Behind every smooth-running NRI facility is a leader who knows how to balance people, process, and performance. Meet Edgar Garcia, General Manager, whose passion for operational excellence and team development has shaped successful fulfillment centers across North America.

Q: Tell us about your background and how it led you to NRI? 

Edgar: I started my logistics career when I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school in 1997. I was supporting Air Wing Squadrons and was part of the Aviation Supply division based out of Mira Mar California. After the Marine Corps, I joined Grainger in 2002 where I was able to grow my logistics knowledge and have a concentrated focus on E-commerce. I started as a regular warehouse employee and worked my way up to Inbound Manager. After Grainger I joined various other companies supporting their e-commerce and retail distributions. Most notably I was given an opportunity to join a company that allowed me to showcase all my logistics knowledge in Mexico. As part of this company, I was able to support the opening of a distribution center in Tijuana B.C that was 378k sq ft during the pandemic. Within 3 years I was promoted to Regional Director of Distribution and was relocated to McAllen, Texas where I oversaw the opening of another distribution center that was 720k sq ft with a 4-level pick tower totaling 1.3m sq ft of operating space.  

Q: What are some of your specialties or areas of expertise? 

Edgar: I consider my areas of expertise to be those of operations, most notably Inbound and Inventory. I feel those two departments are key to the success of any operation. We need to ensure the product is received and put away correctly and efficiently. We also need to ensure the product is where it needs to be and the management of that product or managing the space is key to ensure the pickers pick the right product and the packers have the right product to pack. I also consider another area of expertise to be the people development part of any building or organization. It’s essential that we develop our people and give them the tools to be successful. I consider myself a teacher by nature and it is my goal to teach all that I know and pass on the knowledge that I have accumulated throughout the years. 

Q: How would you describe your approach to running a successful NRI facility?

 
Edgar: My approach is to learn, listen, teach, create disciplines and create an environment where expectations are clear and accountability is abundant. It is imperative that as the General Manager of the facility I learn from others and understand if there are bottlenecks and roadblocks. I must listen to others and hear their feedback on the current process and take them into consideration when looking at process improvements. I teach what I know, teach what is the right way (to meet the customers’ expectations) of doing things and teach that it is ok to make mistakes, but we just need to learn from them. A successful building in my view is a building that thrives on discipline. Discipline around processes, ensuring we do things right, making sure everyone understands their expectations clearly. Once discipline is created, ambiguity from processes is reduced and thus expectations can be met. Lastly, accountability is key to a successful building and not just accountability to a regular employee, but this is twofold. We must hold our team accountable to their expectations but we ourselves need to be held accountable to coaching them and providing feedback in a timely manner so they can succeed. 

Q: What made you want to join NRI? 

Edgar: My deciding factor for joining NRI was the possibilities being endless. I feel like the environment and culture is one that best suits my style and needs. I was going to be tasked with bringing my own ‘flavor’ to the building and create standardization to processes that needed to evolved and senior leadership has been supportive of this.  

Q: What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you? 

Edgar: That I do not like tamales! I have had numerous people tell me that the reason I don’t like tamales is because I have not tried theirs, when I do I have to give them the bad news that even theirs to me don’t taste good.