Q:  What’s a Gringo Star?  Any relation to Ringo?
 

A: Ha. No relation.  But the Gringo Star awards are given out at year end to those team members who have lived our core values to their fullest and gone above and beyond day to day

Q:  I like it. Are you going to share with us the winners?

 A: You bet.  Here we go!  

The Spirit Award – Stephanie Estrada – 2 year teammate.

This award is given to the individual who most embodies our company culture and lives and breathes its values on a daily basis.  Stephanie was given this award because she takes on every request, even if it’s not her job, with a smile.  She started on the reception desk and then was quickly promoted upstairs to assist Delia in the H.R. department.

Going the Extra Mile Award – Faustino Canseco – 7 year teammate.

This award is given to the employee who consistently goes above and beyond and always volunteers to take on extra work and pitch-hit for co-workers.  Faustino was given this award because he leads the kitters (the team that kits all the elements that go into bouquets and feeds them to our assembly lines). That’s not all he does!  If we’re down a team member in another department, Faustino is our go-to guy.

Most Improved Player – Julian Velasco – 9 year teammate

This award is given to the individual who has made a significant improvement through the year.  Julian has been given this award because he started out as a packer on the line and was promoted to lead all of the packers pretty quickly.  This required quite a bit of training and it wasn’t an easy start for him.   He was open to feedback, stepped up and has become a key member of our operations team.

Cool Calm and Collected Award – Gabby Mercado – 8 year teammate.

This award is given to the individual who, despite very hectic and extremely busy times, remains unfazed by the fast pace.  Gabby was given this award because of her great, calm demeanor.  Being in Business Development in a perishable business can get hectic at times.  Mother Nature sometimes gives us too many or not enough flowers with which to work.  Gabby always goes with the flow, looks for solutions and does it with a smile. 

Rising Star Award – Esperanza Hernandez – 3 year teammate.

This award is given to the individual who displays tremendous energy and dedication.    Esperanza was given this award because she has rapidly risen through the ranks from the assembly line to QC and now to QC Lead inspector.  We hear nothing but good things whenever a team member from any department interacts with her.  It’s going to be fun to watch her grow.  

All Star Department Award – Growing Operations, Forecasting and Supply Chain Team,  Ciro Gonzalez(Their Leader),  Todd Thornton, Yulie Garcia,  Augustin Ortega,  April Harrell, Joseph Cortez Medina (and Jason handing out the award)

Do you know how hard it is to plan, plant, harvest, schedule and procure all the flowers and greens we need for each year?  It’s incredibly hard and that is why our All Star Department award goes to the Procurement Team this year!   They grew over 50 million sunflowers this year and that was just 50% of their job.  They are definitely the 2017 All Star Department.