thoughtleaders

Forty years ago, Doug Sampson took a summer job unloading
boxcars at a public warehouse. He’s still at the company today,
but now he’s senior vice president and partner.

INTERVIEW WITH DOUG SAMPSON

IT’S A FAMILIAR STORY BY NOW: A COLLEGE STUdent gets into logistics and supply chain management on the ground floor, unloading trucks or stocking warehouse shelves during summer breaks. Though the work is demanding, he grows interested in the nuts and bolts of logistics operations, eventually abandoning his original career plans to pursue his newfound interest. He works his way up through the ranks, gaining experience in nearly every facet of supply chain management, to become an executive in the field.

In Doug Sampson’s case, that story played out at Acme Distribution Centers Inc., an Aurora, Colo.-based third-party logistics and supply chain solutions provider. Sampson’s story began when he took a summer job unloading boxcars at Imperial Distribution, one of the forerunners of Acme Distribution. In the four decades since, he has worked in every position in the company and almost every facet of the business, including supply chain planning and optimization, transportation, real estate, legal, and quality management.

Today, Sampson serves as senior vice president of Acme, which operates facilities in Denver, Seattle, and Harrisburg, Pa. In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, he has been active in both local and national trade associations. His deeply rooted passion for supply chain excellence has been a part of his journey every step of the way.

Sampson spoke recently with DC VELOCITY Group Editorial Director Mitch Mac Donald about his career path, the biggest logistics challenge he’s ever faced, and why working in the industry is like being an offensive lineman in pro football.

Q Tell us about your career journey. How did you arrive at the position you hold today? AIt all started when I was in college. I was studying for a career in corporate finance and planned to work in my father’s company. Like any kid in college, I needed money, which meant I had to find a summer job. I was playing football back then, so I was really hoping to find something physical.

As luck would have it, my dad had just completed a financing package on a couple of buildings for a client working in something called “public warehousing.” He reached out to Leon Goldfogel at a company called Imperial Distribution [a predecessor of Acme Distribution] and the next day I was filling out an application. A day later I started work unloading boxcars of canned pet products. Although the work was grueling, my curiosity took hold and I began to wonder “why”: Why are the cases sized like this? Who decides how they should be stacked and how high? And about a thousand other questions.

I continued working in the warehouse during summers and vacations while I finished up my degree in finance and marketing. Upon graduation, I told my dad that I was going to stay and work there in management and learn more about this industry I had became so intrigued with. Today, I am a partner in the company.

Although I can say I’ve really only had one job per se, I’ve had the pleasure of working with folks from over 1,200 companies across all walks of commerce.