Columbia Distributing Wins Best Workforce Development Program
As we wrap up our annual Distributor Best Practices, Columbia Distributing stood out in the Best Workforce Development Program category.
It’s crucial for employees to regularly learn new aspects of the job and improve themselves to not only help better company operations, but also to bring new ideas to the table to increase productivity.
This is why Columbia Distributing developed a Lean Leader Certification program with a focus on real-time improvements in the workplace.
Launched in 2023, the in-house Lean Leader program uses Lean Knowledge Transfer tools to coach Columbia teammates through a 12-week certification course in which they earn their Lean Leader Yellow Belt Certification. Each Lean Leader must develop a Kaizen (Good Change) for their department or team and run it through to completion in time for an Executive Presentation on their results.
Through the course, they learn and practice 31 skills in Lean Process, Leadership and ADKAR Change Management.
“Watching teammates from different departments and locations apply those tools to real challenges and deliver measurable change has been incredibly rewarding,” says Columbia Distributing CEO Chris Steffanci. “Since launching, we’ve certified 84 White Belts, 93 Yellow Belts (with 20 more in training) and one Green Belt — and every one of them is driving improvement in how we work and lead.”
Columbia Distributing Builds Upon Success
Building on the success of the Lean Leader Certification program, in 2025, Columbia launched their White Belt Certification through their online Learning Management System (LMS). This is an introductory curriculum to Lean principles created in-house with collaboration from Lean Leader Yellow Belt graduates.
The White Belt Certification features an interactive 12-course curriculum with videos and testimonials. Each course has a short quiz and scoring a 90% or above on the final cumulative exam awards the student with a White Belt Certification.
This new White Belt Program is intended to drive the Continuous Improvement mindset deeper into the front lines of the organization as well as create an additional development program for our teammates. Those who achieve the White Belt Certification are then eligible to enroll in the in-person Lean Leader Yellow Belt Certification.
“Continuous improvement isn’t just something we teach — it’s how we run the program itself. Every class gives us new ideas to refine and evolve the curriculum,” Steffanci says.
“We recently introduced our White Belt Certification to engage more frontline teammates earlier in their development, and we’re building an internal Green Belt program for those ready to go deeper. Continuous improvement has truly become part of Columbia’s DNA — and we’ll keep investing in programs that help our people and our business grow stronger together.”
Fostering Improvement
The certification program has created a culture of continuous improvement across Columbia Distributing, leading multiple departments to create more standardizes processes, increased frontline training and support, as well as increased culture and leadership.
“Since we launched the program in 2023, Lean projects have produced over $2 million in bottom-line savings through smarter inventory management, waste reduction and process standardization,” notes Steffanci. “We’ve seen measurable gains in safety, accuracy and consistency across our operations.”
Steffanci explains a few examples of company growth due to the certification program’s success.
“Our Branch Slotting Optimization improved from 68% to 97% across 14 warehouses, ensuring products are positioned where they’re most needed,” he says. “Kaizens focused on managing days-on-hand and reducing out-of-code inventory have maximized space and cut waste. Others tackled supplier and retailer billbacks, closing gaps on short-coded invoices and breakage. With nearly 100 Kaizens tracked each year, these small improvements continue to compound — creating a better workplace for our teammates and strengthening our bottom line.”
And the program will only continue to grow with time.
“Creating real pathways for development has been a passion for our team from the start,” says Steffanci. “This program helps our teammates grow into stronger leaders — not just by teaching Lean tools, but by building skills they can use in any career: presentation, time management, KPI tracking, communication and accountability.”
To read more about the winners of our annual Distributor Best Practices Awards, click here.
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