Royal Robbins
Top Jobs, p1
Royal Robbins outfits travelers, outdoor enthusiasts with a passion for adventure
By Heidi Howell
Employment Staff Writer
For
outdoor enthusiasts and world travelers, braving the elements goes with
the territory. Keeping adventurers on track, up a creek or down in the
valley is Royal Robbins’ specialty.
Formerly a mountain climbing
supplies producer and retailer, the company now furnishes durable,
packable clothing and accessories for active customers – from climbers,
hikers and skiers, to world travelers and people who work outside.
How
did the company get its name? Many years ago, internationally-known
climber and kayaker, Royal Robbins and his wife, Liz, were unable to
find the type of active outerwear they needed, so Liz designed her own –
and the company was created in 1968.
The company operates a
Modesto warehouse and two outlet stores – one in Modesto and another in
Berkeley, and has about 55 total employees.
Acquired last fall
by Carlsbad, California-based Phoenix Footwear Group, Inc., Royal
Robbins (www.royalrobbins.com) has an international presence, supplying
stores such as Any Mountain, REI Outdoor Outfitters and others.
Nancy
Elder, Human Resources manager for Phoenix Footwear, explains that
Phoenix, which carries seven footwear lines, pairs well with Royal
Robbins’ successful line of outdoor clothing. “Getting into the apparel
line was a good match and an opportunity to bring our niche brands and
apparel line under the same umbrella, sharing financial resources,
leadership team and operating systems,” Elder says.
Minding the storehouse
In
addition to the 10 designers in the warehouse and offices at 1524
Princeton Ave. in Modesto, Elder describes some of the other positions
employees hold (in no particular order):
• The president is in charge of all departments and is involved in buying, negotiations, merchandising and design.
•
Duties of the director of operations include overseeing the warehouse,
customer service, shipping, receiving and inventory tracking.
•
Designers work in cooperation with a merchandiser to create clothing
designs that match current market styling and color trends.
• Technical designers turn design concepts into detailed product specifications.
• Product developers help designers and technical designers by finding sources to buy unique, cost-effective materials.
•
Customer service representatives work with the field representatives
and are liaisons between the warehouse and retail stores. They handle
Web orders as well.
• Warehouse associates drive forklifts and do shipping and receiving
•
Quality assurance specialists inspect incoming shipments and help with
custom packaging; others handle more technical duties, including
measuring and comparing garments to specifications and prototypes.
• The e-commerce manager administers the Royal Robbins website.
• A marketing manager, graphic designer and marketing assistant produce the corporate catalog and promotional materials.
• Sales positions consist of a director of sales, sales representatives and sales assistants.
• Other jobs include buyer, import assistant, operations manager, warehouse supervisor, data input operator and receptionist.
Royal
Robbins occasionally extends internships to interested high school
students or graduates. “If (prospective interns) have an interest in
design or marketing, they can receive on-the-job training,” Elder says.
According to Elder, two interns – one in technical design and the other
in marketing – have become regular, part-time employees.
Royal
Robbins intends to hire approximately 10 employees this year and there
are currently no warehouse openings, although Elder observes that things
are changing rapidly as the company grows. Candidates are welcome to
apply anytime online or at physical job sites. Resumes are encouraged
and can be sent to hrjobs@phxg.com.
As positions become
available, they are posted www.monster.com and the Modesto Junior
College student job board at www.gomjc.org/jobsforstudents. Applicants
can contact the Phoenix Footwear Human Resources department at (760)
602-9688.
Royal Robbins also utilizes the staffing service, SS
Industrial, at 114 W. Orangeburg Ave., Modesto (209) 557-5800, primarily
for warehouse positions. Candidates must be high school graduates;
warehouse experience is helpful, but not required.
Elder adds that Royal Robbins often “rewards good workers by promoting from within.”
What
causes workers to be let go? “Work ethics, although it doesn’t happen
very often,” Elder explains. “We’ve got a strong workforce; everybody
has great work ethics and we’re trying to continue that,” she says.
Benefits
include medical, dental, life and disability insurance, 401K, flexible
spending accounts for medical care and a generous merchandise discount.
What’s in store
Interested
in retail sales? Deanna Peterson, Royal Robbins Outlet Store manager
for the McHenry Village location at 1700 McHenry Ave., Suite 31, says
there is one opening for a regular, part-time sales associate.
Candidates
need a flexible schedule that allows for a 15-hour workweek, although
hours can stretch to 30 during special events and promotions. The job
involves daytime hours, which is a plus. “In a lot of retail positions,
you’re at work until 9 or 10 at night. We’re here until 6 at the
latest,” Peterson says.
She’s looking for a quick-learner who is
outgoing and enthusiastic. It’s also helpful if candidates are “outdoors
people” who have traveled and have past retail experience, she says.
“We
also want someone who understands the necessity for quality customer
service, which is our primary job. That’s very, very important,”
Peterson says. “It’s hard to get good customer service anymore.”
She
says students and others are welcome. “We’d love to have somebody who’s
looking for a fun job that gets them out of the house a few days a
week,” Peterson adds. “We hired one lady who was a longtime customer,
and we just love her.”
© HHWS for The Modesto Bee
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