Career Paths: Alexis Rodriguez’s back-and-forth journey at Coors Distributing Co.

From the Golden Brewery to our can and bottle plants, Molson Coors’ manufacturing operations in Colorado are expansive. But our footprint is not limited to Golden.

Just a few miles away in Denver sits the Coors Distributing Company (CDC), which distributes our products throughout the Central region. Being such a large distributor, the CDC has a wide range of career opportunities for employees to pursue, and Alexis Rodriguez is among those who has taken horizontal career steps to expand his knowledge and expertise.

Alexis joined the CDC four-and-a-half years ago, working as a warehouse operator, moving product throughout the warehouse to assemble pallets of beer for distribution. Eager to learn more about sales and build his skillset, he talked to his manager about transitioning into a merchandising role, going to grocery or liquor store accounts every week to unload pallets, build end caps, stock coolers and keep backstock organized. And ever since making that first horizontal move to merchandizing, Alexis has transitioned back and forth between operations and sales.

“I had been part of operations for most of my career and was eager to take a different path and see new opportunities,” he said. “Working across functions has helped me gain the experience to be a well-rounded employee. I’ve been able to build a stronger understanding of both sides of the business, and this has helped me with daily decision making and filling in gaps.”

Over the past four years, Alexis has held positions as a warehouse operator, merchandiser, operations supervisor, merchandising supervisor and currently he’s back in the operations supervisor role. He notes that making these horizontal moves has allowed him to share his insights on different areas of the business. And most importantly, the knowledge he’s gained from horizontal and vertical moves has helped him become a better people manager today.

“Communication is key,” Alexis said, reflecting on the skills he’s built. “I feel the relationships that I built across functions is a huge part of my success at CDC. And what’s helped me most on my career path is having a team-oriented mindset, stepping up as a leader, thinking critically and being a problem solver.”

Through each career move Alexis made, his manager has been by his side offering advice, encouragement, constructive feedback and confidence that he can make a positive impact in different roles. And Alexis wants those on his team and beyond to feel that same support.

“I would highly encourage anyone to move across functions to pursue their interests and strengths,” he said. “Be open minded and take risks because you never know what opportunities will arise.”