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Client Profile
Kurt Helenius, Regional Operations Manager at Sleep Country, USA
 As Regional Operations Manager, Kurt Helenius is the logistics lead for Sleep Country USA in Washington state. Working out of the Distribution Center in Kent, he oversees deliveries scheduled for customers, and product transfers for all forty-three stores under his jurisdiction. “The bottom line: I handle anything that’s not sales.” A total of seventy-nine people report to Helenius, all of whom have completed rigorous training before becoming part of the operations team. “My people learn about every aspect of our products in a formal classroom setting, as well as on-the-job sessions with a certified trainer before they take on responsibilities in the warehouse,” Helenius adds.
Kurt has been with Sleep County for eleven years and enjoys the challenge of directing an operation that handles 50,000 to 60,000 deliveries a year. He considers deliveries to be one of the most important elements of a successful company. “Deliveries are our ‘closers.’ They provide the last, and often lasting, impression the customer has of us. So, deliveries have to be a positive experience, giving the customer a reason to come back, and encouraging them to recommend us to their friends.”
Although Sleep Country began contracting with DSI Delivery in the Seattle market just two months ago, the firm was familiar with DSI through that company’s ongoing relationship with Sleep Train, the parent organization. “We had received good reviews about DSI from our counterparts in California before they came on board here,” Helenius says.
Integral to the early success of the relationship between the two companies, he says, are good communication and DSI’s hands-on approach. “Our on-site manager, John Smith, and Regional Director Carlos Guerrero are both focused on providing whatever the operation needs,” he commented. “They want us to succeed, be profitable and efficient.”
Carlos Guerrero says “Sleep Country’s Kent distribution center has high delivery standards. Kurt has been extremely cooperative and helpful, providing our crew and independent haulers with the information necessary to become familiar with the company’s product, policies, and day to day operation.”
Currently, DSI Delivery’s independent haulers run four trucks a day, but in the future Helenius predicts an increase in the number of trucks to six or eight. “We still have insourced deliveries, but working with DSI is a value-added cost, and allows us to be more flexible with our scheduling. We’re looking forward to continuing our relationship with DSI as we expand in Oregon.”
Sleep Country shares DSI’s philosophy about giving back to the community. The organization supports local foster children, and Helenius is proud of the way that his people get involved. “My team alone has raised thousands of dollars, and volunteered an equal amount of hours,” he says. “We all really care.”
A Washington state native, Kurt enjoys exploring the Northwest with his wife, son and two daughters. “I’m very involved with my kids,” he says. “When we’re not camping, I’m in the front row at soccer, volleyball, and basketball games, or running boy scout meetings as troop leader.” |
