Culture, Purpose & Values – Get to Know the Burris Logistics Culture

New ONEBURRIS Culture Initiative:

1. Burris Logistics Culture
2. Our Purpose
3. TEAM ONEBURRIS Culture
4. Work-Life Balance
5. Conclusion 

According to organizational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant, “The culture of a workplace – an organization’s values, norms and practices – has a huge impact on our happiness and success.”

It’s part of human nature to desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself, be part of a community, and work in a place where you feel valued.

It’s no secret that the catalyst of any great company is the people that work there. It’s not just about having the most talented or intelligent Team Members but rather having a group of individuals who work together, believe in the purpose, and want the company to succeed.

While this sounds simple, it’s not. Company Culture, at least a positive one, doesn’t happen by accident or on a whim. Instead, it involves intention and creating an atmosphere of trust and accountability where people care for and about each other.

That’s why we have recently rolled out a new ONEBURRIS Workplace initiative, defining a shared purpose and values. According to our CEO, Donnie Burris, building an extraordinary culture is “the single most important thing we are focused on over the next year.” 

Hiring Team Members that align with who we are is part of building and maintaining a strong company culture.  That is why we are excited to share with you our just-released recruiting video! In this video, you will hear from Team Members across the organization, in all locations, positions, and business sectors, about who we are, our purpose, our values, our culture, and our benefits. 

We know that it is our Team Members that make us successful.  We are grateful for the Team Members we have and look forward to welcoming more Team Members to our Family.

If Burris Logistics, Trinity Logistics, or Honor Foods could be your next workplace to call home, check out this video and learn about who we are and how we come together as ONEBURRIS.

The ONEBURRIS Workplace

The culture at Burris is a customer-driven, family-oriented environment. Our company is comprised of our Parent Company, plus Trinity Logistics and Honor Foods. Trinity Logistics provides third-party freight brokerage and technology. Honor Foods is a foodservice redistributor. Our goal is to be One Partner. Many solutions. To achieve that, our Burris Logistics Companies, must work together and live the same core purpose and values.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to “Improve lives and supply chains by solving tough problems.”

There is an old fable that says, ”Nothing worth having comes easy.” Logistics is a challenging and complex industry. There are many moving parts, many things changing quickly, a lot of technology, and room for error. However, it is also essential and rewarding. Our goal in the industry is not to be the biggest but it is the be the best.  We want to tackle challenges that others don’t want to face. We want to use innovation to solve problems others won’t think of.  We want to be a Team of thought leaders. We want to do the hard stuff that makes people’s lives better. We want to better the lives of everyone we come in contact with, from our Partners to their customers, and most significantly, the lives of our Team Members. To do that, we believe there are three core values we must live by, and they will guide us toward being the best at what we do.

Value #1: Personal.Service.Excellence.

According to Trinity Logistics President Sarah Ruffcorn, “Personal.Service.Excellence means “Being able to have just an extreme accountability in every role, in every job, in every task, in everything that we do.”

To be successful, we must all take accountability for our actions. In addition, we must take responsibility for our work ethic and dedicate ourselves to providing the best service possible for our Partners.

Value #2: Make It Happen

Joe Adams, VP of Sales Honor Foods, says, “Making it happen means coming to work with a positive attitude, a can-do attitude, and making sure that what is needed from you each and every day, you provide the best person you can be. Making it happen means we are going to provide excellent customer service, and we’re going to treat each other with excellent respect.”

The phrase make it happen means to find a way, whatever it takes. Be creative. Be innovative. Figure it out. Instead of finding an excuse, find a solution. It’s a total commitment to finding a way to reach the goal. 

If our purpose is to solve tough problems, we need Team Members who won’t give up when the answer isn’t straightforward and instead will find a way. We want a Team that is so determined to reach the desired outcome that obstacles are just an opportunity for a creative solution because we know that kind of grit, that ability to keep going, is what will make us the best.

Value #3: We Not Me

According to John Hummel, President of Burris Logistics, “We Not Me really is the embodiment of the true spirit of Teamwork and leaving your name off the back of your jersey and really working towards one common goal, as a Team, as a group, as a family.”

Coach John Wooden once said, “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.” Therefore, we want our ONEBURRIS Culture to be a collaborative and inclusive work culture. When you walk our halls or warehouses, you can expect to see Team Members working together, communicating, and helping each other get the job done. You will see Team Members volunteering to help without being asked, just because help is needed to get the job done or simply because they can.  A Team is always stronger than any individual member, and we believe that having an environment where teamwork is celebrated above personal success will make our organization successful.

Our Culture

We understand that in addition to living by our purpose and core values and recognizing our Team Members who do, it is also essential that we take care of our Team.  Part of valuing our Team is also valuing their family. If you go through our organization, you will find many Team Members who grew up around the warehouses because a parent worked here, or have many family members currently working in different departments.  That’s something we are proud of. It is important to us that we provide an environment where our Team Members are happy and prosperous, and part of that is giving them the flexibility to be there for their family and provide for them. That is reflected throughout our culture in several ways.

Work-Life Balance

Honor Foods Team Member Dominique Torres says, “The nice thing about Burris is they really do understand the work-life balance. They never make you choose between your family and your job.” We encourage our Team Members to spend time with their families, attend doctor’s appointments, not miss their kids’ soccer games, enjoy their hobbies, and use their vacation time. Flexibility and work-life balance are values we hold close to.

Benefits

Helping Team Members care for their families, and themselves means providing an extensive benefits package. We have company-paid life insurance and company-paid short and long-term disability. In addition, we have a robust employee assistance program, pet insurance, and a tuition reimbursement program. This is an addition, of course, to health care, dental, vision, etc. A fun fact is that Burris pays 88% of our premiums!

Career Growth

Looking throughout our organization, you will find many individuals who have been promoted several times and grown a career here. You will also find an incredible number of Team Members who have been with the organization for a long time. It is not at all uncommon to celebrate a 20th anniversary at Burris! This is something we are incredibly proud of, that we can provide Team Members an opportunity for an accomplished lifelong career.

Training

Part of providing career growth opportunities is offering an extensive training program. We focus on finding our Team Members’ goals and work hard to help them get there.  Training courses are offered in various subjects, from working with particular technical areas to overall leadership training.

Conclusion

Burris Logistics, comprised of Trinity Logistics, and Honor Foods, is an organization that is committed to being a great place to work and a great Partner to the businesses we serve. With our shared purpose of “improving lives and supply chains by solving tough problems” and our values of “Personal.Service.Excellence.” “Make it Happen” and “We Not Me,” we know that our defining culture will help us succeed in business and in caring for our Team Members. Take a few minutes to check out our new recruiting video or visit our new careers website to learn more about who we are and what it means to be part of our family.

If you are a great fit for our culture, click on the button below “view our current job openings”. We would love to have you on our Team.