8 March 2024 · Joseph Bakes
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ – John Peter Martinez began his career in logistics and supply chain management while still a student at Piscataway Magnet School.
The Piscataway resident went to work as a materials handler at Johnstone Supplies in Kenilworth after being recommended by his teacher, Robert Araujo. A 2023 high school graduate, he continues there while a student at Rutgers-Newark.
Johnstone Supplies is a wholesaler of heating, ventilation and refrigeration parts and supplies.
“I work in the morning and go to school at night,” he said. “We supply contractors.”
“I’m definitely exhausted,” Martinez quipped.
But he is pleased to be working in logistics, “a career field that is still expanding.”
“Having that experience from the Magnet School has made the transition easy,” he said. “I’m learning how I can become an asset to the company. They’re very big on promoting within the company.”
Araujo said Martinez’s opportunity came because he was impressive during mock interviews conducted by Johnston Supplies at the school.
“I told him to treat it like a real interview and that’s what he did,” Araujo said, “and they wanted to hire him.”
He described Martinez as “always a standout student.”
“He puts 100 percent into everything he does,” he said. “He has a work ethic and perseverance that a lot of kids his age don’t have – and his brother is like that too.”
John Peter’s younger brother, sophomore Johnny Joseph Martinez-Chacon, also is a global logistics and supply chain management major at Piscataway Magnet School.
“He wants to have good opportunities,” Martinez said. “He has been taking notice of what I do and trying to make himself better.”
“I’m definitely intending to follow in his footsteps,” the younger brother said. “When he started out it seemed really interesting to me and something I wanted to pursue as a career.”
John Peter said, as a freshman, he was not focused on logistics and had little interest in a business career, but during his career major rotation, he really enjoyed his time in Araujo’s classroom.
“He explained it very well,” he said. “He explained where this career could get me to.”
Araujo said Middlesex County is ideally located in a central location in a corridor state, with all the infrastructure needed for warehousing and manufacturing companies to succeed, but avoiding the congestion of New York City.
“The business climate is very good for transportation, logistics, and infrastructure,” he said. “It’s a combination of a lot of really good factors.”
