed up.  ( Which I did far to often.) Those V.A.S. people....

The face of V.A.S.

Speaking of V.A.S....   The last stronghold of job titles I had yet to achieve. A tough nut to crack since they reside in the middle of the building... Surrounded by a cage!

Jim and Jeremy in the Cage!

  ( To keep others out?  Or to keep them IN?  The verdict is still in the air.) I was there only for a brief few months and tried to learn as much as I could.  And in the process... as a By-product...  I managed to learn all of their names!  (Mostly... There were only 12 of us and I still forget "What's-her-name"....) It was like learning to swim  for the first time in a pool filled with Sharks!  

The "Twins" (actually cousins)

But once you are in... you're IN!  Like a pod of Dolphins or Orcas  (That's Killer Whales, for those who do not watch Animal planet) ...  You are now family.  A Family within the larger Zebra Family.    And they did things that not everyone in the facility could do.  ( More technical and assembly, rather than just sorting, counting and packing.)  It was a challenge.   Perhaps that was one of the reasons I accepted their offer to join their team.  I was running out of challenges and wanted one last hill to climb before I left Zebra for good.   And to that end,   they delivered and exceeded my expectations.

But now that chapter has come to an end.   Having familiarized myself with the entire building,  it was hard to say goodbye to everyone in every department.   And I unfortunately forgot to take many pictures.   A handful of us managed to meet up at the Clubhouse to reminisce and share our stories over a beer. ( I didn't get any pictures of that either...   Baaa!) Joan, John, Marion, and Francisco...  But I did get some contact info from a number of people and hopefully we can still stay in touch.   

What Will I Miss Most?  The job was easy enough.   As Jay from Outbound once told me: "There is nothing in this entire building that is difficult to do."    A good attitude from the right person.  

And he was right.  Many of the jobs were easy, though tedious.   And sometimes frustrating.   Sometimes the tasks might seem epic and insurmountable! But you almost always had a group of people assigned  to the task, and together,  you were able to knock it out and finish it in the time required.  And then you all had a story to share and an experience to feel satisfied about.  The right attitude and desire to learn was key. 

But mostly I will miss the people.  Getting up and going to a job with people who you consider friends was one of the biggest and best reasons to show up everyday.   It reminded me of the Army, and like the Army,  the job could be bothersome and difficult at times.   But when you knew that there were people who were there along side you enduring the same rain and mud and cold,   trying their best  to help everyone get the job done....  THAT feeling...   Was worthy of showing up for.  

The Blue Checks are VAS People still here.

And Zebra  was slightly unique in that way.   It was the first job where they openly admitted that they wanted to develop the culture.   The Army did it without talking about it.   Allied Van Lines did it as well, though mostly by accident.   Understanding that it is the people that you work with day after day that make or break the job was a breath of fresh air that I hope the people I leave behind continue to do.  

Perhaps I give Zebra too much credit and the reality is that it was the people of this area.   Kenosha, Racine, Waukegan, and surrounding areas are the real driving force behind the culture.  
Good People all around.    All around me!  I was blessed to be surrounded by the best people in the world that helped me to be where I am now.   

And I wish them all the best in the future.  

For a new Chapter now begins in my story. (On the 4th of July!  Once again!)   And I hope I am able to do my best and find the people who will make the job seem less like work and more like fun.  Yes, "Fun" can be difficult at times...(Think about fishing, hiking and playing sports...) But you look forward to the next adventure with a smile rather than a grimace because you have fun doing the job and have a great team to back you up.   Time will tell.    

And Every Second Counts...