Robert G. Worley passed peacefully on April 22, 2012, surrounded by family in Fort Myers, Florida.  He was known in Eastern Iowa as an entrepreneur and nationally within the logistics community as an innovator committed to quality.
Relying on a combination of vision, dedication, and commitment to hard work, Bob launched Worley Warehousing, Inc. in 1977.  Bob and his wife Char worked for months to establish a business for a facility that wasn’t yet built, and he described the period as “really tough”.  His new Company began operations in June of 1978 with a 100,000 square foot building, no customers, no firm commitments and overhead running in excess of $20,000 a month for the building alone.  He started out with nothing and leased everything from forklifts to office equipment.  There were a lot of sleepless nights.  Through one of his previous contacts in the business, Bob landed a contract to function as a distribution center for the Quaker Oats Company.  This marked the point when his company truly entered into the third-party logistics industry. Soon afterward he landed Procter and Gamble as an account.
As more and more companies chose to outsource their logistics functions, competition in the third-party logistics industry began to increase.  Profit margins got squeezed, and many smaller operations were acquired or pushed out of business.  Worley Warehousing, however, remained independent and won recognition as a preferred provider within the markets it served.
Bob credited the company’s success as a result of surrounding himself with great people and focusing on safety, quality, and profits – – core values that continue today.
During the 1980’s Bob grew the company locally with facilities totaling over one million square feet.  During the 1990s, Worley expanded to Minnesota, Atlanta, Georgia, and West Branch, Iowa. This growth was the result of Worley’s reputation, not being a sales force. Today, Worley Warehousing is a leading regional warehousing and third-party logistics provider with a national reach.  With 400 employees, Worley manages 3 million square feet of warehousing facilities and a related suite of supply chain solutions.  Worley serves a variety of industry segments including food and beverage, health and beauty, pharmaceutical, package materials, raw materials, and bio-chemical.  Its ship points include the lower 48 states as well as Canadian and International destinations.  Worley has been recognized numerous times over the years including the Howard Hall in Business Excellence Award, PepsiCo Warehouse Excellence Award, and The Patriot Award issued by the United States Department of Defense.
By any measure, Bob had an incredibly fulfilling life and successful career.  His greatest pleasure was helping others.  Bob has touched the lives of thousands of individuals and families in Eastern Iowa, Southern Florida, Atlanta, and Shakopee, Minnesota.
So we say goodbye to a husband, father, grandfather, friend, mentor, and boss.  We will miss you, but will not forget you!