The Power of Mentoring

David King, owner of Warehouse Design, has been laboring alongside Charles H.W. Edwards, director of the North Carolina Center for Global Logistics, for several years in an attempt to increase awareness and build the future workforce of the supply chain and logistics industry. Little did he know he soon would find one of the next generation’s greatest advocates in his own 20-year-old son.

“Three years ago, my son, Clint, had no interest in the field whatsoever,” King said. “He and his best friend got involved mainly with install work at first, just to make some extra money.” With King’s encouragement and personal mentoring, it didn’t take long for either of the young men to start to see the possibilities. They’ve expanded their skills to performing autoCAD, the computer-aided drafting software program, among other duties. Clint King has even been exploring ties to the racing industry for promotion.

David King, encouraged by their enthusiasm, has hired two other young professionals since. The oldest of the four, who came to the company from a completely different field, is now 35. “He had zero knowledge of the industry, but he did have good customer sales skills,” King said. Through mentoring, he not only has expanded those skills, but also grasped others quickly.

“They’ve all just become so knowledgeable,” King said. “We’ve got to reach this younger generation to fill jobs in our industry, and it’s the testimonies of those in Generation X or Generation Y that are going to help it happen. They’ve got to be able to tell their peers that it can be an exciting career, and that the pay of a supply chain job is pretty good, too.”

By Fiona Soltes

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