Carlos Cornejo has been a key contributor to the Anaheim plant since he first joined the team in 2007. Throughout Carlos’ career with Nor-Cal Beverage, he has worked in multiple locations including our Distribution Center and Production Facility. His experience and leadership skills are what make him a great Operations Manager.  As part of our May monthly employee feature, we are sharing Carlos’ story with his co-workers and friends.

Carlos was born in Santa Ana, California. His parents immigrated from El Salvador in the late 70’s and he is the oldest of 3 children. Carlos’ parents did their best to provide for the family. His mother worked a 9-5 job, and his father and grandmother owned and operated a catering business. The family decided to relocate to Los Angeles when Carlos started kindergarten. A year later, they relocated to Whittier, California where Carlos went to elementary school and middle school. Carlos attended Saint Paul High School and was a three-sport athlete. He played basketball, football and was also a member of the track team. Carlos graduated from high school in 2000 and continued his education at East Los Angeles College. Carlos played Junior College basketball for and was then scouted to play semi professional in Central America. Carlos decided to move to Central America and played for a club in El Salvador who was sponsored by Speed Stick. He travelled throughout Central America competing as well in different countries. By 2004, Carlos decided to return to the United States, and began looking for a job.

Carlos started working as a Bank Teller for Bank of California as soon as he returned. He was promoted to Banker and learned about real estate and loans. Shortly after, Carlos left the bank and began working for a real estate company as a Loan Officer. Carlos also worked part-time as a personal trainer at a local LA Fitness. His hours at the real estate company varied and it was no ordinary 9-5. After a year in real estate, Carlos decided to seek a more stable job. A friend from high school mentioned Nor-Cal Beverage and said he and his parents had been working for the company for many years. The friend also mentioned there were numerous open positions and encouraged Carlos to apply.

In 2007, Carlos started as a temporary employee in the Anaheim warehouse. Shortly after, he was hired as a regular, full-time employee and worked as a Lift Truck Operator. After a few years, Carlos transferred to the Distribution Center in Fullerton. By 2013, Carlos was promoted to Warehouse Supervisor on graveyard shift. Shortly after, the recession was at its peak in the United States and Nor-Cal Beverage was impacted. Carlos along with others on his team were temporarily laid off. During the time he was laid off, Carlos worked for a company as a production employee and gained experience in manufacturing. In 2014, Carlos returned to work at Nor-Cal Beverage. When he came back, Carlos was hired as a Production Supervisor. In 2018, Carlos left Nor-Cal Beverage to pursue another management opportunity for a kombucha manufacturing company. In 2019, Carlos became a Production Supervisor for a luxury goods company. Unfortunately, the company laid off several employees because of the pandemic a few months after Carlos started. To make sure Carlos was providing for his family, he started looking for another job. Fortunately, there was a Senior Warehouse Supervisor position available at Nor-Cal Beverage. Carlos was rehired and a year later in 2021, he moved into the Operations Management role which he holds today.

Carlos said he always found his way back to Nor-Cal Beverage because of the people.  “I have very good relationships with a lot of the people that work here, and it’s a family environment,” Carlos said. Carlos also likes the support he received from his coworkers over the years and those who guided him throughout his career with the company. “Work is always going to be work but the people you work with will always make this place so much better,” he said. Carlos enjoys supporting his team and likes how everyone works together to face everyday challenges. There is aways something new to learn and new challenges to face but he enjoys everything about it. “There are always new opportunities and you’re continuously learning, and I like to get better at what I do every day,” he said.

Carlos is happily married to his wife Janet of 13 years, and they have two children, Evan and Ava. Carlos works hard and continues to better himself for his family. “My family is my driving force and who I do everything for, they are my biggest motivation,” he said.  He loves to travel and visit new places with his family and support his children in their sporting competitions and games. Carlos enjoys going to see his favorite sports teams like the Dodgers, Lakers, and USC Trojans. He also enjoys cooking and collecting Marvel comics and figures.

Nor-Cal Beverage is fortunate to have encouraging leaders like Carlos who continue to contribute to our company’s success. Carlos’ hard work and dedication are what makes Nor-Cal’s Production team one of the best in the industry. Thank you, Carlos Cornejo, for the support you provide for your team and our company.