#MVPMonday: Tony Garcia!

Happy MVP Monday everybody! This week we feature another amazing member of the team.  

Meet Tony Garcia, our Production Manager for Hit Parade Card!

Five years ago, Tony started out at our company as a fulfillment specialist in our warehouse.  After about a year, Tony transitioned into Hit Parade Card where he has risen through the ranks to become our production manager.

As the production manager of HP Card, Tony works diligently to make sure his team effectively and efficiently produces each Hit Parade card series you all have come to know and love.

What has been your biggest challenge at Dave and Adam’s?

“The biggest challenge so far has been making sure we have been able to keep up with the increase in demand for our Hit Parade card product.  There was no way to solve this challenge on my own. I had to work with our  great staff to improve our productivity and find solutions! My job was and is to make sure my team is always in a good position to succeed and do their jobs efficiently.”

Tony has been the longest tenured member of the Hit Parade card department and is proud of his personal contribution over the years. Witnessing the first hand growth of the product from its inception to where it is today has been an exciting journey.

“When I first started with HP Card, we did a lot of bulk runs. They’d be 100 count case runs (1,000 individual boxes per run) with anywhere from 13 to 16 cards per box.  Needless to say, working on a run like that took days.  Soon after we transitioned to single card box runs, 100 cards per run.  To this day, we still use that format. 

Back then we may have had five different product runs; where today, we have over 30 different runs. Starting out, we were using one box for everything with an in-house created label compared to now having printed boxes for our specific product series.  We’ve come a long way, and I don’t see an end in sight! Hit Parade Card will continue to grow and evolve.”

What have you learned about the card industry after being a part of it for five years?

“I’ve learned a lot.  One thing in particular is the hype value of a player coming into one of the four major professional sports leagues and their sudden rise/downfall depending on how well they played during the season. As a current player,you’re only as great as your last game in this industry.”

Because of the constant demand, there are many people working to make sure the product gets from our warehouse to the customer in a correct and efficient manor.

“From the sales team to the warehouse and everything in between, everyone puts in so much care and hard work. It really is remarkable. This company is built on people working hard day-in and day-out, together.”

Is there a particular moment or time about your experience here that is special to you?

“For me, it is definitely meeting the athletes at signings, pre-COVID obviously.  I’ve been lucky enough to have encountered many pro athletes and celebrities. All of them were humble and so easy to work with.  For me to single one out would be a disservice to them because they all had amazing words of encouragement and advice.  The one piece of advice that was similar from all of them was to enjoy life.  No matter your celebrity status, just go out everyday and enjoy the things life has to offer – like your family and friends. Take in every moment.”

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram to stay up to date on everything Dave & Adam’s!

Thank you for joining us for this week’s MVP Monday, and thank you Tony for being a part of the Dave & Adam’s family!