From a college intern with H-E-B's Tech Services to VP of Engineering
What’s your H-E-B story?
Back in 1999, I was going to school at the University of Texas at Austin getting a degree in Computer Science when I started talking to one of my parents’ neighbors about an internship at H-E-B. Having grown up in San Antonio, I was familiar with H-E-B but had no idea they offered internships. My understanding of H-E-B didn’t extend much beyond what took place at the stores. Then he told me that the company offered internship opportunities at their corporate headquarters that involved the technology that keeps the operations running on the back end. Safe to say, I was intrigued.
When applications opened for summer internships, I applied. During the interview process, my eyes were opened to just how much complexity is involved in our operations. Behind one can of corn on the shelf, there is an entire process for seamlessly getting it there that is maintained by our amazing Partners and supported by some pretty complex technology… even back in 1999! I was accepted into the program as a sophomore and joined what was then our Info Center team, which is basically tech services. We were the Partners who fixed computers, imaged laptops, repaired printers, etc.
During my junior year, I returned to the summer internship program but this time I had gained enough experience in programming that I was given the opportunity to intern with the software engineering team. At the time, it was called CSO (Computer Store Ordering) but eventually became SRS (Store Replenishment System), which is still what we use today. It was a fantastic experience, I learned so much about technology and programming, but also about H-E-B and our culture.
You must have liked H-E-B, to stick around after your internship was up!
I was hooked! The work has always been super exciting because we’re working on creative solutions to complex grocery and retail challenges that help us meet the needs of our communities. It’s exciting work with a purpose. We’re a retailer, not a big technology company like Google or Meta, so with that comes some limitations, but honestly that just makes us more creative! The other major piece to this is I also just love H-E-B and the people I get to work with. We’re all working towards a common goal with a shared mission. By contributing to H-E-B, we’re ultimately contributing to our communities and fellow Texans, and getting to do so alongside equally passionate and talented individuals. It doesn’t get better than that.
It’s exciting work with a purpose.
What did your journey look like after your internship ended?
I graduated college in 2002 and was then offered a full-time job as a Software Engineer with IS at H-E-B (now called Digital), which I immediately accepted. It’s crazy to think there were only 400 of us back then! Many years later, I left the company for a couple of years, and then came back in 2011 to take on a leadership role owning our inventory system. At that time, we were making a big push to centralize our important data, and our inventory existed in multiple different locations which, as you can imagine, caused some confusion. So, we worked to bring it all together to one central location. Since then, that work has expanded to other data, including product, pricing, and supplier data.
For several years, I owned e-Commerce fulfillment as well which gave me a wide breadth of understanding of the pieces of our business that I was missing up to that point — namely supply chain, web and ecommerce, etc. At a later point, I was given the opportunity to own the San Antonio Development Center. This program helped us find interns and fill-entry level positions for software developers at H-E-B.
That’s very full circle — from being an intern yourself, to taking ownership of the San Antonio Development Center. How was that for you?
It definitely gave me a unique perspective. Since I had been a Software Development intern at the start of my career, I was familiar with some of the questions they asked because I had many of the same questions about the process. That experience was able to inform some of the work we did to remodel the program and provide the answers and context our interns needed to thrive in the program. I really enjoyed being in this position!
So, now, you are our VP of Engineering. What would you say is your favorite part of your current role?
The opportunity to build the environment that supports Partners on their paths to success – that’s my favorite part. Whether that’s creating the tools and the information they need to grow their career, helping my leaders navigate obstacles, or clearing paths for Partners to reach their goals, it’s so fulfilling. Then, there’s ultimately celebrating with them when their goals are reached. It’s the part of my job that I enjoy the most.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Building digital products is not always well-defined from the start. So often, when we’re trying to build software, we don’t always know 100% what we’re trying to build when we start. It starts with understanding what we are ultimately trying to deliver, and then navigating building it within budget and on schedule while also selecting the best technology. Overall, we want the product to be sustainable and able to serve H-E-B for many years to come, so we’re not building something that gets shelved after only a few years,
What’s next for you in your career?
Recently, some new teams joined my organization — the manufacturing team, warehousing and transportation team, and the mainframe team. Previously, I had owned the custom-built application side of the house and now we’ve joined all the systems together under a single enterprise organization. So, there’s a lot of work to do with integrating those teams and figuring out how we can best support the company and the Partners. So, bringing the organization together and making sure everyone feels equally valued and giving our Partners the support they need to achieve the career they want at H-E-B… that’s what next for me.
How do you feel your contributions are valued?
Our team regularly feels the appreciation from our Store and MWT Partners when it comes to the tools they use. We’re tightly connected to them, so they’re open and honest when sharing feedback with us. We get a lot of positive feedback, but we also get suggestions and critiques that we work to address quickly so we can continue supporting the great work our Partners do.
What advice would you give someone who wants to work for H-E-B?
As a Partner or Leader, always be thinking about how you can support your team. Working at H-E-B and helping the communities we serve is a team effort, we can’t do it without each other. Do what you can to support what the company needs, because ultimately you are supporting your communities and fellow Texans.
