Robert Muncy

Where are you based?
I am based in Louisville, Kentucky and work at Radial’s Tradeport One facility.

How long have you been with the company?
I have been working at Radial for 10 years and 7 months.

How has your career grown since starting at Radial?
I started as a seasonal associate for a day and then I got offered a full-time position the next day after hitting 180% of my order goals! Two years after I became a lead, I held many seasonal supervisor roles and other roles in the company until a supervisor position came available. After being a supervisor for three years, I got promoted to operations manager four months ago.

Are there any notable mentors or peers you feel have contributed to your growth/ success?
I’ve had a handful of mentors who have positively impacted my career growth. One of those is my manager, John Catanzarito, Senior Operations Manager. John pushes and challenges me every day, his confidence in me allows me to think outside the box and grow my management skills, and I appreciate that. Bethany Satterly, Outbound Supervisor, has also contributed to my growth at Radial. She was previously my supervisor before I got promoted and learning from her has helped me as I acclimate to my new role.

What does your day-to-day look like? What are the main responsibilities of your role?
Typically, my day-to-day consists of time on the floor with the associates, operation meetings, and tool maintenance and creation for the site. For example, last year, I created a gift wrap calculator that helped improve our gift wrap efficiency and track our units per hour. The calculator got approved as a best practice, and we continue to use it to monitor our effectiveness, as it gives us a goal to hit every day.

I have also helped develop and maintain one-click enablers and the visual management boards that we use across the network. I recently created another tool for a department store client – it’s still a work in progress but I am excited to see the final product and implementation!

When I’m on the floor, I try to stay as engaged as possible with associates through the picking and packing processes – this helps reassure them and helps a lot with morale boosting. Daily, I work closely with our outbound, inventory control, and kitting counterparts. For background, kitting entails gathering a set of products into a collection or kit.

In all the activities and projects, I am tasked with, I try to exemplify Radial’s core principles, curiosity, respect, collaboration, and passion.

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?
Each morning I get up and I look at my children and my fiancé, it gives me all the motivation I need to go out in the world. I also feel motivated to come in every day and make a difference in someone’s life whether that be through constructive feedback or positive reinforcement. I like knowing that when I’m on the floor associates feel comfortable coming to me with an issue and that we can work together to resolve it.

What is your favorite part of your job/ what do you like most about working at Radial?
My favorite part of my job would be my associates and making them feel welcomed. I oversee three supervisors and 150 associates during non-peak times. During peak season I oversee on average 450-500 associates.

I like the culture and how we strive to implement Radial’s core principles in everything we do. Creating a welcoming environment encourages people to do their best work and we have the results to prove it!

What is your favorite non-work specific thing about your role?
At Radial, we hold quarterly awards that recognize associates for their work and contributions. Last quarter, I was selected to choose an individual. Instances like this showcase gratitude toward our workforce.

Before the pandemic we used to hold company outings, but we are always looking for new ways to build team camaraderie and get everyone engaged. Most recently, we had a cookout for associates in honor of Memorial Day, and I helped with the grilling. I like that at Radial, there is a genuine effort to build a community and I value that because at a lot of other workplaces that does not exist.

What is one word you would use to describe working at Radial?
Adaptability. In an ever-changing world I believe Radial does a good job of adapting to things as they come and a lot of times, we make a change before something happens. For instance, at the onset of the pandemic, when consumers were shifting to more online shopping, and across the industry COVID protocols were established, Radial already had processes in place which allowed us to service demand with little to no disruption.

What is the best career lesson you have learned so far?
The best lesson I have learned is that you’re only as good as your workforce; Radial’s associates make the company what it is! I’ve held many roles within Radial, and I rely on my previous experiences as an associate when navigating issues or challenges others may have. It’s also integral to show and tell employees that you appreciate their hard work. I think this attitude helps create a welcoming environment for our everyone.

What is a fun fact that most people don’t know about you?
I can speak four languages English, Spanish, German and Portuguese. I took Spanish for 12 years in school and two years of German in high school. My daughter is Portuguese, so I learned from her while English is my native tongue. Knowing so many languages helps, especially with Radial having such a diverse workforce. In fact, at one point in 2020, we had 16 different languages on the floor; that was pretty cool.

I’ve helped with the creation of visual aids and videos. We don’t always have a translator, so we rely on videos and visual aids to give associates an understanding of what the job requires. As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words!

What do you like to do in your free time?
I have a passion for cooking. I went to culinary school and have catered a handful of events. I have a lot of favorite dishes I like to cook, but I also enjoy grilling.

What is one thing you can’t live without?
I can’t live without my children. I have a 13 year old, a 15 year old, and a six year old.