April 2014 DOM---Simon Garcia--SFSCAx

Simon Garcia (GARS45), hands down, is the best driver at our Final Mile Santa Fe Springs account and is very deserving of this award each and every month. He began his Final Mile career in 2008, when he was hired by John Rodriguez and Curtis Liem to the SFS FM team. Since the very first day he started, Simon was a shining star. He established himself as a leader very quickly and has continued to show leadership throughout the entire Final Mile development. He has taken on multiple projects and works with a true sense of pride. He has shown dedication to our company. He has helped mold young installers into career oriented drivers. 2 of Simon’s previous Bright Sky installers have transitioned into fine JB Hunt Non-CDL drivers.   

Simon and his partner Wes are so good that Blair Child knows them by a first name basis and has referred to them as “the all-star team.” On special occasions, when there is any sort of VIP delivery that needs to be made or any sort of special project, Blair has asked that I put my best team or “all-star team” on that particular delivery. When he tells me this, I know that Blair really means to say is, “please send Simon on this delivery.” This has included deliveries to Whirlpool upper management personnel, Whirlpool On Tour projects, SWASH deliveries, Jenn Air Displays, the Ellen DeGeneres show, the Oprah Winfrey TV show, and many more priority projects and deliveries.

                Most recently Simon was asked to take on our biggest Multi Family site in SFS history: Park Place by Irvine Company.  Before the start of this project in June of 2014, we were told they were on a strict schedule to get these done. In our minds, we knew just the person for the job and apparently Irvine Company did as well. During the welcome process meeting, to our surprise, the Irvine Company representatives called out and asked specifically for Simon and Wes to complete this project. We knew immediately that Simon’s fantastic reputation had gone beyond the scope of just JB Hunt and Whirlpool. In 10 months, Simon delivered 4,972 total Major Appliances to a total of 992 living units and 2 leasing offices. During the duration of this project, Simon accomplished to have less than 1% damage returns (47 damage returns total). This project just completed 100% in April 2015.

                Simon is the most dedicated driver of our fleet. He is willing to take on any task at the drop of a dime. Simon is full of ideas and has helped in implementing some of our operational procedures. He helped me in organizing the “parts section” of my warehouse that has caught the eyes and the liking of Whirlpool Management including Stan Dubbert, Blair Child, and Rex Clark.  He has traveled to help out various accounts including Hayward, Las Vegas, Spanaway, San Diego, and even Philadelphia. He has gone above and beyond on numerous occasions. Simon is also one of the safest drivers on our fleet. Our account recently celebrated our 1 Year Accident Free streak on April 18^th, 2015. A streak that is unprecedented since the accounts inception. It was a team effort, with senior drivers like Simon that led our morale and commitment the entire way. He has 1 PD Claim in his 6.5 years and has had 0 accidents with FMS. Simon has currently 0 missing logs, scored 100% on his last audit, and is up to date in all compliance areas: Physical, CDL, and Annual Review. Other than his 1 PD claim (controversial in his/our eyes) he has been nearly flawless with FMS.

                Simon’s commitment and maturity is seen on and off duty. His sole motivation for his hard working lifestyle is his family. He has been married to his beautiful wife for 12 years and is a father to 3 lovely children (2 boys, 1 girl). I have had the pleasure of being able to interact with Simon outside of the workplace, and it is special to see a man who is as dedicated to his job as he is to his family. His 2 boys play little league baseball, and Simon is a part of the coaching staff on both teams. He lives a life on the go, and seems to never have time for rest, but he always rises to the occasion and keeps pushing forward with a smile on his face.

                It is with my honor and privilege to nominate Simon Garcia for Driver of the Month for April 2015. Thank you for all your professionalism, dedication, and hard work. We all greatly appreciate it!