'Center Of The Year'

Title Again Goes

To "DC 6039" --

Otherwise Known As

The Midway Facility

By DOUGLAS WATSON

Managing Editor

Several hundred employees at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center (DC 6039) in Midway marked an impressive achievement on Tuesday.

For the fifth year in a row, the huge facility's associates, as Wal-Mart employees are known, have earned the title of "Distribution Center of the Year."

The honor was won in competition with 19 other distribution centers that were graded monthly by corporate headquarters.

The Midway facility, which has about 850 employees, was scored in categories dealing with Service to the Store, Community Contributions, and Human Resources.

The local facility was ranked first on the company's Operations Index and sixth on its Associates Index, which is a type of monthly report card for the Wal-Mart Logistics Network.

Furthermore, the employees at the Midway facility raised a record amount for the Children's Miracle Network, collecting $138,000.

Tuesday's Entertainment

To celebrate the extraordinary five-year accomplishment, several hundred of the facility's associates were entertained with "Hee Haw"-type musical entertainment provided by fellow employees dressed in keeping with the country style of the popular music-and-comedy TV show from years ago.

A six-piece band of Wal-Mart truck drivers, which calls itself the Wal-Nuts, was among those performing.

Jim Gates, general manager of DC 6039, dressed as a Hee-Haw character, was part of the show, sitting in a big rocking chair on stage as he acted his part.

More seriously, Gates later issued a statement saying, "It is an honor and a privilege to work with the high caliber of associates that we have here in East Tenneseee."

Toward the end of the celebration, Johnny Dobbs, who is Wal-Mart's executive vice president for logistics, praised the Midway facility's workers, saying their positive spirit is very noticeable.

Employees at the distribution center either work four 10-hour shifts a week or three 12-hour shifts a week.

Their average age is 27 years, a center spokesperson said.