Piper Logistics Opens New Facility With Help From Warehouse Staffing Agency

Challenge: 

Piper Warehouse, a logistics company based in Indianapolis, Indiana, opened a new dedicated regional distribution center north of Cincinnati to support one of its clients. Expanding into the new territory meant that the company needed a warehouse staffing agency to help fill new positions in the Cincinnati suburb of Fairfield. 

With no previous experience with a warehouse staffing agency in Southwest Ohio, Piper relied on an internet search to find potential agency candidates. Once several possible staffing partners were identified, Piper’s leadership needed to choose one that would best suit their needs. 

At the same time, Piper was discovering that many warehouse and logistics companies in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas were facing labor shortages and finding it extremely difficult to find and retain workers.

Solution:

In their search for a warehouse staffing agency, representatives from Piper met with the PeopleFirst Staffing team. The two companies share a core belief in the positive impact employment can make on people looking for a fresh start, no matter what the reason. Like Piper, PeopleFirst Staffing believes in providing people with second chances at success. 

Piper chose to work with PeopleFirst Staffing because of PeopleFirst Staffing’s: 

• Experience in hiring for the kind of positions Piper had open.
• Initiative to put people first for both clients and temporary workers.
• Understanding of the local temporary worker environment. 
• Professional staff and proven operations. 

Once Piper selected PeopleFirst Staffing, the team set out to fill Piper’s openings for equipment operators, sit down forklift operators, roll clamp operators, clerical workers, customer service/dispatch representatives, inventory positions, a janitorial position and a manager.

Results:

Piper transformed an empty 300,000-square-foot warehouse shell into a functioning regional distribution center in just 60 days. From there, PeopleFirst Staffing was able to provide qualified job candidates, allowing Piper to staff up quickly. “They do a sufficient job of screening prior to people coming on board,” McFarlin said of PeopleFirst Staffing. “They send us candidates that match the personality of our current culture.” 

Over the last 12 months, McFarlin reports converting at least 20 temporary employees to full-time work. Over that year, some of those employees have moved on from Piper. “Piper looks at our positions as a place to restart, which aligns with the temp agency model,” McFarlin explains. “We have jobs you might not retire from, but we give you skills, knowledge and value that could put you in a better position. We all have to start somewhere.”

To fill their initial and ongoing openings, Piper found an effective partner in PeopleFirst Staffing. “PeopleFirst Staffing has a knowledge of the equipment we have and safety standards. They also understand the temp employee factors; they understand why people are coming to them,” McFarlin said. “They help everyday people who are working toward getting out of poverty or a bad situation. They help people and partner with them.” This philosophy aligns with Piper’s belief in giving employees a solid foundation on which to build their lives while addressing circumstances that can block people from making progress.  

Today, the new Fairfield warehouse is thriving. “We have a good team environment. The culture is great and everyone understands the job that needs to be done,” McFarlin said. “We’ve had quite a bit of success.”