Editor’s Note: The following story highlights a veteran atIron Mountain. Committed to including talented members of the military community in its workplace, Iron Mountain is a client of Hirepurpose, a Task & Purpose sister company. Learn more here.
Jackie Melendrez couldn’t be prouder of her husband, her sons, and the fact that she works for Iron Mountain. This regional router has been a Mountaineer since 2017, and says the support she receives as a military spouse and mother is unparalleled.
Jackie’s husband Jesus has been a Marine since 1998, setting a precedent in the Melendrez family for serving the nation. Two of their three sons are in the military: One is a Marine and the other is in the Navy. While the demands of a military life means relocating frequently, Jackie has found a permanent home at Iron Mountain, thanks to its flexibility and understanding of her family’s situation. While she’s currently based in Yuma, Arizona, where her husband is stationed, she remotely dispatches and manages trucking routes in Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City markets.
When Jesus was originally reassigned to Yuma from San Diego, Jackie thought she’d have to leave the company; there are no Iron Mountain facilities in the area. It was a difficult reality for her because she loves her job.
However, Iron Mountain wasn’t willing to let her go. Her supervisor took it upon himself to email Jackie’s husband to let him know they’d take care of them. To keep her on the team, her managers came together, created a plan, and allocated the resources for her to work remotely.
“They really do care about military families, because they say, ‘Just because her husband is relocating, it’s not fair that she has to let go of what she’s passionate about,'” she says. “That really meant a lot to me and my family.”
Jackie has moved up the ranks during her time at Iron Mountain, driven by her passion for her job and its team culture. While she’s excited about what lies ahead, being able to pass on her knowledge and contribute to the tight-knit family environment is what she’s looking forward to the most.
“It gives me the opportunity to be a mentor,” she says. “I’m out here training employees, and I just like the pleasure of making someone’s day easier.”
Although she works remotely, Jackie still feels like a connected team member. She talks to her colleagues every day, and travels to each market on a regular basis. For Jackie, her team is a family where everyone helps each other be successful.
“It encourages me to keep moving forward and push because I feel like the support is there,” she explains. “They say, ‘You know what, Jackie, there’s a future for you here.'”
Jackie recalls her son’s graduation from Marine boot camp as another example of how supportive the company has been. She had just started working for Iron Mountain a few weeks before and didn’t have the vacation time accrued to make it to the ceremony in Florida. The day before the event, her manager found out about the graduation and made sure she could go.
Within hours, she was on a plane to Virginia to see her son follow in his father’s footsteps. For Jackie, that moment sums up why she loves Iron Mountain and values the fact that many of her managers have military backgrounds.
“I’m emotional, because I just felt like Iron Mountain cared about my family and about me being happy,” she says. “They know what they went through and they use that to connect to the rest of the team, and it makes us stronger as a company that we’re all united.”
This post is sponsored by Iron Mountain