Del Papa is where I rebuilt my life after Hurricane Katrina! I had moved here from New Orleans and was experiencing the culture shock that comes from that transition. Moving knowing you don’t have anywhere to go back to is tough. We had a “Katrina baby,” and were carrying a heavy load. I worked a bunch of different jobs, including offshore and at the railroad, but I wanted something stable and long-term. I had heard such great things about Del Papa Distributing. They had made a name for themselves, and I knew it was a good place to work. I was told, “If you can get on over there, you’ll be good.”
I interviewed to be a truck helper. I didn’t know if I was going to get hired, so I almost took another job, but thankfully I got the job! I started in the middle of the busiest time of the year – summer! It was hard work, early morning, and I didn’t know if I was going to make it; but I had a great team, learned how to operate a dolly, and made it! There was a lot of support at Del Papa. Supervisors told me to let them know if I needed anything and I knew we were in a good place. When I started working here, everything came together.
I had forklift experience from a prior job, so I knew I wanted to work in the warehouse. My supervisor saw a spot open up so I became an order builder in the warehouse. I got to use my forklift skills and took on more responsibility. I saw opportunity immediately – I recognized some things that could use improvement in the warehouse and I felt like I could make a difference. I was everywhere and my hard work was recognized! Eventually I was promoted to Warehouse Coordinator.
My favorite thing about working here is the opportunity it gave me. Professionally, I have been given more responsibility, leadership training, and my hard work has been recognized. Personally, I was able to move my family to a better spot and was shown a level of support I hadn’t had before. I went from bouncing around to finding a home here. I decided to stay and make it a career. I enjoy my job and now I’ve been here 17 years. This is a family– we take care of each other. I’m glad I came and I’m glad I stayed.
