Interview with JJ Pereira

Could you give a little background on yourself and who you are?

JJ: I spent my entire career in operations, running distribution centers in the automotive, electrical and custom apparel industries.  I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2012 from Fisher College and I completed my degree at night while working full time at my first job out of high school.

Before joining Bode, what did your day-to-day work consist of?

JJ:  My day-to-day involved working at a custom apparel facility, and consisted of following up on customers’ orders/requests each day, as well as tracking down any orders that may not meet our required date. We were very customer driven, since it was a start up company in Warwick, RI. Our goal was to have a 99% on-time delivery date to our customers, no matter the size! This took a lot of tracking down material that was delivered via small parcels and turning it around quickly.  I managed full-time as well as temp labor, controlled our inventory accuracy, and all of the facilities maintenance.

What was the reason you got into this profession?

JJ: I realized as I went through my last few jobs, that the part of my jobs I enjoyed the most were improving the warehouse and distribution center.  A lot of those improvements came from layout improvements, or additions to the facility.  That is what introduced me to Bode as well. While at Rexel, Jeff Moran was helping us work through a new layout for our 100K warehouse. Working through the project and figuring out ways to improve/maximize our space was the most rewarding part.  When it was all done, it felt amazing to see the instant improvements!

What were some of your proudest career Milestones before joining Bode?

JJ: My biggest personal goal will always be completing my bachelor’s degree.  I am the only person in my family to receive their bachelor’s degree. Another personal milestone was completing my degree while working full time.  It took 6 years to complete my degree, but I worked every day and went to school for 5 hours after work.  It was one of the most challenging things I have every done in my life, and really forced myself to stay disciplined. 

What would you say are your main strengths?

JJ: I would say my main strengths are my dedication and reliability. 

Why did you choose Bode?

JJ: Having completed a few projects with Bode in my past jobs, I always got a good vibe from the people here. At Rexel I had the opportunity to work with Scott Fawcett and Jeff Moran a lot, and I always felt comfortable in our meetings. It is tough to say that with a lot of companies trying to sell you material, as they can be very pushy. I did not get that from Bode, and even though we may not have completed the full scope of the original project, they were always there to help when we needed. The same went when I completed a large racking project at Squadlocker.  Dealing with Justin Lincoln-Grogan and Don Moccia was very easy.  There was not much back and forth, as they understood our goal in the facility and got us exactly what we needed.  The ease of doing business with Bode always brought me back, and eventually led me to applying for a position myself. 

What are some of your personal goals now that you are officially part of the Bode team?

JJ: My biggest personal goal is to get up to speed as quickly as I can in my position.  It is a complete change in my career, and I know I have a lot to learn.  But I always push myself to add value as soon as I can to the team using my existing skill set.

What are you most excited about now that you are part of the Bode team?

JJ: Learning all I can from everybody here.  I have only worked in distribution centers/warehouses in my entire career and have only seen a small portion of what Bode offers.  Being here 2 weeks, I have learned a lot different products that I have never even seen before, or even thought about that I probably could have used in past positions.