An Interview With Image Depot’s Hector Lopez

With 21 years served in the United States Navy and 21 years working at Image Depot – many of them overlapping – Hector Lopez has a work ethic that would make Jerry Rice blush. A veteran of Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Hector has risen through the ranks of both the Navy and the printing world. He’s known around the Image Depot office as a “five-tool” guy who can do it all. Serving as the company’s Purchasing Manager and Customer Service guru, Hector keeps the Image Depot house in order and our customers happy. Hector’s energy and dedication to customers keep him moving at a pace reminiscent of Usain Bolt running a 100 meter sprint, but we managed to tie him down long enough to interview him and discover what makes him tick!

So, what does a Purchasing Manager & Customer Service guru do all day?

As the Image Depot Purchasing Manager, I keep inventory up to snuff by continuously monitoring our stock and back order reports to make sure we’re prepared. I also manage our shipping, making sure that our daily routes are manageable so that we can deliver on what we promise.

As for customer service, it’s my job to make sure our customers’ requests are fulfilled and their questions are answered. I consider our customers as friends, and treat them like friends.

How has your career at Image Depot progressed?

I’ve done pretty much everything! Twenty-one years ago, I started out as a driver. Before long, I was working in the warehouse, then in customer service and eventually in management. It’s been a great experience. I feel like I know every part of how this business works, and the experience has made me better at my job today.

What do you love most about working here?

The family atmosphere. It really does feel like a second home. We work together, we eat together, we laugh together and sometimes, we get on each other’s nerves! We work hard and have fun doing it. There’s no hierarchy here. We treat each other as equals, no matter what our title is. It keeps us all on the same level and makes us more productive.

What advice do you give to your colleagues about customer service?

Our first and foremost job is to give our customers the best possible products and service. They deserve it. They come to us because they expect the best, and that’s what we have to provide every day. If we succeed, our customers succeed, and vice versa. They’re part of the Image Depot family.

What’s your favorite sports team?

I’m a proud native New Yorker, so the New York Giants and Yankees are my lifetime favorites. But when it comes to college football, I bleed green and orange for the Miami Hurricanes. It’s all about the U!

What’s your favorite memory of working at Image Depot?

It’s impossible to single out one thing. I love our Friday afternoon card games, the team cruises we went on and all of our outings to games. But my favorite regular event is probably our “Chef of the Month” gathering. We choose one person each month to cook for the whole team. Coming from a proud Puerto Rican heritage, family and food are very important to me. Getting a chance to taste so many different dishes is amazing!

In your opinion, what’s the hottest product in the print market right now?

Wide format inks. The industry has mostly moved from offset to wide format, and the ink industry now offers an incredible array of choices. We carry inks for Canon, Epson, HP, Mimaki, Mutoh and Roland inks. Every great image starts with great inks!