Meet John! He spends his days playing with forklifts and bubble wrap, or training dogs. This might sound like nothing but a fun-filled day. But after catching up with John for a little bit, we learned that it is much more than that!

John got involved with warehousing by word of mouth. Six years go he just picked it up and “ran with it.” The application process wasn’t one of incredible length, just your basic interview, background check, and drug screening; which totaled about a week to complete.

The most scrutinized aspect of the process is one’s physical condition. “You must be able to lift 75 pounds,” commented John. “You would be surprised how many guys get out in the field, and run into problems.” Two additional requirements are receiving forklift certification, and being able to stand on your feet for approximately ten hours at a time. No small fete, John passed all of these with flying colors.

John’s favorite part about his profession is that it keeps him active. “It constantly keeps me moving, and I love it!” Being able to make and manage his own hours is also something that John values with his job. The only downfall he can comment on is the location. “The commute into Brooklyn really stinks, but that’s where the money is.”

A typical day on the site is a simple cycle (for the most part!) The first truck arrives around 6 a.m. with the product and the workers off load the product. Quality control is the next step. This goal is to ensure a certain level of quality in the product, which meets specific requirements and are dependable and satisfactory. The products are then repackaged, reloaded, and sent out. This process repeats numerous times through out the work day.

One of John’s most memorable and amusing experiences on the job stands out more than the rest. One of his fellow workers insisted on working a 24 hour shift. Things were all fine and dandy until the 20th hour hit. His co-worker was in the forklift, with a product loaded, and he was overcome by Mr. Sandman. In his sleep, he raised the forklift into the air, an estimated 12 feet! No one had the heart to wake him up, so they just waited until his nap ended to get take care of the product. “It was one of the funniest days on the job!” commented John.

When John isn’t being amused by sleeping workers on forklifts, he train dogs in Hoboken. Due to the flexibility in his schedule with the warehouse, about three years ago John started to train dogs. He is able to work his hours at the warehouse around his client’s availability.

One big consideration for John when he started training dogs was how well he worked with both people and dogs. Many people get into the profession without realizing what dog walking is all about. “You gotta realize that you aren’t just training the dog, but you are also training the owner on how to train (his or her) dogs.” The job requires a great deal of patience. The trainer must be as good a coach to the human clients as he is to the dogs. “A lot of positive encouragement is key!”

John wanted you leave you Mile Square City goers with some advice when you encounter a dog trainer:

Do not distract the dogs! Training a dog can be very difficult, and so is getting the dog to focus. Additional distractions are nothing but a burden.

Always ask. If you ask the dog trainer to pet the dog, or to say hello, chances are if he or she is not in the middle of something, they will me more than happy to let you.

Don’t fall asleep on the forklift! Take upon yourself what you know you can handle. Don’t try to overdue your hours. A simple mistake could turn into a disaster.

Every week hMAG posts Faces articles featuring someone from the community because, after all, hMAG is all about the community.

Do you know someone we should interview for an upcoming article? Pitch your idea to editorial@hmag.com and we might include you or someone you know on hmag.com or an upcoming issue of the magazine!

All candidates MUST live or work in Hoboken and agree to have their picture posted.