Meet Payton, one of the newest members of the team in our St. Louis, Missouri, distribution center. Payton comes to Distribution Management (DM) as a result of a partnership with Darcell Fleeman, site coordinator at BCI Skills Center of St. Louis – a vocational training facility for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We were very fortunate to have been introduced to Darcell and the mission of the Skills Center by DM shipping manager, Matt Malone. I thought it was a wonderful idea and a good fit for some of the employment needs we have in our facility,” said Dana Davis, HR Business Partner at Distribution Management. “I love that DM supports this program and offers such a caring and family-oriented environment for people like Payton to learn important skills and thrive.”
One of the main objectives of the Skills Center is to find companies who share the belief that those with disabilities should have equal opportunities to find competitive employment. From there, it’s a matter of determining roles within those organizations that allow candidates such as Payton to provide value while achieving success. We invited Darcell to our distribution center for an evaluation tour to identify areas and tasks that would be a good fit, and on August 11, 2020, Payton joined us for her first day of work. Her Skills Center coach accompanied her early on to help her acclimate and learn her responsibilities.
“We have an area in our St. Louis facility utilized for assembling medical-grade coolers for shipping medication nationwide. Payton’s job of building small boxes for the kits that go in these coolers is essential. We value the work she is doing here,” said Rick Goe, VP of Supply Chain Management and Logistics.
Today, Payton is performing important tasks in our distribution center and is doing well. Her Skills Center coach joins her for only a portion of her shifts now, but the ultimate goal is for her to be on her own one day.
“My favorite part about working at Distribution Management is making boxes and moving stuff around. I also like talking on the Walkie Talkie." - Payton
