Izzy Ortiz, Employee of the Month

If you’ve ever had a chance to walk our warehouses, you know you’ll see employees pulling orders and storing excess inventory, among other things. Whenever you come across forklift number twenty-one, Izzy Ortiz is sure to greet you with a smile and a, “Hey, how;s it going?” Izzy works in our Wilsonville warehouse as a forklift driver for the Cash & Carry Department, but you will also find him helping out with other projects throughout the building. “Izzy is an outstanding employee. He is one of my most reliable overflow drivers, and I can rely on him for anything that I need done,” says Angie Buffeta, Cash & Carry Supervisor.

Izzy enjoys all of the friendships he’s made here at Houston’s over the last 10 years, and the flexible hours don’t hurt either, “I like that I am kind of my own boss. I know what I have to get done for the day and I can do it all on the forklift.” In addition to the experience he’s gained as a forklift operator for over 21 years, Izzy’s ability to manage his time effectively while going above and beyond what’s expected of him, contributed to his Employee of the Month achievement.

When his children were young, Izzy would do security work on the side, but since they’ve recently graduated, he now only provides security in the parking lot of his church during Sunday services. Before the services start, he can be found escorting church members to their seats as an usher. His favorite event to provide security for each year is his church’s Halloween festival, where he gets to see the kids dress up and enjoy the excitement that all of the festival activities have to offer.

While Izzy used to play softball on the Woodburn Co-Ed League and coach wrestling, leg surgery sidelined him, and he is now an avid fan still attending some of the softball games to help keep score. Izzy also loves to take full advantage of his time with family, whether it be barbecuing with his dad, or just spending quality time with relatives.

Thank you, Izzy, for your continued dedication, hard work, and sunny personality! Congratulations on earning the Portland Employee of the Month award for June 2017!