The spring sports we’re used to watching and playing have ground to a halt, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t athletes still putting in the work. They may just not be the kind you typically think about. As the COVID-19 crisis has grown, industrial athletes have shined – the delivery drivers, the truck drivers, the warehouse and logistics workers and others are still grinding away and doing their part to move the world forward.

“These are jobs that can be extremely demanding – even more than most people might think,” said Kelsey Dunneback, senior digital marketing specialist at Cat Footwear. “They’re moving around, picking things up, moving things back and forth. And we wanted to say ‘thanks.’”

The Cat Footwear team initially planned to launch a campaign to support these workers in conjunction with their new Sprint line release later this summer. The campaign focused on people who might not see themselves as athletes, but whose jobs demand more athleticism and dexterity than most.

But when re-evaluating their calendar post COVID-19, they saw the opportunity to refocus the campaign and move it to this spring. “We started reaching out to these workers and asking them to share their stories,” Dunneback said. We really just wanted to highlight them as the heroes of the situation in what they’re doing all day.”

WORKERS SHARING STORIES

Cat Footwear is now sharing these stories on their Instagram page. Stories from people like Cassie who works for UPS.

“Whether I am preloading or driving, I know I am getting people their essentials,” she says. “Also, the ‘non essential’ items we are delivering very well may be essential to some, and I try to remind others of this. People are ordering all sorts of things we don’t typically see, but we must realize it’s because no one has been stuck at home for this long before. If whatever I am loading or delivering is going to make someone at home just a little more comfortable or less anxious, I am SO happy to be able to help in getting it to them!"

Cassie works behind the scenes loading three to four trucks/routes throughout the week, each with around 250 to 600 parcels. Saturdays are Cassie's "entry" to driving full time - overseeing Next Day Air/high value items, which currently have been medications and testing kits.

DELIVERING GRATITUDE

“I don’t think people realize how much the people restocking shelves are doing, said Dunneback. Maybe it’s their grocery workers or their delivery drivers… they don’t always see the full picture of what these workers are doing.”

To show their appreciation, Cat Footwear has been encouraging people to thank these workers using the hashtag #deliveringgratitude. And they’ve been giving workers like Cassie a free pair of Sprint safety work shoes that have an alloy toe for safety, but are lighter and more flexible than a traditional work boot. If you know of a deserving industrial athlete, please nominate them and share their story.