SAVANNAH, Ga. - Out of the office and onto a colossal container ship, UWL’s quarterly “Supply Chain Award” sent four employees on the trip of a lifetime to Savannah, GA. Winners got a rare opportunity to go behind-the-scenes of the Port of Savannah and catch a ride on a gigantic container vessel. They also toured the company’s warehousing and trucking operations, where they got hands-on experience with trucks, chassis, and forklifts.

UWL’s close relationships with ocean carriers secured the award winners an exclusive tour aboard the 8,000 TEU vessel, MSC Lucy.

UWL Employees pose in front of the container vessel MSC Lucy at the Port of Savannah. From left to right: Johnny Maiden, Latesha Mosley, Dave Pycraft (UWL Savannah Tour Guide), Adrienne Parrish, Celestino
UWL Employees pose in front of the container vessel MSC Lucy at the Port of Savannah. From left to right: Johnny Maiden, Latesha Mosley, Dave Pycraft (UWL Savannah Tour Guide), Adrienne Parrish, Celestino
“Being on the ship was unbelievable,” said Adrienne Parrish, UWL Export Specialist in Tulsa. Parrish has been in the industry for over 15 years, but this was her first time ever being on a vessel.

“The whole mechanics of the ship, and how it all runs, from the engine room to loading containers on board, there really aren’t any words for how amazing it was to experience.”

“The biggest boat I ever rode on was the Put-In-Bay ferry, so this was a huge upgrade!” added Johnny Maiden, UWL Drayage Supervisor in Cleveland.

At a trucking terminal, recipients had the opportunity to drive trucks and inspect chassis, giving them unique insight into what truck drivers deal with on a daily basis.

“More than riding in a truck, we took a close look at the equipment used,” said Maiden. “Being someone who works on drayage so often, it was extremely helpful to talk to the driver about the chassis.”

Many employees in the logistics industry work in an office setting, so it is rare for them to actually observe firsthand the movement of goods across the supply chain. UWL sought to change this by creating its “Supply Chain Awards” last year. Each quarter, four high-performing employees are selected to visit locations across UWL’s network, which stretches from the US East Coast and into the Gulf.

UWL Supply Chain Award winners stand with their tour guides aboard the MSC Lucy. From left to right: Celestino
UWL Supply Chain Award winners stand with their tour guides aboard the MSC Lucy. From left to right: Celestino
UWL’s “Supply Chain Awards” bring employees from different regions together, creating lasting bonds while also helping them visualize how their daily work impacts different links in the supply chain.

“Easy to say that the best moments of the trip came with meeting new people and making new friends,” said Maiden. “To me, the most important part of enjoying our work is the people involved. We had a great group and now we have that shared experience to enjoy as long as we work together.”