Dee Clark has worked as a warehouse manager for 30 years. At e-commerce company Happily, he prides himself on being his crew’s biggest cheerleader.

I started out many years ago as a temporary employee at a warehouse that was a fairly small operation. The warehouse was managed by only one person and had fallen into disarray. It needed some cleaning and organising to be able to function. 

Long story short, a couple of guys and myself organised the warehouse, cleaned it up and made it work. After a short amount of time, I was hired on a permanent basis and promoted to the warehouse manager position. I have now been a warehouse manager for over 30 years. 

I think the key to a safe and productive operation is to engage with your folks daily, let them know you care and put safety first always. Each day I can be found working with my crew - right alongside them, to show them that I am their biggest cheerleader. 

I am currently the warehouse manager for a wonderful, subscription e-commerce company called Happily, based in Oklahoma City. The company creates at-home "date night" experiences (things like cooking classes, dance lesson, art making, etc.), which are delivered to the customer’s door as a kit. 

In my role as the warehouse manager, I oversee all aspects of the warehouse operations, from shipping and receiving to production and inventory management. I direct the daily activities of our warehouse crew, to ensure we remain on track with the current production build schedule. I also manage waste by applying lean principles to our process to ensure the best overall outcomes.

We usually have a crew of 20, but during our busier times of the year, we add seasonal workers, and our team gets a little bigger.

For me, the best part about being a warehouse manager is being able to work with an awesome team of people each day. I love working together to accomplish a common goal, and service our customers. 

The most challenging part is tackling labour costs. That is keeping the labour cost in line with company goals, through keeping the team productive and on track.

I think the key to a safe and productive operation is to engage with your folks daily, let them know you care and put safety first always. Each day I can be found working with my crew - right alongside them, to show them that I am their biggest cheerleader. I do not aim to make them feel that I am important, I always try to make them feel like they are important. 

I am a huge fishing and outdoors type, so in my time off I can always be found either firing up the grill or smoker and cooking up something awesome for the family or warehouse crew. Usually, I smoke whole beef briskets in my smoker, and when grilling, it’s everything from burgers to steaks and everything between. If I am not cooking, I am more than likely out someplace wetting a line.

Work in materials handling? The Forklift Diaries would love to hear your story!