Seeing my Team's "lightbulb moments"

Open the door to endless career possibilities

Category

A part of a winning Team

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Category A part of a winning Team

authorRichard M. designationMaterial Stores Manager

posted Date

My name is Richard, and I feel fortunate to support and lead Material Specialists as the Material Stores Manager at our Denver Hangar. I joined Southwest Airlines in 2013 as one of 8,000 new Employees when the Company acquired AirTran. Since my first official day as a Southwest Employee, I’ve worked with great Teams and uplifting Leaders who helped shape me into the Leader I am today.

Before my career in our Technical Operations (Tech Ops) Department, I worked on the line at a car manufacturing plant, where I built cars—nearly 600 of them!—daily. I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands, finding opportunities to learn more, and challenging myself to strive for greatness. Unfortunately, the manufacturing plant laid me off. My wife and I then moved from Kentucky back to our home state of Georgia. It was there I found a job at AirTran Airways. 

I worked in several roles, including as a Customer Service Agent. A friend introduced me to the Material Stores Team, where I soon transferred to a Material Specialist role. This opportunity allowed me to find a family in Tech Ops at AirTran and later at Southwest. Our Material Specialists organize, receive, inventory, and manage parts for aircraft. Each of our seven hangar locations houses a Material Store, which is essentially a warehouse of aircraft parts for our Material Specialist Teams to upkeep and maintain records. Each day is unique, and it’s rewarding work. 

As I grew in my role as a Material Specialist, my natural curiosity and passion for learning propelled me. I wanted to gain more exposure to the work happening behind the scenes. With the support of my Leaders in Atlanta, I became a Material Stores Supervisor. My Leader, Kim L., saw my potential and took me under her wing. She showed me the ropes and how to prepare for my next career move. After a year of mentorship, an opportunity as the Material Stores Manager in Denver opened. Nervous and unsure if I was ready, Kim gave me the confidence to apply, interview, and land the position! 

My family packed up and moved to Denver. We now enjoy embracing the outdoors and seeing the mountains. One of my favorite parts of the move is our Denver Team at Southwest. I've hired new Employees for our Materials Specialists Team, and we recently moved into our new aircraft maintenance hangar. Putting together a Team and Material Store from the ground up has been challenging yet rewarding. I’ve felt support from other Leaders throughout the Company, especially from Kim. Kim and I continue to talk regularly and lean on one another to solve problems and brainstorm creative solutions for storage, processes, or other challenges. Our close partnership is one I work to instill in my Team. 

With several Team Members new to maintenance or the aviation industry, I’ve felt fulfilled training and guiding them in their roles. Seeing their “lightbulb moment” when things start to make sense is special. I want to inspire each Employee to achieve their career goals as my Leaders did for me by offering experience and helping to shape their knowledge. I feel fortunate to work with People who care about what they do and what we accomplish as a Team.

That feeling of accomplishment is something I share with my Southwest Family and my family at home. My family of eight (yes, eight!) loves taking trips together. With the flight privileges at Southwest, I can now take my kids to see places that I dreamed of visiting growing up. Those memories and experiences together are possible because of my career. The Southwest Family changed not only my life but also my family too.

My advice to others? You’ll probably make some mistakes since nobody is perfect. Learn from those mistakes and notice how they make you better. I’ve tried to embrace the Southwest Culture, including our “work hard, play hard” mentality. Imparting that rewarding mentality in my personal life and while at work is a passion of mine. I feel fortunate I continue to learn and grow each day. Landing a career at Southwest Airlines was one of the best things to happen to me, and I’d recommend our Company to anyone looking for a new opportunity. At Southwest, I feel inspired to strive for more.

• Technical Operations
• Denver
• Aircraft Maintenance

AUTHORRichard M. designation Material Stores Manager

• Category

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