S&S Activewear

Acie McMillan is the Warehouse Operations Manager at S&S Activewear, leading automation and process optimization across high-volume distribution centers. His career began in hands-on logistics roles and grew through positions of increasing responsibility at companies like Amazon, American Woodmark and Luxottica, each shaping his approach to leadership. At Amazon, McMillan was introduced to Kaizen and continuous improvement, laying the foundation for his lean thinking. He implemented those principles at American Woodmark by leading multiple Kaizen events while deepening his leadership through managing diverse teams in fast-paced environments. His time at Lux expanded his scope further as he oversaw large-scale projects in a new industry, developing operational and strategic capabilities.

At S&S, McMillan draws from this wide-ranging experience to implement practical, people-centered strategies that improve warehouse performance and empower frontline teams. In this feature, he shares insights on leadership and workforce development from years of hands-on experience. His leadership filters real-world lessons through a lens of lean practices and emotional intelligence, shaping a workplace that values both precision and people.

Balancing Operational Precision with Efficiency

At S&S Activewear, we’ve partnered with Geek Plus to implement an automated warehouse picking system. It’s a rackto-person setup where robots retrieve racks from a grid and bring them to stationary pickers. Robotic arms then present the correct bin, and pickers use a screen that displays the product image, full description, size, color, style and country of origin.

To maintain accuracy, we’ve built in multiple safeguards. Every stock-keeping unit is individually weighed, as are the empty totes. The system constantly weighs the totes throughout the picking process to ensure the right quantity is picked. The real-time validation reduces errors and keeps our inventory accurate.

This setup is significantly more efficient than the traditional method, where pullers drive around the warehouse on equipment. Productivity has tripled, and inventory accuracy has improved. Just as important, the system has made the environment safer. Instead of having hundreds of people moving through aisles, team members now operate from fixed stations while robots handle the physical movement of goods. The automation has optimized our operations and allowed us to create a safer, more efficient and scalable warehousing model.

Workforce Morale and Operational Standards

Even with advancing technology, I take an old-school approach rooted in simplicity. First, we listen to our customers. It may sound basic or cliché, but too many organizations overlook this. We do not reinterpret or adjust what is said to fit what is easier for us. We hear them clearly and respond to their needs.

What sets S&S apart is our ability to stay proactive. We do not just serve our customers. We anticipate what their customers will need, which helps us position them for success. That extra step builds long-term trust and partnership.

 The real-world foundation is what sets my coaching apart. I bring all my setbacks, solutions and successes to help others grow. 

Internally, we focus just as much on our people. I wrote an article called The Importance of Leading Leaders, sharing my belief that taking care of your team is the key to excellent customer service. We stay transparent, hold monthly town halls and engage our staff regularly so they are informed and involved.

Employee appreciation is ongoing through quarterly events and smaller recognitions. Most importantly, we create learning opportunities. I recently led a 5Y training using a real incident and invited hourly team members from various departments to help solve it. This hands-on approach increases buy-in and builds confidence.

To me, leadership means equipping people with knowledge they can carry anywhere. If someone leaves S&S with tools to succeed elsewhere, I have done my job. Paychecks compensate for time, but leadership should give more than money. It should provide meaning and growth.

Professional Development and Coaching Influence

I’ve been very fortunate to have the opportunities I’ve had, including the work I do now through the Elite Standard. What separates my coaching from others is that everything I share comes from direct experience. Many coaches offer insights based on what they’ve observed, read or heard. In contrast, I bring proven, documented results.

Whether it’s leading a project that saved over a million dollars or improving operational efficiency by 25 percent, I’ve personally delivered these outcomes. I use those experiences to provide real-time coaching that is practical and grounded in reality. Every lesson I teach has been tested through projects I’ve led, partnerships I’ve managed, or challenges I’ve overcome.

Clients of the Elite Standard benefit from strategies shaped by real wins and failures. My advice is not theoretical. It is built from the same corporate environments my clients are working in now. The real-world foundation is what sets my coaching apart. I bring all my setbacks, solutions and successes to help others grow.

Technology with a Human Touch

If I had to offer one piece of advice to other leaders, it would be simple: business first, people always.

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned came from a mentor who was a senior director at Luxottica and a retired military leader. She taught me a phrase that has always stuck with me: business first, people always. At first, it may sound like a cliché, but when you really break it down, it means putting business priorities in place without ever losing sight of the people who make it work.

We are in business to be profitable, but we must never forget about our teams. That saying is even more relevant today with the rapid growth of technology and AI in the workplace. At S&S, we’ve implemented automation across five buildings. But the key difference is this—despite those changes, we have not laid off a single person.

Our approach is not to replace people but to support them. The technology is designed to work with our teams and simplify their jobs, not eliminate them. We’re meeting the demands of our customers while preserving careers and building a more sustainable workforce.