A missing shipment or an inventory mix-up can slow a warehouse down, especially when materials tie to a bigger production schedule.
For Bobby Atkins, that’s part of the job. He helps oversee warehouse operations at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, supporting submarine production for the U.S. Navy. Atkins joined in 2020 and worked his way up to First Class Warehouseman before moving into a Working Leader role, coordinating materials, training employees, and stepping in when something on the floor stops moving right. Much of the job comes down to catching problems early.
Learning the Operation at Electric Boat
Electric Boat designs, builds, and modernizes nuclear submarines for the Navy, and employs more than 24,000 people as part of General Dynamics. The warehouse gets materials where they need to go so production can keep moving.
Atkins picked up experience in inventory, material handling, and warehouse procedures before stepping into his Working Leader role — a position that puts him right in the middle of problems as they happen. A shipment might show up incomplete, a process might slow down, or someone new might need help with a procedure. Atkins figures out what’s causing it, who needs to get involved, and what can be fixed without throwing off the rest of the operation.
Safety Is Part of the Daily Work
Atkins was also selected as a Department Safety Leader, leading safety meetings and reinforcing practices on the floor. Safety doesn’t take a back seat when things get busy — a fast-moving shift gives people more reason to slow down just long enough to make sure a fix isn’t creating a new problem.
Earlier Jobs Taught Him to Work With What Was Available
Atkins brought some of those habits with him. He spent seven years at Seaside Beach Club, covering inventory management along with construction, demolition, and finish carpentry between seasons — sometimes stocking supplies, other times repairing a building or prepping the property for the season. That work builds flexibility fast.
He later worked at a Walmart in Rhode Island, checking shelf inventories, stocking merchandise, unloading trucks, and helping customers find what they needed — different from the beach club and Electric Boat, but it added more inventory experience. By the time he moved into warehouse work, adjusting on the fly was already second nature.
Training People Means Changing the Explanation Sometimes
Training is part of it too. Instead of new employees running to a supervisor every time something unexpected comes up, Atkins gets them comfortable enough with procedures to recognize common problems and handle them on their own. Some get a process right away. Others need it demonstrated, or need to work through it themselves first. The goal is getting people comfortable enough that they don’t need constant direction — which matters where supervisors can’t stand next to every employee all shift.
Leadership on a Busy Warehouse Floor
Problem-solving here is rarely a solo job. A missing material order might touch receiving, inventory, supervisors, or another department, and fixing it means fast communication so everyone’s on the same page.
Atkins sits in the middle of those conversations — working with people on the floor, helping address problems as they come up, and keeping an eye on procedures. His background in competitive basketball gave him some of that team instinct too, but the warehouse leaves less room for improvising.
Outside of work, Atkins stays involved in the Stonington and Pawcatuck community, supporting local sports events and volunteering through groups like the YMCA and Stonington Community Center. For Atkins, leadership isn’t just a title at work — it shows up in being around when people nearby need a hand.
How Bobby Atkins Approaches the Work Today
Today, Bobby Atkins of Stonington, CT brings pieces of every job he’s had into his role at Electric Boat. The beach club taught him to juggle whatever the day required. Retail sharpened his eye for inventory. Electric Boat added the scale of a manufacturing environment where a small delay ripples past the warehouse walls.
He tracks what’s happening on the floor, helps people learn the work, flags problems when he sees them, and looks for ways to keep things moving without cutting corners on safety. Five years in, the job still throws up situations that don’t follow the plan — and his job stays the same: catch it early, work through it, and keep the shift on track.
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