Associate Testimonials

In 1997 while I was still in high school, I started working for Publix in the produce warehouse as a part time In-house Maintenance associate. I was proud to have a job at Publix even if I was cleaning floors in the Maintenance department. It didn't take me long to realize that I wanted Publix to be where I made my career. After I graduated, I became a full-time Class C Technician. And through my years here, I have progressed to my current position as Forklift Technician, Class A. I enjoy the challenge and opportunity to grow and learn within the department. This is one of the many reasons why all of these years later I am still here.

My coworkers have become my second family. We are always there for each other and take pride in doing the best job we can for our company. In return, the training and career opportunities Publix offers to all of us are unmatched.

I enjoy being asked where I work because I can say Publix. Not only does Publix take care of me as an associate and go above and beyond for their customers, but they have such a huge impact on the community. I am honored to be part of the Publix family.

I have worked in the industrial maintenance field for more than 25 years. Since 2011, I have been working for the Industrial Maintenance Department at the Publix Deli Kitchen, which was my first real experience working in the food industry. I have experienced and appreciated the commitment Publix has to food safety and equipment sanitation that all associates here strive to maintain.

The work here is interesting and dynamic, whether it is helping the operators with an equipment issue or working on new equipment projects or upgrades. The time spent here does not seem like work. My position affords me the opportunity to work with the automated systems we have in place including PLCs, HMIs and servo systems. My co-workers are a great group of people, and we enjoy helping each other at work or home by sharing ideas and experiences.

When I moved to Lakeland, I immediately became a Publix customer because of the quality products and overall cleanliness in our stores. It is a pleasure to walk through a store now and know that I am one of the people responsible for bringing these quality products to our stores. My only regret is that I did not pursue a career here sooner.

Working for Publix has been a great experience for me. I started as a Warehouse Selector in the produce department of the Atlanta Distribution Center. From there I moved to the dairy plant where I held several different positions in milk processing. It was my role as a Valve Rebuild Technician that led to my joining the refrigeration team as a Refrigeration Technician trainee. From there I eventually worked my way into my current role as the Orlando Refrigeration Manager. I have had the good fortune of working with some wonderful people. My managers have always been interested in understanding my goals and aspirations and supporting me throughout my career. I was able to use the Publix tuition reimbursement program to attain my Bachelor's degree in Engineering.

In my current role, I have the opportunity to develop other technicians and support their growth. I strongly believe that if you are passionate about your job and open to learn and grow that Publix will help you grow your career. There are always opportunities in Publix as long as one is willing to put in the work and the time that is required to succeed.

It is great to work for a company that also cares about the community. A couple of the charities that my team has had the privilege of being involved with include March of Dimes and Habitat for Humanity. I am proud to have worked for this company since 2000 and hope to continue for many more years to come.

I started my career as an ice cream stacker at Publix in the dairy processing facility in 1994. I was responsible for hand palletizing bundles of frozen dairy products for storage prior to shipping. After working in several production-related jobs in the dairy processing plant, I joined Industrial Maintenance as a Maintenance Trainee. This gave me opportunities to work throughout the processing facility with talented technicians. The training I received gave me the confidence to work on many types of equipment.

When I completed the trainee position, I worked in the Ice Cream Department as a Maintenance Technician and watched the creation of the Greek yogurt line from concept to reality. In 2016, I was promoted to the Assistant Department Manager of the Dairy Processing Facility. Throughout my years here I have met many new technicians, and I always ask them how they are adjusting. Most of the time I get the same two answers. 1) I am just trying not to get lost because this place has a lot of doors and 2) everybody seems happy here! They also usually want to know how I like working at Publix. And, I tell them that I love it. If that's not a reason to think I work in the best company out there today, I don't know what would be.

I think Publix is the best place to work because of the way we are treated as well as how we treat each other. I work with a group of people who are always interested in producing the highest quality product available and maintaining good morale in our company. We all work hard to produce the best products we can manufacture to please our customers.

I have been truly blessed to be a member of the Publix family. My career with the company began more than twenty years ago when I was hired to work in the Industrial Maintenance Department. I found the work to be very interesting and it was exciting that I was learning so many different things.

The opportunities to learn and grow were (and still are) plentiful, and I took full advantage of them. The professional development provided by Publix has enabled me to gain a significant amount of expertise in the various areas of Industrial Maintenance and paved the way to promotions.

Before I came to Publix, I never thought that I would be able to achieve the many accomplishments that I have, but here I am today as a successful Industrial Maintenance Class A Technician. Working on the many different challenging projects has made me a much stronger person, personally and professionally. Each project is different and has challenges of its own, but I see those challenges as opportunities to learn something new.

I view every day as a new adventure and thoroughly enjoy working for the company. Publix offers awesome benefits and great professional development opportunities.

I have always been fascinated with how things work and this is the main reason I have been involved with automation and industrial maintenance for the span of my career. In 2009, I was working with an automotive company in Michigan that was about to close its doors. It was then that I decided that I wanted more stability in my career. One of my coworkers told me his brother worked for “a company in Florida called Publix Super Markets.” He also told me that his brother had worked for Publix for more than 20 years and he loved his job. I did some research and was amazed at how highly people spoke of Publix, and I knew this was exactly what I was looking for.

After posting my resumé, I was called in for an interview and testing, and ultimately I was hired. Early on, I learned about Publix’s culture of promotion from within. I have experienced this myself as my career has progressed in such a short amount of time. I began my career at Publix at the Deli Plant in Lakeland as a Maintenance Technician – Class A and then transferred to Deerfield Beach as an ASRS Technician - Class A. In just a little more than one year, I was promoted to a Lead Technician/ Maintenance Planner position which I held for about three years. After gaining experience as the Lead Technician and participating in the mentoring program, I was promoted to a Front Line Supervisor in the Orlando Refrigerated Warehouse which I held for two years. Then opportunity came around again, and I was promoted to Assistant Department Manager at the Dairy Plant in Dacula, GA. I am still amazed with Publix and their culture. I’m happy to have found a company which puts associates first and it shows with how satisfied the associates are. Hard work does not go unnoticed here, and I truly believe that you can be as successful as you want to be.

In 2007, I lost my technician job with an engineering firm due to the poor economy. My brother, a Maintenance Technician at the Publix bakery plant in Lakeland, suggested that I apply for a maintenance technician opening. I had some formal engineering and electrical training in college, and I also had experience working for a contractor in the phosphate industry. I applied and the plant engineer gave me a chance and hired me.

I had never seen most of the equipment I was working on. I learned as much as I could, both on the job and on my own at home, and this helped me quickly become a valuable technician to the maintenance team. I also pressed forward and finished my Associate's degree while working night shift. About three years after joining Publix, I moved to the dairy plant when the Assistant Department Manager position became available in maintenance.

This was a whole new ball game for me because I had never managed people before. Publix provided training, and I received advice along the way from my peers to help me become a good manager. Also, working in the dairy industry was a lot different from where I came from so it took a lot of effort to learn. I was in this position for nearly six years, learning new things every day. Exposure to the wide variety of equipment was invaluable to my experience. During my sixth year, the incumbent Plant Engineer retired, and I was awarded the Plant Engineer position in 2016. I look forward to the opportunity to grow and advance in my current and future positions. Publix provides great opportunities for anyone who is willing to put in the effort.

When I came to Publix in 1991, I started off in a part-time job in the Frozen Food Department. I was so impressed by the fact that by my second day every manager knew my name and made me feel welcome. Within a month, I was offered a full-time position.

A year or so later my manager called me and said that he knew of my mechanical background and wanted to know if I had any interest in working in the Maintenance Department. This was during a project involving the deconstruction of the racks and conveyors in the Dairy. By the time this project was complete, I was given the opportunity to transfer to the Building Maintenance Department as a Welder/Mechanic.

As a former heavy equipment mechanic I enjoyed the fact that there were so many different types of equipment to work on. Not long after I joined the Building Maintenance team, I earned a promotion to Class A Mechanic in the Automated Storage and Retrieval (ASRS) Department and have since progressed to Lead Mechanic for my Department.

I have always liked the fact that all the managers I have had over the years encourage me to recognize my strengths while also challenging me to learn more. The skills I have learned at Publix are valuable, but the most important thing I have realized is that it is easy to come to work every day if you enjoy what you're doing.