South Bend, Indiana, wins fulfillment center of the year

Each year one fulfillment center is given the prestigious award of being named “FC of the Year” for Patterson Logistics. The award is given to a location that went all-in over the past year by embracing technology, creating new efficiencies and consistently meeting their numbers.

Congratulations to this year’s winner – South Bend, Indiana!

South Bend has worked extremely hard over the past two years to invest in their team and create a culture that reflects what Patterson stands for.

“In FY24 the FC specifically focused on increasing efficiencies while continuing to deliver an excellent customer experience,” says South Bend Operations Manager Kevin Mock. “The team fully embraced these new challenges, such as the new check by weight system.”

South Bend operates out of a large building and is centrally located. Due to these factors, they are regularly given challenges of new projects and objectives to pilot. Ernie Pasillas, vice president of continuous improvement, says the way the team handled these challenges was one of the reasons they were given this award.

“A few examples of this are the customer returns center for our Dental and Companion Animal businesses. They manage our dental tooth distribution center and they store and ship 70% of the dental equipment that is sold, and frequently counted on, as a pilot site for new initiatives,” he shares.

The team of 125 employees were treated to a celebration and presentation of the official award from upper management. They are already aiming for a repeat in FY25.

“We have a great team in South Bend that feels like family.  We have a strong core of long-term employees and our newer team members have really stepped up to the challenge. Our group is versatile, which allows us to support each other and share labor across departments to ensure building success and on-time service for our customers,” says Kevin.