CSR Helps Terminal Transition

When the Wood River Transload Terminal found itself without a terminal manager in May, Marge Miles stepped up to ensure nothing fell through the cracks while the new manager was learning the ropes.

Miles serves as the Illinois terminal’s customer service representative, so she’s familiar with its day-to-day operations. The experience she’s gained over the years and her attention to detail meant she knew exactly what needed to be done in the meantime.

“The terminal was dealing with new customers, bigger workloads, and now this turnover,” said Revenue Accounting Specialist Mariah Kohl, who works closely with Miles. “No ball was dropped. She was doing everything that needed to be done without anyone asking her to.”

Miles made sure the team’s purchase cards were balanced correctly and on time, ordered new fire-resistant uniforms, checked each department’s volume numbers for accuracy, and proactively reached out to customers about any issues. All of this was on top of her normal duties and helping the new terminal manager learn more about the administrative side of operations. Miles even helped with a team member’s safety training.

“Marge had a coworker who was struggling with a safety training course,” Kohl said. “She sat down with him, went through all the materials, and helped him study. He was able to pass the class. She had all this going on and was still thinking about her team members. Her willingness to help is unmatched.”

Wood River has settled back into business as usual. Miles has returned to her normal role. But Kohl and David Callan, the new terminal manager, say the transition wouldn’t have been nearly as smooth without Miles’ initiative and experience.

“Marge has been my right hand during this process. She never complained about any of the extra work and did her normal job as always,” Callan said. “She also helped a lot with the team’s morale during the transition. Marge is an asset to this team, and I deeply appreciate all of her help.”