Publishing Profiles: Meet Westminster's Russell Knouse and Kevin Knouse
Russell Knouse, Group Leader and Safety Committee Member, and Kevin Knouse, Operations Services, Safety Committee Member, and First Responder, are brothers who have worked at Penguin Random House‘s Westminster facility for over 40 years!
The Knouse brothers sat down to discuss the past few decades of their career, sharing a glimpse into their day-to-day responsibilities and their family’s strong history at the Westminster facility. Their decades of experience and dedication have been instrumental in maintaining a safe, efficient, and welcoming workplace.
Q: What led you to this role?
Russell: My Aunt Beulah worked at Random House in what was called the School Service Area (library sets with cassettes, etc.). I didn’t have a job after graduation in 1983, so Aunt Beulah suggested I work at Random House (the Westminster facility first opened in 1967 as the Random House Operations Center) because she made her career here. On my first day, Aunt Beulah jokingly said, “Don’t embarrass me!”.
Starting in 1983, I worked in Returns as an O.P. 1 for five years. In 1988, I was upgraded to O.P. 3 in the Service Area. After 10 years at the company, I became an O.P. 4 Forklift Operator and worked in that position for close to 30 years. As I approached 40 years with the company in 2024, and after being encouraged to apply, I applied for an open Group Leader position, got it, and I’ve been a Group Leader ever since.
Both of our sisters also worked at Random House. One sister worked in the Service Area, and the other sister worked via a temp agency, doing data entry during the Penguin Random House merger.
Kevin: I started in July 1984, two weeks after I turned 18, working on the second shift doing bulk picking. I would pick items from bulk storage and place them on the toe line for transport to Building 1, typically picking between 18 to 24 shelf carts each night. In Building 3, bulk goods were lined up on a cart in order, and loose pickers would sort the items into individual orders. This role, known as Human Sorter, was used before the implementation of blue totes, induction sorters, and the tilt tray system.
In 1985, I started working the day shift with my sister-in-law Debbie. During my fourth year, I worked as an O.P. 3 doing pre-cartoning. Books would arrive loose on a pallet, and 10% of them would be shrink-wrapped for bulk shipments. We picked for individual bookstores, as big box stores were not yet common. Any books not picked, packed, or shipped would be sent to pre-cartoning to be shrink-wrapped according to stack specifications, fitting into one of the ten carton sizes we had.
During my 12th year at 30 years old, I began working as a Dragline Monitor as an O.P. 3. The industry changed, and books started being shipped in cartons. In my last year working in Dragline, I became a backup Forklift Driver. In 2000, Bertelsmann bought Penguin Random House and opened Building 6, requiring many Forklift Drivers. Dragline was phased out and replaced by the train (or “tug”), and I became a full-time Forklift Driver, a role I held for 25 years.
In June 2016, I left for almost a year due to cancer. I returned in April 2017. In 2025, due to complications from cancer, I could no longer be a Forklift Driver and transitioned to Facility Services, helping to clean the warehouse. Now, I’m looking forward to my sabbatical starting in October!
Q: How long have you been here?
Russell: I started working at Random House first. I’ve been here for 41 years, but I started as a temp, so really it’s been 42 years.
Kevin: I started as a temp at 18-years-old, two weeks after my birthday. I’m celebrating 40 years this month! I started as a temp, so really it’s been 41 years.
Q: Can you describe a typical day in your role?
Russell: As a Floor Group Leader in Receiving, I come in and get on the scooter first thing in the morning. I drive around the warehouse and see where the workload is. I talk with my fellow Group Leader, Kim Pittinger. Kim and I divide work responsibilities. I stay on the floor to be a presence, problem solve with employees, and make sure people are on task. If needed in office, I’ll help check-in drivers and answer emails and phone calls. I like to create a workflow between me and Kim that helps us stay on same page.
Some days, I might have 10-20 trucks on schedule, and sometimes trucks don’t show. It can be complicated to plan for the day’s workload. When time allows, I also assist other departments.
Kevin: As part of the Operation Services team, we pick an area of the warehouse and detail clean it to help maintain safety standards. For example, in Loose Pick, I take books off shelves, clean the shelf, and put the books back. It can take several months to detail clean an entire building. Once we get through all seven buildings in Westminster, it’s time to start the cleaning cycle again.
I do my best to make cleaning fun. Since I joined the cleaning crew, 11 people applied for the next opening on the team!
Q: How do you work with other departments and teams?
Russell: Since I was a Forklift Driver for over 30 years, I often talk with other drivers. I offer guidance on maintaining safety standards, and I try my best to be a “difference maker” (this was one of his gifts, identified by his former Supervisor).
As a Group Leader, you need to be able to filter. You also need to have short memory with people – if an employee is having bad day, you should start the next day still with a smile and let them know things are good.
Kevin: In my current role, I maintain the cleanliness of each building. Cleaning the rows the employees pick from makes sure their work areas are clean and most importantly, safe. In the past, as a Forklift Trainer, I was very active in training others and making sure drivers were being safe and accurately doing their job.
Q: Is there a particular moment from your career so far that you’re proud of?
Russell: I have people that come to me and say that they probably wouldn’t have made it here without my support. Employees can come to me with issues, and I can offer some wisdom and advice. I’m proud that people trust me and tell me things. I enjoy keeping people on track, and I’m so proud I have my coworkers’ trust.
Kevin: I’m most proud of helping to maintain safety in the warehouse. When a problem has occurred, I took great lengths to correct an issue and update Standard Operating Procedures to ensure the same issue doesn’t happen again.
In 2000, I was chosen as one of ten people to be a state-trained Forklift Operator Trainer.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about your job?
Russell: Making a difference with people.
Kevin: Having the respect of employees and having other managers track me down to explain safety rules to employee who maybe needs a little more information to understand something.
Q: How do you feel like your role contributes to Penguin Random House’s mission: to ignite a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone?
Russell: I make a contribution to ensure books are shipped out to end users in a timely manner. Also, when I donates books to my grandson’s daycare provider, that’s putting books in the hands of future generations and promoting a love of books.
Kevin: Over the years, I’ve contributed to maintaining our supply chain. Also, I recommend Penguin Random House to people looking for a job.
Q: Are you currently reading anything?
Russell: I’m reading a lot of little children’s books to my grandson. Kevin and I used to read Fran Striker’s The Lone Ranger series and share the books.
Kevin: Lately, I’m more likely to listen to books.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Russell: I’m a worship leader and play guitar. I wrote my own songs and play them during worship. Kevin also sings with me once a month. I love spending time with my two grandsons (ages 9 and 3).
Kevin: I love being outdoors. I walk the trails at Cunningham Falls in Thurmont, MD. During breaks, I walk down to the train tracks on Hahn Road each day. Russell and I both love trains and take our father on train rides. In the summer, I enjoy my time at the pool. During my sabbatical, I’ll go to the lake at Cunningham Falls and walk the trails each week.