It always happens, without exception, when I travel Illinois 13. No, I'm not talking about dodging in and out of traffic because some drivers refuse to move out of the left-hand lane. I'm talking about staring in awe at the mammoth Circuit City distribution center, located a couple of miles west of Marion.

Never, ever have I passed the building without wondering what went on inside those walls - walls that seem to run on forever. And never, ever have I wondered that without also thinking that other regular travelers down the east-west highway must wonder the same thing.

One of the advantages of being a reporter is that it sometimes allows me to finagle my way into areas where Joe Citizen is not allowed to tread. Giving me even more finagle-power is my First Monday offering that gives me the opportunity to trudge off the beaten path to explore some of the people and places that make Southern Illinois tick.

So it was after yet another trek down Illinois 13 and another of those "wonder-moments" that I decided to don my reporter's cap and try and find out just exactly what takes place inside that huge concrete building.

After a few initial inquiries I was in touch with Jeff McReaken, operation manager at Circuit City. I explained that I wanted to try in words to take our readers inside the distribution center and give at least a glimpse of what takes place there each day.

McReaken seemed receptive to the request but said it would have to be cleared by those above him. We made plans to talk again in a few days.

An interesting tidbit to this story took place during that initial conversation with McReaken. Before hanging up I asked him if he is related to any of the McReakens from West Frankfort, particularly Artie

McReaken, a person I knew from my days with Old Ben Coal.

"Art McReaken is my dad," he said.

Call it a reporter's sixth sense but I immediately knew with his answer my trip to Circuit City would be a good one.

Perhaps I should pause right here to say a story like this is what makes "First Monday" unique for you as readers and challenging for me as a writer. You see, anybody can write a fluff piece about a business in Southern Illinois that in the end always comes out reading like a commercial. I was looking for more with this story; one fact, one figure, one statement or one sentence that stood out. I also wanted numbers: how big, how small, how long, how short, how many and how few.

So, with final preparation completed and accompanied by photographer Chuck Novara, I trudged off to Circuit City a few days ago in search of a story.

We were met by McReaken and general manager Dave Clevenger and escorted to an office where we were told - politely - what they could and couldn't discuss. I learned within the first three minutes I was inside the building that in the highly competitive world of electronics some lines of questioning are off limits.

As we began the tour I immediately recalled all those near-collisions on Illinois 13 and asked the one question that had been on my mind, and probably yours, for years.

"How big is this place, anyway?"

The numbers Clevenger tossed out are sort of mind-boggling: the building covers 26 acres under roof and the floor space is 1.1 million square feet and there is 3.3 million cubic feet of storage space. Until a few years ago when the record was broken, the concrete in the floor was the largest pour ever made in the nation, Clevenger said.

While I was amazed at the size of the facility - on the inside it looks more impressive than my normal view from the highway - I was equally surprised by the sheer number of products ranging in size from handheld items to big screen televisions and everything electronic in between. Clevenger said on any given day they have more than two million individual items inside the facility, with an average of 120 semi-trailer trucks coming and going every 24 hours.

Two other things stood out to me about the numbers. First, we had walked only a short distance when I noticed the beep, beep, beep of horns honking was nearly non-stop. That noise, I learned, is coming from the 70 forklifts constantly moving throughout the huge building. I would imagine an aerial view of the building might resemble an ant hill with everybody seemingly going a different direction.

But while it might seem everybody was moving about randomly, Clevenger explained that a process known as "warehouse management system" tracks every one of those two million items electronically so that at any moment any item can be located with pinpoint precision.

Clevenger said there are 23,000 "slots" - bins where products are stored - and each product that arrives is scanned and the management system tells the forklift operator where it is supposed to be placed so it is efficient to go out.

Products that are not moved by forklift are routed across the building on the three miles of conveyor belts that intricately wind up and down throughout the facility. A unique aspect of the belting system is that products move under a laser scanner that measures the package and then directs it to the area where it is supposed to be stored. As an example of the massive number of products transported by belt through the facility, the scanner can view and sort 60 packages per minute.

The building is so huge and the different areas are laid out so concisely that it actually resembles a small city.

While numbers are impressive, I mentioned earlier that I was looking for something for this story that stood out. I found that in comments made by McReaken and Clevenger.

Interestingly, the comments that impressed me the most had nothing to do with how big, how fast, how many and instead dealt with the human aspect.

As operation manager it is McReaken's responsibility to see that the continual movement of forklifts and belts doesn't stop during the 24-hour per day operation. Given the fact that 15 million packages are moved through the facility during approximately 250 shipping days per year, I asked McReaken if he ever looked at his job as daunting.

First, McReaken gave high marks to maintenance personnel for their work, but he also gave an answer that tells a lot about his makeup and the caliber of employees at the distribution center.

"It's exciting here every day," McReaken said. "We understand the importance of taking care of our customers and that we are supplying merchandise for 151 stores and the people who shop at those stores. So, a breakdown, any breakdown, is unacceptable. We've had some minor breakdowns but when we do - we come together as a team and finish out what we need to do to get back on schedule."

I mentioned earlier that I knew McReaken's dad, Artie, and also that the McReaken name had long ties to West Frankfort and also to Old Ben Coal.

When I saw the younger McReaken's eyes light up as he described his role in the day-to-day operation at Circuit City I realized my mom was right when she used to say, "the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

Despite the mammoth size of the building and the fast-paced and technical operation that goes on inside, Clevenger said the success of the Marion distribution facility comes back to its 350 employees.

As he talked about his employees Clevenger pointed out that the Marion distribution center is the largest of eight in the United States. He said the facility ships 15 million packages per year and the error rate goal is one-tenth of one percent, a mark Clevenger says is exceeded. Clevenger added that the Marion location services 151 Circuit City stores through a nine-state area, approximately 25 percent of all stores nationwide.

He said 95 percent of the employees are local people who were hired and then trained six years ago when the distribution center opened.

Clevenger said highway, air and rail access are factored in when a decision is made to construct a major distribution center in a particular area.

But he believes the deciding factor in making Marion a major hub of national distribution comes down to a single element - work ethic.

"I believe the good old Midwest work ethic is a specific reason this facility is located here in Marion. I think that work ethic brings a lot to the table when a decision is made about where to locate," said Clevenger, who relocated from Chicago to manage the facility.

"Four members of our management team came from other parts of the country but the other 18 supervisors and managers are from right here in Southern Illinois. Our productivity continues to go up here and that's a direct result of our employees."

After the tour I headed east on Illinois 13 toward Marion. As I looked to the south and once again caught a glimpse of that huge building I had a different feeling than in the past. Sure, the size of the building is jaw-dropping and the warehouse management system is nothing short of amazing. But in only one hour I found out the most impressive aspect of the distribution center.

In the coming days I'll make another jaunt down 13 and once again I'll gaze wide-eyed at that huge attention-grabbing building. But it won't be 1.1 million square feet of floor space and 3.3 million cubic feet of storage space I'll think about.

Instead, I'll think of all the hard-working folks who head off to work around the clock, men and women who make up the wonderful work ethic of Southern Illinois.

writeon1@shawneelink.net

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