In July, the OmniCable Tampa branch hosted Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School’s Matthew Fernandez as he shadowed employees. Fernandez and Phoenix Robotics (school robotics team) have been interacting with OmniCable since January of 2020 when the team needed a submersible cable for their competition underwater remote-operated vehicle. The company donated the cable they needed for their robot. Unfortunately, the competition was canceled in 2020, but the team was able to compete regionally and internationally from August 3 – 8, 2021. The international competition was at East Tennessee State University, where they used the robot that included the cable we donated from 2020! At the international competition, they placed 3rd overall in the world, 1st for their marketing display which will be published in the Journal of Ocean Technology, 1st for their technical documentation, and 3rd in the pool.

During his time at OmniCable, Fernandez was exposed to the various aspects of what a “day in the life” of an OmniCable employee looks like. Employees took time to explain the “why” and “how” about processes, the organization, and the industry. Employees explained that they are one part of a large process, truly providing depth to Fernandez’s experience. Before his time with OmniCable, Fernandez acknowledged that the distribution center is what he thought would be the most interesting aspect of his shadowing, and the team did not let him down. Although he enjoyed the distribution center experience, he was surprised to find how his time with OmniCable’s sales team opened his eyes to the technical side of what OmniCable salespeople go through daily.

Fernandez said he was grateful for the opportunity and learning the supply chain process in an industry supportive of his educational focus, mechanical engineering, specializing in robotics and automation.

“I enjoyed my experience at OmniCable very much and learned quite a bit. It was very interesting to see the different dynamics between workers and responsibilities, as well as how they linked together to create one cohesive team/company,” said Fernandez.