Strange Times – More Voices: Caleb Hill

Team,

Last week I told you that Caleb Hill had been named as one of the Future Leaders in Convenience for 2020. Caleb is our District Manager for North Texas and California. Here is Caleb’s contribution to our More Voices series.

Caleb’s words:

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Hello everybody.

My name is Caleb Hill and I am currently the district manager for StrasGlobal’s Texas and West Coast clients. I have been in the industry for 15 years and, for the most part, my roles required frequent time away from home. My family often adjusts and sacrifices to allow me to travel. The strain of unexpected issues and inconveniences is nothing new to my family. We have been tested more than ever recently.

Our nation, and the world, has been presented with an incredible new challenge, COVID-19, and all that has come with it. My wife is a full-time employee in her own right; she is an educator and drill team director. We have two small children who have not begun school yet. In a normal scenario, we would both go to work, and our children would bounce between day care and in-home childcare. These are no longer options. My wife daily hosts online classes, provides virtual learning, holds parent teacher calls, and attends various zoom meetings with supervisors.

Our industry is 24/7. It places great responsibly to my staff and store personnel around the clock. I have my own schedule of calls and meetings and obligated correspondence with supervisors.

My four-year-old and my nine-month-old have not received the message we are busy! My wife and I are frequently in conflict over whose next conference call or virtual meeting is of more importance.

I was recently given a great honor. I was named by Convenience Store News a 2020 Future Leader in Convenience. My family and I are extremely humbled and most grateful. A major contributing factor in this nomination stemmed from my willingness to travel, to deliver COVID-19 protection supplies and assist store personnel in any way necessary. I am not a hero or more courageous than others. I simply fall into an age group and state of health where I am at less risk of major illness.

As I have been out in the world, and our wonderful stores, it has become so apparent that we are all experiencing the same difficulties and challenges. We have CSR’s working the register wondering if their babysitter and children are okay. Store managers are worried about their children at home alone when they would normally be in school. I understand many families depend on schools or other civil or local government functions to provide regular meals. These are truly very trying times for all. Maybe the most eye opening thing of all that I saw was how truly alike we are and how much we can share in the same struggles.

StrasGlobal is truly a caring company with a family feel and structure. I realized that we are truly blessed to work in an industry that is considered essential and ensures we are able to continue to work and provide for our families in a time where so many are unable. In our company, we know we have the love and support of the owners; they have truly proven that. We have the support of the directors and all of those in supervisory roles. We are committed to safety, we are committed to our clients, we are committed to our customers, and yes, we are committed to each other.

We “are” all in this together. Our struggles might not be exactly the same, but they are real and we are all facing them…..Together, Not Alone.

Thank you, Caleb, for sharing your thoughts with us and congratulations, again, on your award. We are very proud of you.

I encourage everyone to contribute something to the More Voices series. We want to hear from you. We are a team with many voices.

Stay well.

Roy

The opinions expressed in the More Voices submission are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of StrasGlobal.

Roy Strasburger
President, StrasGlobal
Email: strangetimes@strasglobal.com