Employee Spotlight: Chris Kempley
For over 22 years, Chris has been a crucial member of our warehouse team for our Redding, California location. Many who have had the opportunity to work alongside him will tell you that he has a go-getter, can-do attitude. Continuously, he goes the extra mile to help get our delivery trucks to our customers and works to solve any problem that arises. Due to his strong leadership, dedication, and willingness to get the job done, we are proud to feature Chris Kempley as our latest Employee Spotlight feature.
Chris’ WCP Story
Chris has been with WCP Solutions since November of 2000. Before becoming WCP Redding’s Operations Manager in 2015, he was one of our Delivery Drivers for many years until he was promoted to Warehouse Supervisor in 2011.
An example of Chris’ go-getting attitude would be his achieving his Delivery Class licenses. Starting out as one of our Class C Delivery Drivers, Chris was eager to jump at the opportunity to get his Class B license in 2003. His eagerness continued in 2008 when pursuing his Class A license. After a lot of studying, training, and hard work, Chris got his Class A license and still has it to this day. In his words, “I worked damn hard on getting it, I’m not giving it up”.
More About Chris
Before joining WCP, Chris had not worked in a warehouse environment before. He actually had a career in the food industry as a chef. He has an AA (Associates of Arts) in Culinary Arts and has completed a 3-year/6,000 hour culinary apprenticeship program. With his culinary experience, he has worked at resorts in Montana, Florida, and New England. He was the First Chef at Tierra Oaks Golf Club and River Bend Golf and Country Club before finishing his professional cooking career. Chris also enjoys gardening, watching his kids’ sporting events, camping, and hanging out with his family.
Q & A with Chris
What is your favorite part of working at WCP? I have a great sense of pride seeing our bright yellow trucks leave the yard daily, taking care of our customers. I enjoy working as part of the local Redding team, which is part of a bigger team in WCP.
What is one lesson that your current position has taught you? Many lessons come to mind, but as #1, I think patience and compassion for others are the major ones.
Do you have any advice for new people in the industry that are just starting their career? Do not be afraid to ask for help, we all work together as a team, and we will need that extra help.
Can you share a couple of your favorite memories or stories while working at WCP? My most memorable story with WCP is April 17, 2002. I was taking a break from the local Redding delivery route to go to the City of Redding to pay my electric bill. A beautiful young woman, named Michelle, was behind the counter handling my billing. I gave her this cheesy pickup line, “Tomorrow is my birthday, guess my age and get a prize”. Michelle had all my info on her computer screen and said, “34, what’s the prize?”. I then replied, “A date with me”. She told me to come back next week. Fast forward a bit, October 25th will be Michelle and My’s 20-year wedding anniversary. I owe WCP so much for the life I have now. I have a beautiful wife and three awesome kids. If it was not for my WCP employment, I never would have paid that bill at that certain time and met Michelle.
Employee Compliments
“Chris is a model WCP employee. He is willing to tackle the ugliest task and do whatever is necessary without complaint. He leads his crew by example and through a concerted effort to train, encourage and uplift. Chris is an incredible employee and a dedicated family man. He builds the WCP culture, and we are fortunate to work with him.“ – Justin Overton, Director of Operations
“Chris is an integral part of the success of our Redding Division. His can-do attitude and passion for doing things right make him the go-to person in the warehouse. His ability to be nimble and adapt when situations arise is one of the reasons we can provide such great service to our Northern California customers.” – Dave Chaffin, Redding and Medford Division Manager
“Chris is an amazing operations manager, his contributions keep our warehouse running great and our trucks rolling out the door. He’s always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done and the Redding branch wouldn’t be as efficient without him.” – DJ Lauf, WCP Redding Account Manager
Join the WCP Team
Do you want to work alongside amazing people like Chris? Visit wcp.link/jobs to see all the open career opportunities across the company! You can also learn more about WCP and our history of customer relationships and service by visiting our About page.
