Success Stories: Chuck Studzienko
Chuck Studzienko is a picker at the Lehigh Valley Distribution Center in Pennsylvania. He has a productivity rate of 100% and the respect of his managers and coworkers. And—oh, yes—he has something else too: Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of Autism.
But having a disability has not stopped Chuck.
He earned an associate’s degree in accounting from Central Pennsylvania. He completed an internship with Good Shepherd, a supported employment agency. Good Shepherd then put him on its work team at the Walgreens center. At that point Nancy Phelan, Walgreens Human Resources Manager, spotted his potential and asked him to train for a Walgreens job.
He mastered the training. In 2004 he was asked to join Walgreens.
Chuck started as a stocker on 2nd shift. Later he bid on a job posting for 2nd shift split-case picking, and he got that job. It wasn’t easy at first. He says, “The hardest thing was trying to follow new instructions that I was being taught, such as determining if a tote was dirty or clean or whether or not to use totes that are really wet.” But Chuck met the challenge.
Amy Dixon, his manager, describes his work in both areas as “wonderful.” She notes that he picks at 100% productivity and takes a real interest in what’s happening in the department. According to Amy, “I wish more of my team members were as concerned about safety as Chuck is and showed an interest in the building.”
And how do Chuck and his co-workers get along? Great. He says, “The team members are helpful and friendly. Some team members have helped me if I didn’t know what to do or if I had trouble completing a certain task.” In turn, they “enjoy working with Chuck,” according to Amy.
Nancy says, “From day one, Chuck has had a profound effect on his team members. Everyone has worked with Chuck to help him reach his goal of full-time employment with Walgreens.”
