Meet Tom, Portillo’s GM and U.S. Army Specialist

[Intro Music]

My name is Tom Mater. I was in the US Army as a specialist and currently, for Portillo’s, I’m a general manager out in Tempe, Arizona and I’ve been with Portillo’s now 13 years.

Really when I got out of the military was kind of how to manage and how to lead with purpose, how to do things with a sense of urgency, working with a team and working shoulder to shoulder with everybody it’s kind of like the same thing we do here at Portillo’s. Everybody’s reaching for a common goal, so this minute you walked in everyone’s very welcoming. The culture is like outstanding. So you don’t feel like you’re isolated, you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself. So that’s kind of what Portillo’s is all about.

You do have the camaraderie that you have in the military, you work with a team, no one’s left behind. We all have fun every day. We bring the energy, we come with a sense of purpose. Whether you’re old or young, when you come in or out of the military, there’s a place for you here at Portillo.

I can’t imagine working anywhere else. I hope that I’m here for another 25 years.

[Closing Music]