Meet Ralph!
Ralph Martinez joined SRSI in late November 2021 as the newest addition to the Customer Success team at SRSI. He has been a wonderful addition to the crew as an Automation Service Technician. Originally from Garden City, Kansas, Ralph’s industry experience began at a vocational school where he worked as an automotive machinist. He then spent 20 years in the US Navy, where he traveled and resided in Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and most predominantly, Hawaii and Japan. Ralph did a lot of technical work and served as a Gunner’s Mate, a highly specific job in this branch.
After Ralph served in the Navy, he became a cabinet maker. He has always enjoyed working with wood and using his creativity, so it seemed like the best fit for him post-service. He worked with a master cabinetmaker for three years until he took a technician position with a meat processing company. Ralph was with this company for 15 years before joining SRSI, an opportunity he felt he could not pass up at the time.
“I saw one of the major projects SRSI was commissioning and decided to join the team. I have the basic skills required for a lot of the opportunities here,” Ralph mentions. He went on to describe how he enjoys learning and growing from new experiences and endeavors, as well as the importance of keeping an open mind in situations. “I’ll be wearing multiple hats in this position,” he adds, “and I look forward to giving each customer my full attention, time of day, and intentional listening.”
Ralph values the power of asking questions. “No questions are dumb questions, and I know I can provide beneficial insight by asking myself and listening to others,” he states. Ralph has always been a ‘floor person,’ meaning he knows all about day-to-day operations, common challenges that can arise, and how daily warehouse workers think and feel. Building solutions around applications for daily workers is a major focus at SRSI, and Ralph provides that added perspective which ultimately benefits individuals consistently interacting with the solutions SRSI delivers.
Ralph agrees that the material handling industry is moving further towards automation and optimizing current spaces and operations for efficiency and growth. He comments, “It’s pretty amazing to watch [solutions] unfold and perform well.” Implementing smart systems that take up less space and increase efficiency is what brings a competitive edge to companies nowadays, and Ralph does a great job of adapting to and learning the ever-changing technologies.
After experiencing life in Tokyo, Ralph appreciates living in a small town. He believes big cities are great and has a passion for traveling but also enjoys the serenity of smaller crowds, wide-open spaces, and the time and space to work on cars. He specifically loves working on his 1970 Pontiac LeMans convertible! One of Ralph’s favorite quotes is, “True power is sitting back and observing everything with logic. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass.”
When Ralph started with SRSI, he was told he would travel frequently, which he mentioned he has already begun. He says he’s “ready to hit the ground running,” and is excited to learn about the many industry verticals SRSI serves. The Customer Success Team and the rest of the SRSI crew are eager to have him aboard.
