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Every day, Mail Services distributes mail to 267 school and central office sites. Every week, Distribution Services makes deliveries of all shapes and sizes to 240 locations throughout the district. Orchestrating every stocked item, truck route and delivery is Warehouse Distribution and Mail Supervisor Gabe Delgado. New school openings, textbook adoptions and K-8 expansions are just a few district initiatives that require a mass distribution of purchases. That task falls to Gabe and his behind-the-scenes department.
Gabe recently shared the rewards and challenges of his job with Staff Bulletin, pointing out that teamwork and a “Just do it, just get it done” philosophy is the key to a successful operation.
How did you get started with the district?
I’ve been with San Diego Unified for 29 years. I started as a temporary stock clerk and worked through various positions in warehousing, maintenance and physical plant operations before landing in my current role.
What challenges have you and your team experienced?
By far, one of our biggest challenges was the beginning of this school year with the opening of five new schools: Lincoln High, Marshall Middle and Burbank, Joyner and Rodriquez Elementary schools. The volume of equipment and supplies was massive. It wasn’t an easy time for our department. We’re proud that our hard work helped kick-off the new school year for so many students.
We’ve also been partnering with Risk Management on a couple of cost-saving measures. We streamlined the permitting process for the sharps container program used by Nursing and Wellness. We also centralized the disposal of hazardous and toxic materials with the universal waste program. Over the last two years, these combined efforts amount to an estimated $100,000 savings to the district and that feels good.
What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
I just love making people smile. It’s very rewarding to have developed so much camaraderie over the years. When people recognize me in the hallway and are thankful for what our team does day in and day out, that’s very satisfying. I also love that every day is different and I’m fortunate to work with good people.
Staff Bulletin extends congratulations to Gabe and Rose Gustafson, materiel control manager, who were recently married. “I can easily say that meeting Rose has been the most rewarding thing about my job,” said Gabe. “It’s funny that we’ve known each other and worked together for more than 23 years and now we’re partners in everything we do.”