Five Questions With: Gabe Saenz

Gabe Saenz, senior team coordinator, celebrates his two-year anniversary with PartnerSource in April. Before joining PartnerSource, Saenz spent 10 years working in the legal profession. He spends a few minutes telling us about his work, his creativity, and a motto in which he finds great inspiration.

What has been your biggest surprise since you started working with PartnerSource?

How nice everyone is here. When you spend 10 years working in law firms, you find that people can be very brief with the way they speak to each other. Here, everyone is really nice and it’s a lot more like a family. I am a member of a team at PartnerSource, and we work together really well.

How does your role support taking good care of injured workers?

My role as a team coordinator is similar to being a paralegal for an attorney. We’re helping with claims, scheduling meetings with clients and with third-parties. It can really run the gamut, but essentially it is this: Helping our clients understand what their program does, how it’s better for their employees and how it saves them money. A lot of what I do is helping the process move along as smoothly as possible -- if you’re going to have injuries, let’s make sure to not allow the process to get bogged down in details. Our clients want to see better medical outcomes for their employees, and want to get them back to work as quickly as possible.

What do you enjoy doing outside work?

I’ve always been very creative and I find it’s nice to just kind of fall down a rabbit hole of ideas. I’m very idea-driven and analytical, and once those ideas hit, it’s like a runaway train. I like film and music, and I like to make different things. Creativity is a muscle and if you don’t use it, you lose it. Lately, I’ve been working on a comedic web series. It’s fun to be a little ridiculous every day.

Talk about a charity or non-profit that speaks to you.

I support the work of Promise House, which is an LGBT-focused youth center and provides housing for kids who have nowhere to go. I had a friend growing up whose family kicked him out of the house. Everyone deserves a safe place to stay. I think we should all give back in some way, whatever that is – it’s not only good for other people, but also for us.

Do you have a motto?

Yes, in fact, I have it tattooed on my arm. It simply says “TCOB,” which stands for “Take Care of Business.” It just reminds me to take care of my own business -- do what I need to do regardless of what other people are doing. A lot of my motivation is time, and I feel that whatever you are fearful of leaving undone is the thing you should be doing at that moment. Finding ways to use my creativity in both my professional and personal worlds is important to me.