Freshouse Produce, a full-service produce company located in Salisbury, NC, has appointed Nate Nelson as senior warehouse operations manager, where he will utilize data and transparency to increase efficiencies and safety practices.

Covid-19 put a strain on warehouse companies in the produce category, which struggled with staffing and day-to-day operations to keep up with demand, and Freshouse was no exception. Nelson was hired in April 2022, a time when businesses were coming out of Covid and re-establishing protocols and processes.  

“For two years during Covid, we were ramping up staffing to make sure we had enough employees on the floor to keep up with demand, there was definitely some churn and burn,” Nelson said.

To combat burnout and high turnover numbers, Nelson uses historical warehouse data to determine high and low times for the warehouse. This data helps him establish set work schedules based on true workload.

“In our business, workload seasonality is pretty consistent, so using these historical reports helps create more stability and efficiency in our staff scheduling and allows us to create set shifts,” he added.

Nelson also uses data to find areas that are underperforming and identify the biggest deficiencies. “Reports can tell us if machines are not running to capacity or how fast we are packing product, numbers can point out areas of lower productivity,” he said. “I find steering our time and effort to bigger problems brings the best results.”

Efficiency also comes in the way of watching, and to that end Nelson implemented the Gemba Walk philosophy at Freshouse. This is the act of observing how tasks are being done, making notes and then working with employees to make improvements.

“Working together and making improvements with the person actually doing these tasks is very rewarding for me and the employee,” said Nelson. “Sometimes the smallest change can make a big difference.”  

To better connect with the employees, Nelson and the Freshouse management teams host town halls with the staff. At these town halls, he shares his vision and informs them of any changes.

“Engaged employees do better when they are informed and included,” said Nelson. “To further show appreciation, Freshouse hosts family days, with over 200 people in attendance this year. Getting the families together reinforces our commitment to our employees and their families.”

Nelson’s changes on the warehouse floor along with his approachable management style has increase overall efficiencies with staff turnover down 23 percent and increased output by 6 percent while reducing overall labor cost by 7 percent.

Photo: Nate Nelson, senior warehouse operations manager for Freshouse in Salisbury, NC, with Sean Golden of Freshouse.