This profile originally appeared in the Winter 2025 edition of Medlines, the in-house magazine for Medline employees.

Name: Fred Alfaro
Title: Warehouse supervisor
Current location: Wilmer, Texas
Started with Medline: February 1992

HOW IT ALL BEGAN: “I was 24 and working in construction, framing houses. But in January and February in the Chicago area, you don’t want to frame houses. One day, it was snowing and snowing and we were still out there. We went to a restaurant to warm up, and at the table next to us, someone said, ‘Hey, did you see those three guys out there trying to build a house?’ They were talking about us, not knowing we were in the booth next to them. Soon after, I went to Medline, thinking I’d work there for a year and go back to construction. But I’ve been blessed to be here for 33 years.”

FIRST MEDLINE JOB: “I started as an order picker in Mundelein, Ill., at the corporate office for about 13 years before I moved to Texas. I’ve jumped around to a lot of different spots in multiple roles – on the receiving dock, in home patient care, as international shipping coordinator, as a special projects coordinator and eventually into the warehouse, where I’ve gone from receiving lead to supervisor and to the spot I am now as replenishment supervisor.”

MY WORK IN A SENTENCE: “My role is to replenish warehouse locations with product so orders can be picked and sent out to the customer in as timely a fashion as possible.”

THE BIGGEST CHANGE: “Technology. We barely had computers when I first started. We were working off index cards and triple carbon-copy pick tickets. When I started in the warehouse, we’d look through index cards to find where items were located. AutoStore is light years ahead.”

NO. 1 LESSON FROM MEDLINE: “Stay calm and get the facts and data before you make decisions. No assumptions, just facts.”

AT HOME: “I’m in a blended family – my wife, Irene, and our four sons and two daughters, plus 10 grandkids. I love family time, hanging out at the house, doing whatever makes the family happy.”

OUTSIDE MEDLINE, YOU’LL FIND ME … “Working on my honey-do list, which I don’t mind. I also love to go fishing. I’ve been doing it since I was 5 or 6 with my dad and uncles. I enjoy sports – going to a baseball game or whatever good game I can find. I’ve lived in Texas for 20 years, but I’m still a big Chicago Bears and Cubs fan.”

HIDDEN TALENT: “Growing up, I learned how to play the saxophone. I don’t think a lot of people at work know that.”

WHAT HAS KEPT ME AT MEDLINE? “I enjoy the work I’m doing. I like to share the knowledge I’ve built over the years. I want to help Medline grow and prosper. You can still grow in a company this size, starting at the bottom and working your way up. At a lot of companies, you can’t do that. At Medline, if you have the ability and the desire, they’ll teach you. I try to help everyone who’s under me because I want to help them move up to the next level, too.”

Interested in becoming part of the Medline team? Visit the careers section of Medline.com to learn more about the roles and opportunities available.