Celebrating 20 Years of the Cengage Learning Distribution Center
This March, we handed over the Cengage Group LinkedIn to Mamadou T., Production Support Representative, Marilyn A., Manager of Production Support, Antonio G., Forklift Operator, Dawn H., Materials Processor, Ashley M., Key Account Digital Success Specialist, and Trisha O., Director of Sales, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our distribution center, fondly known as the CLDC in Independence, KY. They each shared some insight into their own careers as well as the distributions center’s unique culture.
Mamadou, who has been a part of our CLDC family for over 4 years says that “I am motivated to bring the best version of myself to work every day because I get to work alongside driven, enthusiastic colleagues who continually inspire me.” He goes on to share that the CLDC encourages open communication, “I believe that I am capable of approaching leadership to propose new ideas or areas of concern because not speaking up would not only be letting myself down, but it would also cause me to miss out on an opportunity to demonstrate that employees, not just executives and managers, can contribute to the development of the company.”
Read more to hear from five more of our employees about their personal experiences working at the CLDC.
Marilyn A., Manager of Production Support, is our longest tenured employee and has been a part of our team for 51 years, 20 of which have been spent working at the Cengage Learning Distribution Center (CLDC) where she monitors all warehouse management systems for accuracy and helps keep our products inventoried and flowing daily.
Marilyn shared that while COVID was devastating to our country, the culture at the CLDC remained strong. “We had to keep our doors open, so we rallied together, we staggered shifts, we cleaned, we masked, we gloved, we shipped, we received, and we produced results!” She explains that executives kept morale strong by celebrating milestones and successful seasons with “promotions, team building functions, award ceremonies, bonuses, fun tournaments for charity, and prize giveaways. I truly feel like our work is making an impact and I feel appreciated as a member of my team and on an individual level as well.” Marilyn emphasized that “over the years, due to our leadership team, Cengage Group has become a ‘change agent’ in the most positive ways possible.”
Antonio G., Forklift Operator, is new to the Cengage Learning Distribution Center (CLDC) family, he became a member of the team about 8 months ago. He works in the shipping department staging orders, wrapping pallets, and loading trailers. Dawn H., Materials Processor, has worked here for about 10 years, she is responsible for shrink-wrapping bundles and training new employees.
When we asked Antonio what adjectives he would use to describe the culture at the CLDC he said “first off, the culture is very collaborative, whenever I have questions or need help completing tasks there is always someone there to jump in and assist. The culture is also inclusive and welcoming, I have been able to connect with people easily inside and outside of my department.”
Dawn added that “we have a diverse group of teammates here at the warehouse that have become even closer due to the COVID pandemic. We have proven that hard work and dedication can overcome anything. It was a stressful time, but we had each other’s backs, making sure we all stayed safe and well.” She says that she is thankful for events like “company luncheons, cookie day, drawings for prizes, awards, and cornhole events which help keep company culture and morale strong.”
Ashely M., Key Account Digital Success Specialist (KADSS), has worked here for 26 years! She assists with our Cengage Unlimited Institutional (CUI) program and ensures that all courses covered by the institution’s contract are tied to their enterprise or institutional license. Ashley explains that she is constantly upskilling and growing in her career, “the KADSS role didn’t even exist three years ago, but I embraced the unknown and decided to try something new. Every new contract for CUI that comes through is different, so I am constantly learning and working to meet the needs of the institution.”
Ashley describes the CLDC culture as “thoughtful, compassionate, transparent, and open-minded. Anytime anyone at CLDC is in need, co-workers are there to support each other. We’ve helped when various natural disasters have occurred by donating supplies to local organizations. Recently, a co-worker’s daughter and her father were in a car accident, and we donated gift cards and money to help cover expenses. I also enjoy the First Friday conversations with CEO, @MichaelHansen, they have been such a breath of fresh air over the past two years, and I look forward to them each week. It’s nice to know that he’s interested in what his employees think and how we can make Cengage Group a better company; and that’s very refreshing.”
Trisha O., Director of Sales, has been a part of the distribution center family for 24 years! She is responsible for driving sales within our Professional and Skills Inside Sales team. Trisha also serves as one of the three Heads of House for the CLDC and helps to maintain a strong culture, engage employees, and provide opportunities for everyone from every department housed at CLDC to interact, have fun and build comradery. She explained that “we try to organize at least one big charity event each year at CLDC, usually around the holidays. This past year was one of my favorites as we were able to pull off a food drive,in a pandemic, with the offices partially closed. We collected 25 boxes full of food and nearly $2,000 for Go Pantry, a local charity that ensures every child has lunch and dinner over the holiday break. It was amazing to see that even though we were physically apart the ‘building’ came together for an amazing cause.”
Trisha added that “the over-arching culture at Cengage Group and the driving principles of our credo motivate me on a daily basis to be the best I can and lead others to do the same. My favorite part of my job is the development and mentoring of our future sales leaders. I enjoy integrating them into our culture and helping them discover a rewarding career path.”
