When Avery Sassman first joined Zip’s AW Direct 18 months ago, he said he was pretty familiar with the company. He had grown up in nearby Fredericksburg, and the company he worked for previously shared a warehouse and production facility with Zip’s on the west side of New Hampton.

Now living in Hawkeye, the 23-year-old said he was eventually referred to work at Zip’s by a family friend, and he was hired on for the warehouse here in February of 2021. He said he had prior shipping and receiving experience, so the distribution center was a natural fit for him at Zip’s.

“I was really looking for something different at the time,” Sassman said as the reason for his career change. “I had always heard good things about working here. At my last job, I pretty much did anything related to the warehouse, so I was already comfortable with that line of work.”

Sassman, who is this month’s ‘Meet an Expert’ at Zip’s, started off as a parts runner and was “absolutely amazed” by the breadth and depth of the products offered here. At last count, Zip’s AW Direct offers more than 65,000 products from 400-plus vendors.

Included with that product offering are more than 100 pre-assembled kits for the towing and recovery industry, including toolbox systems, chain kits and synthetic winch lines. During his downtime in the warehouse, Sassman said he began to work on the kit assemblies to stay busy, and based on his performance there, he eventually transitioned to that role full time.

His days now are spent cutting chain to specifications and measuring and splicing synthetic rope for a variety of Manufacturing Orders. Since he first started in the kit department, he said he has been able to shave his time in half, increasing his productivity and efficiency with experience.

“Once you get used to it, the process goes pretty quickly,” Sassman noted. “But when I first started out, it took me a little longer to put everything together.”

As he continues to improve his craft, Sassman said he takes pride in the products he produces for Zip’s customers. At the end of the day, his job satisfaction comes from knowing he is shipping out durable products with expert workmanship.

“I like to make sure I’m doing quality work,” he said. “You know you did a good job when the product doesn’t get returned.”