Three Dot Foods warehouse employees won a free vacation after earning top scores maneuvering through an obstacle course on a sit-down forklift, mule (pallet jack) or narrow-aisle reach truck at the company’s Forklift Rodeo Grand Nationals recently.
Dot crowned winners for each piece of equipment during the annual event, which encourages safe and efficient operation of material handling equipment. Thirty competitors from Dot’s eight distribution centers carried a trash can with a basketball balanced on it through a timed obstacle course, with penalties for safety infractions or contact with the course boundaries. This year’s competition was held on the dry dock, and the contestants could choose a longer path with fewer hazards or a shorter route with more chance of penalties. Dot further emphasized safety with the addition of two stop-and-honk intersections built into the course.
Josh Hall and Nick Blayney, both from the Burley ID warehouse, took first-place wins on the forklift and narrow-aisle, respectively. Hall edged out Noah Sheckler from Illinois by 1.4 seconds. Aaron Walker, representing the Illinois frozen warehouse, won first place on the pallet jack by 7.2 seconds. The top three scorers in the pallet jack and forklift categories had clean runs with no penalties. The Idaho warehouse accumulated the best overall score as the all-around distribution center (DC) champion.
“The contestants did a great job of focusing on safety first, then speed. This was evident in the low number of infractions issued due to not stopping and honking,” said Rocky Vecera, assistant warehouse manager of Dot’s Indiana DC.
Each year, Dot holds Warehouse Appreciation Week at each of its distribution centers nationwide. As part of the week, employees compete in qualifying rounds of the Forklift Rodeo, and the top winner on each piece of equipment earns an all-expenses-paid trip to Mt Sterling IL for the Grand Nationals.
A leading food redistributor, Dot carries 100,000 products from 700 food industry manufacturers. Dot operates distribution centers in Burley, Mt Sterling, Modesto CA, Vidalia GA, Cambridge City IN, Williamsport MD, Liverpool NY, and Ardmore OK.
For more information, visit www.dotfoods.com.
