Rick Garcia
Director, Corporate Field Support, Buildings & Systems Engineering, retd.
United Parcel Service (UPS)
Rick Garcia joined the DAB in the Fall of 2020. He is the Director of Buildings and Systems Engineering (BaSE) at UPS in Southern California. UPS has over 20 CSULA alumni working in the BaSE department throughout Southern California. BaSE is responsible for maintaining facilities, equipment, and implementing new innovations for its package sorting operations.
Rick started his UPS career in 1991 as a part-time package handler while attending California State University, Fresno. Upon graduation from Fresno State with a Bachelor’s of Science in Construction Management, he began his full-time career in the UPS Plant Engineering Department. Through assignments in facilities management and project management, Rick was able to advance and work in many engineering roles throughout California and in Florida.
Rick is also a U.S. Army veteran who served as an A.D.A. Intelligence Specialist at Ft. Stewart, GA, and as a California Army National Guardsman. Along with the Leadership skills learned in the military, his greatest achievement in the Army was obtaining his Airbourne Paratrooper certification along with the Army Achievement and Commendation medals.
Rick’s goal as a Dean's Advisory Board member is to reach out to Engineering students and share his journey with them. Working for a Corporation is not the typical sought-after engineering job following graduation. But Rick likes to share how many corporations have needs for engineers for their analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and innovation-driven ideas. Being able to give an industry perspective gives students other options where to seek career opportunities to utilize their education, talents, and skills learned at Cal State LA and the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology. “Engineers make things work.”