Welcome Aboard: New HIres at MTS!

L to R: Procurement Specialist Jennifer Rider, Contract Specialist Ingrid Lopes, Manager of Procurement Sam Elmer, Procurement Specialist Troy Girard, Contract Administrator Antonio Monreal, Senior Procurement Specialist Claudine Aquino, Procurement Specialist Rocell De Gala, and Procurement Specialist Steve Augustyn. (Not Pictured – Director of Supply Chain & Operations Patrick Ma, Procurement Specialist Diana Singleton, Buyers Cathy Brown and Don Hill, and Procurement Assistant Ricardo Medina) / Taxicab Administraion Manager KenNelson

A New Link in the Chain – Patrick Ma, Director of Supply Chain & Operations

Managing a supply chain is tricky business. One wrong move can send a ripple effect of inefficiency and wastage through an agency. It is important that MTS ensures it has a strategic supply chain vision for its product and services sourcing to take the company from good to great. Patrick Ma joined MTS as the Director of Supply Chain and Operations, a new position that integrates both the Procurement and Stores departments.

Patrick has the knowledge and experience to harmonize the MTS supply chain to keep the MTS system running at an optimum level. Patrick has held similar senior management positions across large aerospace engineering companies for Qantas Airways in Australia and Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) in Asia. In between these roles, Patrick was the Senior Vice President at Unical Aviation in Los Angeles where he managed the entire business operations.

“A successful Supply Chain is the ability to harness big data and develop a robust business structure that allow the strategic leverage of all elements across a product life cycle,” said Patrick. “I’m also working on our organizational, system and process footprint within Inventory Operations and Procurement to improve functionality and efficiencies that will enable us to provide exceptional service levels to our customers.”

With more than 300,000 items valued in excess of $17 million located across three MTS warehouses and 22,000 annual purchase orders and contracts, it is critical to ensure a full integration of Procurement and Stores.

Supply Chain & Operations has recently restructured to add “Inventory Planning & Analytics” as an additional business unit to separate the planning and physical functions of inventory management to strengthen the service metrics related to inventory. The recruitment of required staff for the new business unit will commence soon with the Procurement team also taking on a new look through the recent recruitment of a Manager and two Procurement Specialists as listed below:

Sam Elmer, Manager of Procurement

Sam will oversee a team of 11 employees in MTS Procurement. He most recently worked in the procurement department at NCTD and at the Solis Group – a construction management and support services company for public agencies. “It’s important to have open communication in procurement – especially when it comes to delivery timelines and expectation of vendors and employees,” said Sam. “It’s an exciting time to help the agency move forward.”

Rocell De Gala, Procurement Specialist

Rocell previously worked in Dubai for 12 years for various supply chain companies, including CGG Veritas Services. Rocell will work on procurement activities for the IT and Marketing departments. She will also help with MTS Bus procurements. “Trustworthiness is very important for our relationships with MTS employees and our vendors,” said Rocell. “Trust builds confidence in the process and helps lead to successful outcomes.”

Jennifer Rider, Procurement Specialist

Jennifer’s previous role was a materials coordinator and procurement representative for Black & Veatch – a leading engineering, consulting and construction company. At MTS, Jennifer will work with the legal team and provide support for Rail procurements. “I think being responsive to the departments we work with from beginning to end is a critical component for the process to work,” said Jennifer. “Employees need to feel comfortable reaching out to us and having open communication. This helps keep the process on track.”

A New Sheriff in Town -

Ken Nelson, Taxicab Administration Manager

MTS has been administering the region’s taxicab regulations since the 1980’s and a former Sheriff’s Lieutenant has been hired to manage it all. Ken Nelson, a 30-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, will handle regulatory and enforcement duties for nearly 1,000 taxis in operation. “I’m excited about this opportunity,” said Ken. “Our goal is to help ensure that taxicabs operate safely within all the regulations of the industry.” Ken will oversee a team of 14 employees as part of the Taxicab Administration team.