After Abdallah Moukhtar died last September, his family needed to figure out what to do with his collection of Funko Pops! — all 1,100 of them.
Lifestyle
Saraphina Scott is going places at Best Buy. And she's proudly sharing her Diné (Navajo) culture each step of the way.
A few employees reflected on what the day means to them.
Jiggy Oliva was seeking a place to work for a few months during the 2018 holiday season. He got a job at Best Buy and never left.
He started as a seasonal employee at our distribution center in Compton, California, where his brother, Cesar Cervantes, had started working during the previous holiday season. Jiggy landed a permanent part-time role the following January and is now talking about moving into a full-time role.
“I was just looking to make a little money on the side for the holidays,” he said.
Many people think of a distribution center as a place where most of the jobs are for men — unloading trucks, driving forklifts and operating pallet jacks.
But don’t tell that to Stephanie Jackson. She oversees the day-to-day operations for three Best Buy facilities, including our distribution center in San Francisco.
“I have never felt with Best Buy that I was being held back because I’m a woman,” she said. “I’ve always been encouraged to develop.”
Stephanie is one of a growing number of women who have found successful careers as leaders in Best Buy’s supply chain network.
The Brooklyn Public Library system in New York has played a special role in Nadine Cabrera’s life.
She got a part-time job at the Bay Ridge Library when she was 15 years old, helping visitors check out and return books. Then, in March 2019, a new Best Buy Teen Tech Center opened at the Kings Highway Library, and Nadine was hired to run it.
“I never had specific career goals. I just wanted a job that would allow me to keep a roof over my head,” she said.
Best Buy strives to attract and invest in talent that reflects the diversity of all communities and fosters an inclusive culture that embraces our differences.
We want all our employees to have an opportunity to achieve their dreams. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re highlighting a few of the many Latinx employees across the company who are doing just that.
Here are their stories.
Mario Hernandez, Territory Vice President, Fort Worth, TX
Mario Hernandez grew up with a large, multigenerational family in a small duplex in New Orleans.
Kelvin Tolston lives every day like it could be his last because one day it almost was.
He was hit by a drunk driver 10 years ago, and the wreck almost cost him his life. He was put in a medically induced coma and lost sight in his right eye.
For Kelvin, every moment matters — and the Geek Squad manager brings that philosophy to how he treats customers, too.
“I’ve been through times I needed people to do stuff for me I couldn’t do for myself,” he said.
A full-time teacher, part-time tech expert and a father of five all walk into a room. His name is Justin.
Justin Feil has devoted the past decade to educating and inspiring future generations. From teaching toddlers to schooling seniors, he’s made a difference for hundreds of students, most recently as a special education teacher in Bakersfield, California.
“I absolutely love challenging these students to learn, grow and be their best selves,” he said.
Justin has a lot on his plate right now.
While schools and extracurriculars are in flux because of the pandemic, teens are still searching for ways to learn, grow and be heard. So, it has become essential for our Best Buy Teen Tech Centers — and the coordinators who run them — to find new ways to stay connected with youth.
Best Buy Teen Tech Centers are safe, after-school spaces that provide opportunities for teens to learn new tech skills, stay on track with school, gain exposure to new career possibilities and benefit from positive adult and peer relationships.
Kevin Arlinghaus was at home watching television when he smelled smoke.
“It didn’t smell like a barbecue. It smelled like burning plastic,” he said.
Kevin — who works for Best Buy subsidiary GreatCall — went outside to investigate and soon discovered a fire in a nearby garage at his townhome community in Carlsbad, California. Within minutes, the garage was fully engulfed in flames.
Kevin is now being hailed as a hero after calling 911 and helping save a 93-year-old woman and her adult grandson.
As many people struggled with how to remain socially connected during a time of social distancing, Phillip England found solace in the fictional worlds — and real-life connections — of online gaming.
For Phillip, a Geek Squad Agent in Arizona, that wasn’t a big change from his routine prior to COVID-19. The avid gamer would regularly conquer missions on Arma 3, a military game that led him to collaborate with players from around the world, many of whom he now calls friends.