Patty Velazquez joined the SIGMA team 20 years ago to handle billing for all of the SIGMA warehouses. Within a year, she had worked her way up to Accounts Receivable, and then moved to Accounts Payable in the Imports Division, where she spent the next 18 years. Recently, Patty was promoted to Import, Logistics, & Compliance Manager, which in a company like SIGMA is a huge responsibility. Patty takes it in stride: “I am used to a heavy workload. My number one objective is to keep SIGMA’s best interest in the forefront, and that means looking at everything—I am focused on the pipeline from start to finish. SIGMA must meet our deadlines in order to maintain customer satisfaction. I am constantly monitoring and managing–when did the shipment hit the water, when is it expected to arrive in port? When does the customer need it? What does the sales team require?”
Patty’s experience is invaluable to both customers and to SIGMA, and her work ethic is unparalleled, “Because I work in imports, I am always responding to emails at night. The integrity of SIGMA, and our adherence to compliance regulations are critically important, and I work hard to ensure that we are always compliant. We have to balance freight costs, supplier costs, and prompt delivery and service for our customers, and that all factors into what I manage daily. Recently, the tariffs have made things a bit more complicated, but we are managing.”
When Patty talks about being a member of the SIGMA family, she means it literally—at one point, there were five members of her family—her husband, two sisters-in-law, and two brothers–working at SIGMA. When she is not handling import logistics and compliance for SIGMA, she and her husband often visit New York City. They are movie buffs, and also amusement park enthusiasts; “It keeps us young,” she says with a smile. They also make an effort to visit family who live out of state a couple of times a year—“we aim for winter trips because they live in warm climates!”
Patty can be reached at pv1@sigmaco.com or 609 241 7483.
We congratulate Patty on her promotion and thank her for 20 years of stellar service. Best wishes for continued success!