Jeff Liggett

Kentucky Day Warehouse Manager

In his seven and a half years as Kentucky Day Warehouse Manager Jeff Liggett, has always had an appreciation for his job and his fellow Kentucky Associates. With the current climate of the job world and the Covid-19 Pandemic, he has a new level of appreciation. “Everything that the Heidelberg and the Kentucky management team has done for all of us has been amazing,” Jeff says.

Jeff will celebrate eight years on the job with Heidelberg this December. Before coming to work in the Hebron Warehouse, Jeff spent over 20 years with a mail order catalog that specialized in aviation. He was able to meet some very famous pilots such as: Chuck Yeager, Jimmy Buffett and Harrison Ford. His main duty with the company was handling logistics. “What I was doing with them, is not unlike what we do at Heidelberg,” says Jeff. “The receiving process was very similar, although unlike what we’re doing now, 90% of our shipping went through UPS.”

Learning on the job is a part of doing business. When he started at Heidelberg for Jeff, it was no different. His biggest challenge is making sure that products get from Heidelberg’s warehouse in Hebron to all corners of the state. “When I came on board, I cut my teeth with General Manager Mike Monnin and Operations Manager Mike Mallott,” said Jeff. “My main goal was to keep down costs as much as possible. The biggest challenge was and is logistics. Making sure that everything runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”

The logistics of Kentucky are much different than those in Ohio. Kentucky has one warehouse in Hebron which services the entire state vs. eight operations in Ohio, which work on more of a regional basis. The Hebron Warehouse delivers and routes drivers to Kentucky’s 53 “wet” and 56 “moist” counties (another 11 are dry and don’t sell any alcohol). “Getting the orders correct is imperative of shipping and delivery,” says Jeff. “Our routes are all over the state. We have two overnight routes and others that get near Missouri and West Virginia. It’s important that we get everything on the trucks that needs to be on the truck.”

The biggest difference between the two states is what the spirits business brings to Kentucky as opposed to Heidelberg’s warehouses in Ohio. “Picking up orders from distilleries and having to drop off empty barrels at breweries can be a juggling act,” Jeff says. “We try and work it out so when we do a bulk run that we have our timing set up with the suppliers correctly so we can make sure things run smoothly.”

Jeff doesn’t envision a day when he won’t be on the job. He’s a guy that would rather be working. “I honestly don’t look to ever retire, I enjoy working,” says Jeff. “I can’t imagine myself golfing or fishing every day. I have been able to see things that I want to see and do things that I want to do. If I haven’t done it, I’ll do it on vacation. As long as I am mentally and physically able, I’ll be here.”