By Joe
Nowlan
In April, the editors of tED magazine sent out a call for
the industry’s “rising stars”—electrical professionals 34 years old or younger
who have the initiative, drive, integrity, and creativity to move the industry
forward in the decades to come. The call drew nominations from all segments of
the industry—distributors, suppliers, rep firms, software/services providers,
and VARs. Here on tedmag.com, we will post a new, full interview with one of
these impressive young people weekly; coverage of all of the honorees can be
found in the July 2012 issue
of tED. Watch for information about our next “30 Under 35” competition in
early 2013.
If you ever
ask Carlos Gomez Jr. “What did you do on your vacation?” don’t expect the usual
answers.
For Gomez, a
warehouse manager for Electric Supply Inc. in Tampa, Florida, the two biggest
events in his life originated while he was on vacation.
A native of
the Dominican Republic, he was living in the Chicago area, working in masonry at
various construction sites. In 2004, most of his family moved to Florida and
the next year, Gomez paid them a visit.
“Work
was kind of slow [in Chicago] at that time,” said the 27 year-old Gomez.
“So I went for about a month-long vacation. A friend of mine was working
for a company in the area and told me to let him know if I wanted to work there.”
Getting away
from a Chicago winter was appealing so Gomez started working at his friend’s
company. He found that he enjoyed the weather and liked being near the ocean. Later
that year, he applied for an opening at Electric Supply.
“I saw
the opportunities there for me,” Gomez said. “So I decided to stay.
And I was determined to do my best and move up in the company.”
His
entry-level position involved pulling orders and other first year duties.
“I had
no idea what electrical distribution was, but I was going to give 100 percent,”
Gomez explained. “I said to myself, I won’t rest until I’m the best order
puller. I guess they noticed that about me and that’s how the other
opportunities came.”
He moved up
to become a receiving supervisor, followed by a stint as a warehouse supervisor
before the promotion to warehouse manager. What keeps him enthused are the
daily challenges he faces.
“It
certainly is a lot more than just moving boxes around,” he said. “We
have a lot of customers with due dates. So they cannot be kept waiting. They
need the correct material and for their orders to be accurate.”
The
promotion to warehouse manager meant that Gomez became a boss to his
co-workers, his buddies.
“When this
opportunity came along,” he explained, “I said to them, ‘Listen, guys. I’m the
same person. But I need you to understand that while the friendship is still
there, we have to separate business from friendship. If I need to write
somebody up, I need to do it because I need to be fair to everybody.’”
The
opportunities he discovered at Electric Supply are what he praises when recommending
the industry to other younger employees.
“With
hard work and dedication, they can have a career. There are so many
opportunities that people don’t know about,” Gomez said. “I encourage people to
give it a try. All you need is dedication and opportunities will come.”
That “vacation”
in Florida, therefore, is now a career into its sixth year.
But Gomez
went one better a few years ago when he took another vacation to visit friends
in the Boston area.
Most people
visit Boston to see the historical sites or visit Fenway Park. Gomez? He came
home having met his future wife, Sheila. Last year, they were married in the
Boston suburb of Haverhill.
Safe to say
that when Carlos Gomez sees an opportunity, he certainly grabs it.
Joe Nowlan is a Boston-based freelance writer/editor and
author. He can be reached at jcnowlan@msn.com.