NEVER SHY AWAY ERIC WOOLLINGS ROLLS UP HIS SLEEVES IN LOGISTICS AND OPERATIONS Eric Woollings began his supply chain career pretty much when he started working. Even as a teenager, the Waterloo, Ontario resident’s resume already included positions like the warehouses of local department stores and similar jobs. That longstanding interest, combined with an entrepreneurial drive, has fuelled Woollings’s supply chain career ever since. “The first paid job that I had was working at a Towers department store as a stock clerk,” says Woollings, now senior manager, operations and logistics at Emco Corporation. “There was lots of loading and unloading the trucks, identifying products, picking and putting, putting away and stocking shelves, that sort of thing. Very hands on, very hands in.” Woollings’s career direction, fuelled by a love of and interest in supply chain and logistics, stands in contrast to many in the field who fall into it from another speciality. He jokingly describes himself as “one of those rare individuals that actually enjoy what they do. Although, what do they say, if you love your 10 AUGUST 2021
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work, you never work a day in your life? Although I still feel like I’m working.” While now a Waterloo resident for the past 23 years, Woollings grew up in York Region just north of Toronto. After his time at Towers, he worked at Eaton’s, spending time in several departments, including the receiving area and warehouse. The experience gave Woollings a respect for superiors who excelled at managing people. He recalls one store manager who, especially while preparing for the Christmas rush, would remove his jacket and tie and perform physical tasks like moving boxes. It’s a lesson he has carried with him since when dealing with those on his own team. “It gives me a real respect and a great amount of trust and rapport with a team, if you’re a leader who is willing to roll up your sleeves and jump in when the need is there,” he says. “I’ve adopted that throughout my career.” Woollings spent four years at Eaton’s, working there first in high school and continuing while attending Seneca College, studying for
a business administration marketing diploma. While a student at Seneca, Eaton’s management asked if Woollings was interested in joining the company’s management trainee program. He accepted, at the same time halting his studies at the college. But Eaton’s cancelled the program before Woollings completed it, forcing him to continue his studies part time at Seneca College through distance learning and night school, while also working full time at Eaton’s. Along with his time at Seneca College, Woollings has taken a number of additional educational courses to fill in some knowledge or skills gaps. He has completed a project management certification and the Six-Sigma Green Belt. Woollings worked at a credit card manufacturer in Markham, Ontario after his stint at Eaton’s. The position was in shipping-receiving, where he did mostly clerical tasks along with some driving. Management quickly picked up on his interest in supply chain, giving him some responsibility for load planning and coordinating other areas of the business. Woollings got married and the couple, who were the parents of twins by this point, began house hunting. High housing prices in the Toronto area drove the couple to search in Waterloo. His wife also had family in the area. Woollings then took a job at Krug Manufacturing, an office furniture manufacturer in Kitchener. The position focused on operations, and again management there recognized his interest in supply chain. Soon he had graduated to load planning, booking trucks, coordinating routes and similar tasks. He worked at Krug Manufacturing for over two years before hearing about an opportunity at a then up-and-coming company called Research In Motion. “I had a brother-in-law that had started there as a software developer two months before and another friend that had just started there on the supply chain side about five weeks before me,” Woollings says. “I thought, if they’re hiring, I’m interested. I quickly jumped on board in February of 2000 and spent the next 17 years there.” After his bid for employment was successful, Research In Motion initially hired him as a shipper. Within six months, the person that hired him moved to another role. Woollings at first hesitated to apply for the now-vacant postion, since so many others had been with the company longer. But a superior approached him about the position, urging him to apply. “That gave me the encouragement that I needed, some sort of recognition at least,” Woollings says. “So, I threw my name in and became the manager of that group.” SUPPLY PROFESSIONAL
2021-08-04 11:38 AM
MIKE FORD PHOTOGRAPHY
BY MICHAEL POWER
