TopHat Logistical SolutionsAs Location Manager for TopHAT Logistical Solutions at the Costco Indianapolis MDO, I inherited an operation under real pressure in early 2026. In-Window performance sat at 94.2%, well below Costco's 96% target, completion was at 95.6%, and contractor performance was inconsistent week to week — some generating poor survey scores and damage claims. The location was also running about $69,000 behind its annualized financial plan through Q1. Leadership from both Costco and TopHAT wanted the operation stabilized, and I didn't want to keep finding out about missed metrics after the reporting period had already closed.
Through the spring and summer I built a more structured way of tracking In-Window %, completion %, survey scores, claims, and route performance, and tied it directly into morning stand-ups, contractor coaching, and route assignments. By July and August this became the "Daily Loadout Command Center," a visual board that put the numbers in front of the team every morning, linked to the specific routes and contractors responsible for them, so problems could be addressed the same day instead of weeks later. Beyond just reporting the data, I worked directly with contractors and delivery teams to identify recurring problems, set clear expectations, build corrective plans, and hold people accountable, all while keeping Costco's member experience central to the decisions.
By June, In-Window had climbed to about 96.7% and completion to 97.8% for the period, with one Week 4 snapshot hitting 96.96% In-Window, 97.76% completion, and a 4.57 survey score. As the process tightened further, we consistently held completion near 97% and In-Window around 96%, and individual teams began hitting 100% on both metrics, giving me real examples to coach the rest of the contractor base against. On the operational side, mornings that used to see as many as 40 route changes during loadout dropped to nearly zero for several consecutive days once I reworked the warehouse and pre-assignment process, letting teams get off the dock much faster.
I can't point to a documented reduction in the $69K financial gap or a specific drop in claims, since I don't have final numbers on those. What I can say is that an operation that used to react to problems after the fact became one where KPI performance, route execution, and contractor accountability were managed daily.
