READERPROFILE
as told to Karen Kroll
A Window Into Success
RESPONSIBILITIES: Managing a fleet of vehicles along with several warehouse, driver, and oce teams, and overseeing product shipments. EXPERIENCE: Owner, Tu Harber LLC; operations manager, Walmart; program manager, troop commander, assistant operations ocer, executive ocer, and platoon leader, all with the U.S. Army. EDUCATION: M.S., Organizational Leadership, Columbus State University; B.B.A, Business Administration, Bellarmine University. GARY HARBER is distribution manager for Milgard Windows and Doors, a residential window and door manufacturer based in Tacoma, Washington.
G oing through Army Ranger school, an extreme combat leadership program, I repeated every phase at least twice. Instead of graduating in the usual 62 days, it took me about 200 days. That was a humbling experience, But I was 100% determined that I was not leaving without a Ranger tab. I tried to learn from my failures and bounce back. I was still fortunate enough to graduate; the graduation rate is only about 50%. In the military, I served as an executive of cer—basically, a logistician for about 100 people, forecasting consumption rates for fuel, ammunition, food, and other items. I excelled at keeping my team equipped with everything they needed, before they knew they needed it. The Army also provided an opportunity to lead and work with different types of leaders and people,
of spare items and junk collecting in the back lot, taking up space where the eet should park. Plus, if I brought visitors here, that’s what they would see rst. It was like a handshake from our operation. I did not want that re ecting on my team. So, one of the rst projects my team and I took on was to clean this area. When it’s hard to know where to start, cleaning and organizing is always a good point. It helps you organize not only your space, but your mind. We also focus on using data and leveraging it to plan our work. For instance, if items are breaking on the
and taught me the importance of the human element. I won’t ask somebody to do something that I won’t do or haven’t done. I give everybody the same respect; I don’t talk down to people. After the Army, I talked to Boston Scienti c about a sales role, and to Walmart about an operations manager position. The operations position would also allow me to teach leadership. I jumped on that role and was with Walmart for about four years. Empowering my team to take ownership is 100% the direction that I run. For example, when I joined Milgard Windows, I noticed a collection
I won’t ask somebody to do something that I won’t do or haven’t done. I give everybody the same respect; I don’t talk down to people.
26 Inbound Logistics • January 2023
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