From manning the Carytown Ukrop’s Super Market salad bar in 1986 right out of high school to now overseeing human resources and safety for Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, Deborah “Dee” Gordon embodies Ukrop’s belief in continuous learning, cross-training and promoting from within.
Gordon found her home in human resources when she realized that it combined her love of teaching and helping people — similar to the feeling she had as a resident advisor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
She began full-time work in the human resources department in 2004, steadily gaining responsibilities, including overseeing company safety in 2013.
One of her professional mentors includes the first human resources manager with whom she worked, Dana Allison. “She always told me to build positive relationships.” Gordon says. And she’s seen that advice bear fruit. Those relationships, embodied in trust, integrity, fairness and respect, allow her to consistently join forces and get cooperation throughout the organization as well as outside it.
During the COVID-19 crisis, making sure Ukrop’s associates feel safe as they continue to make prepared foods for the public has been her priority. And that means keeping up with the copious daily CDC updates, talking with human resources managers throughout the region and checking in on associates.
“In my role, I’m promoting doing the right thing and following policies,” Gordon says. “Associates are looking for you to do the right thing.”
And that means that even she can be called out for not following the rules.
“I was in the plant, and one of the associates called out, ‘Miss D, you are chewing gum?’ ” she recalls. “I was so appreciative of that. He felt comfortable enough to do that.”
