No day is the same for Dayne Riddell, who recently took over as Owner Operator at Gilmours Manukau with his wife, Jolie.
"Yesterday, I was out driving a class two truck around East Auckland as we were short of drivers and the goods gotta get there, or we are letting a lot of people down," said Riddell.
After six weeks in his new role, the one thing he tries to keep consistent is chatting to his team. By starting and ending his day with a walk through the store, Riddell can hear from team members and customers on ideas and plans. A hot topic right now is the much-needed freezer expansion.
Riddell grew up in Glenfield on Auckland's North Shore. After leaving teachers college early, he took a job as a Mobil service station manager at 19. Riddell then moved from sales rep to area manager for British American Tobacco, where Jolie worked as a lab manager.
"A work fling is now in its 24th year."
Riddell then worked in Wellington with Imperial Tobacco for their launch into NZ in 1999 (Which he pointed out was last century - "I feel old!") and for Cerebos Greggs back in Auckland for six years. He was at Goodman Fielder in sales management and McPherson's Consumer products. Then he returned to Cerebos as National Sales Manager for another four years.
After all these corporate roles, Riddell saw the attraction of joining Foodstuffs. There was an initial 'no' from the Foodstuffs committee, so he worked weekends with Lance Gerlach at New World New Lynn for nine months to gain some retail experience. When the couple finally got the 'yes' they had been waiting for, Jolie quit her job as the Retail Strategy Manager at DB, and the pair moved north to Four Square Wellsford.
"I think one of the first things we did was get pregnant. After 16 years together - you can't rush these things - Brea, our miracle baby, is about to turn nine."
Four years and a four-year-old later, Riddell had coffee with Pete Blackwell from Gilmours Central, who convinced him to take a look at taking over Gilmours Hamilton from Rick Donaldson in June 2016.
While taking over the Auckland branch meant uphauling the family again, they "really feel as if we have come home". The Riddells loved Hamilton, but the friends and family that Brea will get to grow up around made it worthwhile.
The grocery industry allowed Riddell to deal with real people in an ever-changing environment. His move from corporate to ownership was a breath of fresh air;
"To escape the meetings and have the freedom to try things and implement them at speed. Getting to know our customers at a different level."
The team at Manukau welcomed Dayne and Jolie with a huge lunch. The high-performing bunch sits at just under 100 members, but Riddell hopes to be over that mark in a month or two. He credits happy customers to a team that has fun while knowing what, why and how things need to be done.
Being approachable and available as an Owner Operator is critical. Ensuring every team member feels listened to and part of the bigger picture is what it's about.
There were a few challenges for the Riddells when taking on the new role. Like many businesses, they have been facing staff shortages.
"There is only so much over time you can ask of your team. Letting them know they are valued, and you are grateful for their efforts has never been more critical."
This isn't going to be something New Zealand can just overcome. Riddell believes the country has a long way to go before the employment situation improves.
Stock availability is another challenge of late; with the supply of imported products affected by shipping delays, local suppliers have been working hard to increase their manufacturing and delivery to ensure Gilmours has everything customers need.
With many wholesale customers finding some sense of normality, particularly those in hospitality, Riddell said it is exciting to see customers getting back on their feet. Then there is the reopening of the borders that, with a few improvements to immigration rules, will help bolster the workforce.
Riddell left us with some advice for anyone entering the industry.
"Take any, and every opportunity presented - there is so much to do and learn, and the best way is to dive in. And always support local!"
