CONTRIBUTED
David Vasquez, supervisory consumer safety inspector (SCSI) at Establishment (Est.) M675 in Hereford, Texas, has been with FSIS for 28 years. He supervises 20 food inspectors (FI), 4 consumer safety inspectors (CSI) and 2 intermittent FIs. He also juggles a variety of tasks.
He supervises 20 food inspectors (FI), 4 consumer safety inspectors (CSI) and 2 intermittent FIs. He also juggles a variety of tasks. In addition to ensuring regulatory compliance, he mentors, manages training and resolves staffing issues, and then there’s administrative items such as time and attendance sheets, workers compensation forms and travel vouchers. He also spends time recruiting new FIs and CSIs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he attended community and university job fairs to recruit new hires; now, he participates in virtual job fairs.
Vasquez attended Southwest Texas State University (now known as Texas State University) and studied physical education with the intent of being a high school coach. Plans change, and Vasquez began working in the food industry when he was 21. He served as a quality control (QC) inspector at two “sister” plants in San Carlos and McAllen, Texas that prepared meals for the military. He quickly moved up the ranks and became QC supervisor. Vasquez learned of FSIS opportunities through CSI Pete Rodriguez, who was the FSIS inspector-in-charge at both plants. In 1993, Vasquez joined FSIS as a relief inspector in Amarillo, Texas, and said, “Working in industry as a quality control inspector helped me easily transition to FSIS. My experience included pre-operational sanitation, operational sanitation, sampling and all aspects of food safety – just like FSIS.” He later transitioned to an in-plant FI. After six years with FSIS, he was promoted to CSI and, in 2008, he was promoted again to SCSI.
Vasquez does not credit any one person as his mentor.
“Early in my career, I was a relief inspector, and I met many inspectors and supervisors. I learned a lot from all of them; I saw different approaches and formed my own managerial style,” he said.
Vasquez has been married for 30 years, Vasquez and his wife Sandra have three adult children, Shelby, Bianca and David, and three grandchildren, Zane, Bella and Colt, whom he enjoys teaching about food safety. An avid outdoorsman, Vasquez loves to fish and hunt. When the time comes, he hopes retirement includes more fishing for speckled trout, redfish and flounder. Every fall, he looks forward to a big reunion with family and friends in the Rio Grande Valley.
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