The Distribution Center Team's Success

Recently, Goodwill held an annual award ceremony in conjunction with our first organization-wide One Goodwill event, a day dedicated entirely to investing in the people who make our mission possible. For one day, we closed every Goodwill store, donation site, Opportunity Center, distribution center, and administrative office in the greater Chattanooga area to invest in our people.

On that day, our entire Distribution Center team was honored with the Opportunity Accelerator award. This award celebrates innovation that accelerates opportunity and drives meaningful progress for Goodwill and for our community.

Over the past year, the Distribution Center has undergone a significant and inspiring transformation, one centered on stronger communication, increased trust, and a more unified team culture. One nominator shared, “The Distribution Center has transformed and grown in amazing ways.”

Kai, Goodwill’s Manager of Distribution and Transportation, has a passion for people, communication, and integrity, which has elevated the entire team. One nominator wrote, “Since Kai’s first day in new hire orientation, he has communicated his desire to develop and grow. He cares deeply about his employees, considers their challenges, and goes out of his way to help people find success.”

Supporting this transformation is Pan, Director of Operations. Pan is a leader whose commitment to his people has not gone unnoticed. A nomination stated, “Pan is always willing to listen to our problems and do what is necessary to correct them.”

“The biggest change I’ve seen with our distribution center team is our cohesiveness,” said Pan. “We work well together.”

“Winning the Opportunity Accelerator award was amazing,” said Kai. “I'd be hard-pressed to say I've had a better day professionally. I wasn't only proud of myself; I was proud of our team.”

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Goodwill & the Chattanooga i-team

October 19, 2026

The Goodwill Opportunity Center is excited to be working alongside the Chattanooga i-team. What is an i-team, you ask? The City of Chattanooga’s Innovation Team (i-team) utilizes the Path to Public Innovation, a methodology that centers residents and their perspectives in the process to design new solutions. In alignment with the City of Chattanooga’s One Chattanooga Works strategic initiative, the i-team is tackling complex challenges through data and community engagement, and working with city leaders, residents, nonprofit organizations, and other stakeholders to test and implement new ideas focused on workforce development. As part of this initiative, the i-team hosted in-person discussions and ideation sessions at the Goodwill Opportunity Center. During these ideation sessions, Goodwill participants and community members generated ideas about how to grow professional networks, find and access information and opportunities, better understand what jobs are currently available, and what skills, knowledge, and experience are needed for key career pathways. I-team Director Liza Soydan and her team are currently prototyping new solutions to help people gain exposure to available jobs in the Chattanooga area.