As distribution companies nationwide gear up for the busy 2013 holiday season, several national firms are using the unique strategic advantage of workplace chaplains in their employee care structures.

Most distribution companies operate on an around-the-clock basis, shipping needed supplies to hundreds, if not thousands, of stores and outlets in their region. Because of the often hectic nature of their work, especially at the start of the holiday season, many are turning to Marketplace Chaplains to help their employees and their family members cope with everyday life stressors.

“We began our relationship by beta testing the “Care Partner” model at one of our facilities.  After receiving enthusiastic employee and management feedback, the KeHE leadership team began aggressively deploying chaplains at all facilities as well as designing Marketplace Chaplains (MPC) resources for our remote employees,” said Annette Roder, Senior VP of Human Resources for KeHE, a distribution company based in the Chicago area.  “The impact of caring for the deep needs of our people brings a high level of significance to our work life.  We are thankful to have a true, caring partner like MPC,” Roder added.

KeHE is one of the newest national distribution companies to use Marketplace Chaplains, while one of the largest, Gordon Food Service (GFS), has used the chaplain service for more than a decade. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, GFS is the largest family-owned and operated foodservice distributor in North America. The company distributes to foodservice operators throughout the Midwest, along the entire East Coast of the United States and coast-to-coast in Canada.

“We were familiar with others in our industry, primarily on the supplier side, that were offering a chaplain service and knew they were happy with the positive impact they were seeing,” said GFS CEO Jim Gordon. “The benefit helps people at their point of need. The long hours, repetitive duties and all too familiar workday stress and problems are some of the main reasons Marketplace Chaplains, the country’s largest and original workplace chaplaincy organization, has experienced rapid growth in this field over the last decade.

There are nearly 2,800 Marketplace Chaplains serving in 44 states, and 4 other countries, in 993 cities and 3,168 service locations, helping employees deal with the hurts and hopes of life.

“After an extensive review of the Care Program,” said Michael McKenzie, CEO of Grocery Supply Corporation (GSC), “Marketplace Chaplains became an integral part of our corporate structure in July 1994. The chaplain team has always demonstrated professionalism and caring for our employees and their family members. We consider our ‘GSC Cares’ Employee Assistance Program one of our most valuable assets.”

“In the never ending work of distribution companies, it’s gratifying to know these companies care for their employees with the help of Marketplace Chaplains,” said Richard S. De Witt, President and COO of Marketplace Chaplains.