A husband and wife duo have completed 28 years in the job keeping customers happy at local logistics firm Europa Worldwide Group, which has a base in Media Village, Manchester.
Brian and Sandra Ryder are part of the Customer Service Team at Europa’s Manchester branch. Having been married for 45 years, they might just hold the secret to what it takes to have a long and fruitful marriage and an even better working relationship.
Based at Magnetic House, Media Village, Brian and Sandra are part of a team of 26 that provides road freight distribution to and from Europe at Europa Road, the specialist road freight division of Europa Worldwide Group.
The couple, who have worked in the logistics sector for most of their working lives, first started at Europa Road in 1994. Sandra, now 65, originally joined as a Clerk in the accounts department where she oversaw the export trunking between Manchester and Birmingham.
Brian, now 66, joined Europa later in the same year when he was first employed as an Import Clerk. After nearly 10 years in the role, he was promoted to Import supervisor and then International Services Manager, operationally dealing with two of the firm’s largest customers in the automotive and fashion industry.
The celebration comes at a time when trade bodies the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and Logistics UK, with the Department for Transport, have launched “Generation Logistics” – a campaign that aims to shine a spotlight on the amazing career opportunities in the industry.
Commenting on their anniversary, Sandra said: “Since I first started, I can honestly say my time with the company has been fantastic. As cliché as it is to say, no two days are the same but what remains constant is the solid, strong team around us. Europa Road really values its people and cares about its employees and for me that’s special and why I have stayed here for so long.
“I have seen lots of changes over the years, but with each new decade more and more great achievements have been made and I am proud to be part of that.”
Brian added: “To say the last 28 years have been memorable would be an understatement. Logistics is an industry I am passionate about. So many other sectors rely on us, and it’s a brilliant feeling to know that your job has purpose and meaning to not just our customers but their customers too.
“I feel settled and happy in the work that I do and for me, that is a privilege. You hear about people leaving jobs because they don’t feel supported, but I can genuinely say that is not the case here. When you can come to work, you want to look back at the end of the day knowing you have done your best and the team around you appreciates you.”
Stuart McKie, Regional Manager at Europa Road commented on the anniversary: “We are delighted to be celebrating this achievement with Brian and Sandra. They are a real credit to Europa Road not only within the Manchester region but to the business as a whole.
“Creating teams which value character and personality is at the heart of what we do and long-term success only comes to teams that work together, with both Brian and Sandra being testament to this.”
Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with three divisions, Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, and Europa Warehouse, and has featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for the third time. The Group employs over 1,300 people across the UK, Belgium, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Dubai and South Africa, and recently announced a record turnover of £316m for its last year up to the end of August 2022.
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