Dmitry Dukhan’s Big 5 Growth Opportunities
By John Salustri
“In a way, I’m not in the real estate business. I’m in the healthcare business, and serving our clients is the priority.” So says Dmitry Dukhan, VP of, Real Estate, Facilities and Security for Medline Industries. It is with that mission in mind that the Chicago-based Dukhan views the post-pandemic landscape for growth opportunities.
“The biggest issue we have is the ongoing reinforcement of a resilient supply chain,” he says. “In order to do that, we have to anticipate–to the extent possible– the potential issues that could affect that effort, from the world’s geopolitical tensions and transportation issues to the tight labor markets and inflation.” No, he adds, we can’t control any of these issues. What we can do, however, is “control our responses. And therein lies our greatest opportunities.”
That said, creating a long-term strategy is Job 1, says Dukhan. “We can no longer afford to think two or three years ahead, but really 10 to 15 years ahead. So, if we think we need 500,000 square feet today and 500,000 feet in 10 years, let’s get a million square feet now to service the regional needs of our supply chain for the long term.” He knows, of course, that this is no small order, and says that to accomplish that with any degree of accuracy, it will be necessary to stay close to customer needs and anticipate those needs with more inventory.
This then provides the opportunity to “work more closely with all departments,” he says. “Silos don’t work, because servicing our clients now and for the long term is a collective strategy, in which everyone needs to agree. The competitive and inflationary pressures are such that we have to be united as a team to get the best job done for our customer.”
Which leads neatly to the next big opportunity: “Our people, our biggest asset.” Taking care of team members is the best path to creating long-term productivity. “We have to invest in our people, train them fully and pay them well. The companies that treat their teams the best shine the brightest, enjoying the lowest turnover and a strong corporate culture.” To that extent, he says, Medline is one of the top companies in his experience. “Leadership here knows that employees’ voices matter.” Opportunities for growth and contribution are key factors to inspiring a winning team, he adds.
Related to that is the opportunity to transition to more hybrid work policies in the office sector. “We have over 4000 office employees in the greater Chicago area,” says Dukhan, and over the past two years they’ve all had to transition from full office work, to quarantining to a hybrid set up. In fact, Medline has just changed its work-from home policy from three days in the office to two. “It’s a huge goal for us in 2022 to effectively and efficiently manage that transition.” And, he adds, it is a vital piece of the company’s hiring and retention strategy.
Dukhan’s fifth opportunity comes in Safety, an admittedly broad topic, and for Medline, it wraps around all the other above-listed opportunities. “You always have to reinforce and invest in the concept of safety,” says the VP. “With a culture of safety, everything else succeeds.” And while personal safety is an ongoing message, he also sees it as a consideration for the resilience of the supply chain.
As just one example of that, he points to the importance of energy backup. Everyone, of course, has backup generators. But Medline says it isn’t enough, since those too can fail, plunging a distribution or manufacturing site into “hours of darkness.” He advocates for a quick connect system hardwired to your facilities and a national contract with energy suppliers.
It all comes down to service, says Dukhan, “service to our employees, which translates into service for our customers.”