Perla Pedroza has a key member of our logistics operations for 14 years. She was working in a similar capacity for a company is Wisconsin with nothing to show for it but a long drive and lower pay than promised. Fortunately for us, a relative told her we were hiring in our shipping and receiving area. Perla came in for an interview and we immediately signed her up.

“Old School” Packing

Starting as a shipper and packer, she first tracked orders with paper packaging slips and logs. “Technology has changed quite a bit since then,” she chuckled. Her hard work and delight in learning new things quickly led to additional responsibilities. Today, as our Logistics Clerk, she supervises pickers, incoming and outgoing deliveries, placing parts in inventory for later use and international shipments. The paperwork and legal requirements for the movement of products to places as far away as India and China can be demanding, but Perla has it down to a science. From a single box to a truckload of crates, she helps her team keep the product flowing smoothly.

A Walking Font of Knowledge

How well does Perla know the system? Recently, a team member asked her a question on packing a shipment for China. Without looking at a computer screen or checklist, she offered a very exact list of instructions for filling out the paperwork, packing the order and palletizing the shipment…all from memory. Every detail was perfectly correct. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” she said. “But it does come in handy when we’re in a hurry sometimes.”

Building Strong Relationships

Whether it is with members of the logistics team, managers from other departments, vendors or customers, Perla believes that connecting with people is a key part of her job. Luckily, it’s built into her nature. “People have needs that are always changing,” she acknowledged. “Customers need an additional part, schedules get moved up, trucks break down, and then we have to adapt.” Keeping communication lines open at all times pays dividends when a favor is needed or can be given in return. “It has to be sincere or it wouldn’t work as well as it does.”

Never a Dull Moment

The variety of new challenges in each and every day is what keeps the job exciting for Perla. She may not know the exact nature of the next logistical puzzle to be resolved, but she knows whatever it is, she and her team will be ready to help and come up with a viable solution.

Family First

Most of Perla’s free time is taken up with her four children, aged 6-16. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Athletics is a big part of their lives and she can often be found ferrying one or the other to basketball, soccer or track events, and then cheering them on.

When not on the playing field, Perla enjoys planning outings to Chicago for visits to museums and events. Even her older children, after being pulled away from their friends for a while, will admit that they always have a good time together.

While in the past she loved baking and doing crafts, Perla knows those hobbies can always be taken up again in the future. Spending every moment in the present that she can with her children is something she considers a gift.