Going the Extra Mile
U Market Services (UMS) found themselves going the extra mile this summer. Literally!
Tapped by the Special Olympics for its in-depth knowledge of the University’s supply chain, UMS would be integral to each step of the event’s logistics from handling storage to delivering materials.
The UMS warehouse buzzed for more than a year leading up to the games as UMS staff worked with the Special Olympics team to move in supplies and fill an initial 1,600 square feet of warehouse space. An additional 2,800 square feet was eventually cleared to meet the growing need.
Closer to the event, all hands were on deck to support load-in activities. This meant keeping the UMS warehouse open seven days a week for three weeks, including extended evening hours.
As the games commenced, UMS served as the primary delivery service for the event transporting more than 200 pallets to 16 different locations on the Twin Cities campus. These same items needed to be retrieved after the games and the UMS team even partnered with the ReUse Center to find second lives for unneeded items.