Project Mgmt: Opening a new Food Warehouse

Client: West Side Campaign Against Hunger

Key project goal: Manage and resolve all non-construction building requirements for successful food warehouse opening.

Project duration: 3 months

Arensa Consulting assisted the WSCAH staff to plan and execute on operational and change management needs related to opening a new warehouse. WSCAH ultimately wanted to empower their staff with the right technology, culture, and office structure to do their best work.

As project manager, Arensa Consulting helped the team through both planning and implementation, including the following deliverables:

• Developed a project scope architecture and consistently managed pre-opening logistical requirements that were added weekly

• Drafted all-team change management communications regarding office plans and built surveys for gathering staff feedback/sentiment

• Managed vendor search, selection and onboarding for cleaning, pest control, snow/landscaping, coffee, and trash services)

• Developed suggested operating guides for building use, such as remote working policy, seating arrangements and seating policies, volunteer coordination, personal effects storage, and extra space use possibilities

Project Result: The warehouse opened on schedule. According to WSCAH’s blog post, “This 13,000 square foot facility has increased our dry storage capacity by 3.5 times (new capacity 80,000 lbs.), freezer capacity by 10 times (new capacity 36,000 lbs.), and refrigeration capacity by 30 times (new capacity 54,000 lbs.). In total, it can comfortably accommodate 170,000 lbs. of food.”