I will preface by saying that I am far from being an Internet of Things (IoT) subject matter expert, but I like new and emerging technology. I was excited when IoT finally made it to the consumer side and the rise in implementation that occurred in the consumer side. I did a lot of reading before making an investment into an IoT ecosystem for my home–having to decide amongst Zigbee, Z-wave, and Wi-Fi.
I did not know terms like emerging tech, nor that the dominant design was still up for grabs. I remember being a small kid in the 80s when the market had Beta and VHS VCRs. My brother and I saved up the money we earned from helping my dad on the weekends–he was a small business owner. My mom and dad drove us to the electronics store and there we were. My brother and I looking at the wall full of VCRs. We were too young to know the difference between Beta and VHS, so we just selected one, and we bought and brought to first VCR into our home. We were lucky that we picked a VHS.
I found myself in the same situation, but now as an adult and doing research so that I would not end up with the “Beta” of IoT. I picked Z-wave–time will tell if I did well or not, but we’re all in.
As I invested in IoT at home, I was eagerly awaiting for implementation in the commercial side. I began to read more and more about it–joining groups and following SMEs on the topic awaiting the rise of IoT in the commercial side. It’s been years (I was living in DFW) at the time, and still not much progress. Everything I read name underscored three barriers:
Bandwith and speed to link all data together and process it
creating technology standards so that different devices work together
Once the reality of the pandemic hit, and enterprises were adapting to this new environment and how to manage the built environment, I thought for sure that this was the time for IoT to shine. I ran across and read many articles of the benefits IoT brings to the built environment vis a vis to health and safety.
Facility Executive put out a great article about the IoT/smart buildings and the post pandemic with great content. the article mentions occupancy monitoring. This is one of the benefits I was personally waiting for. When I was with ISS some of my colleagues were piloting sensors affixed to work stations that provide real-time data about whether a work station was occupied and/or vacant. I thought of the application in 2020 and beyond. The sensors can alert an enterprise if social distancing is not observed. I know it’s a bit big brother-ish, but at the moment I’m considering the case use.
Did IoT miss an opportunity?
The same article discusses real-time data about fresh air intact via the IoT enabled HVAC systems, but I do not want to digress from my point. The three barriers that existed 6 or 7 years ago still exist today. The speed of adaptation is faster on the consumer side, and while the commercial side makes small steps (I get it–we’ve heard the stories of toasters that’ve been hacked), I can imagine a future of truly smart, IoT enabled buildings and cities.
In 2006, I received a call from Canutillo Independent School District. The person on the phone asked if I was still interested in the head custodian role for which I applied. Thank God! I said yes.
By coincidence the same day that I started my first day of work, the crew was also waiting for a temp to help with the summer projects. I’m not sure if they were expecting someone older, but when I arrived the crew handed me a putty knife and some cardboard and instructed me to begin scrapping the wax from the edges and corners of the gym floor along the wall. I know that I could have introduced myself. I know that I could have easily stated that I was their new boss, but I figured lets see where this will lead. The crew was respectful, and best of all they enjoyed their job. They laughed and joked and told stories while they worked. They checked on me frequently to make sure I had the hang of it and to make sure I had plenty of break time.
Sometime later that morning, the principal for the campus showed up. She was speaking to the the two gentleman who had taken initiative and took charge of the day. I was able to hear the principle ask the two gentleman if Mr. Reyes had shown up. They replied that the only person to show up that day was a temp. They pointed in my direction and the principle yelled, “Mr. Reyes!”
I was introduced to the team, I said a couple of words, then went on our way. They didn’t take it bad that I did not introduce myself instead they laughed it off–actually we laughed it off.
I didn’t last long in that role, because the same year I was called to the superintendent’s office because of a budget I submitted. Apparently, the administration liked the format and thought that went into the budget that they inquired about my background. When I went into the superintendent’s office, I was told about an objective that they have been unsuccessful in realizing. they wanted to create a centralized soft services department with an emphasize on custodial operation.
The district had a decentralized operation whereby the principal of each campus oversaw custodial staff, training, equipment, supply, training, and SOP. The result is that every campus operated differently, different equipment, different supplies, and different methods of acceptable cleaning and disinfection. The district proposed creating a centralized department whereby the new department head will oversee all custodial operations removing the principals from each site from the decision making process.
I thought for a second, then replied that I am willing to take on the challenge, but that I recommend we create a matrix organization instead of the traditional top down organizational structure. I recommended that the principals remain an active stakeholder in the leadership and decision making process. The principals can retain day-to-day oversight allowing for faster response they need to react to day-to-day needs, while the new department will take on training, SOP, equipment lists/supplies, discipline, and budgets.
Upon starting my new role, there was now a position to fill–the role I just left. The district began the recruiting process–external and internal candidates applied.
Upon starting my new role, I made the time to visit the many campuses in the district. I took notes of the following observations. My first observation is that the leadership roles in the department were held by Hispanics/Latinos. My second observation is that the city is more than 90% percent Hispanic/Latino so it made sense that the leadership team be representative of the city.
My third observation is that I did not see any women in leadership roles in the facilities department–in neither janitorial nor maintenance. The former having a high percentage of women in the department.
I continued to tour the campuses. While doing so I encouraged qualified individuals to apply for the open head custodian role. The men were eager to apply while I found myself convincing the qualified women to apply. I often heard from them that those roles were for men even if it wasn’t written. I didn’t convinced many women to apply, I even had a principal tell me that if it were her campus she’d want a man to oversee her campus’ custodial operation (not this campus’ principal).
I’ll cut to the chase reveal that a woman was selected for the role of head custodian–that was a promotion for her. I honestly believe she was the most qualified individual who applied.
After she was promoted, I visited the campuses and I had many women who held roles as custodians come up to me and express how shocked a woman was promoted. They expressed that they thought it was a rule that men had to hold that position. I now had women ask me what they had to do to get promoted to assistant head custodian or head custodian.
I’d like to say that things were great from that point on vis a vis diversity and inclusion, but things take time and so did it here. The first step was promoting, or hiring, a qualified individual. The next step was following up with her to make sure her direct reports listened to her and her directives.
This was not the only place I encountered resistance. After leaving the school district and moving back into the private sector, I had women in leadership roles express frustration with their direct reports who would not listen to them. I had women in leadership roles call me on the phone and pass the phone over to their male team member so that I would tell them to do as she asked.
To me, this story is a perfect example of why representation matters. The ladies I encountered had not seen a woman in a position of leadership so they assumed they couldn’t and didn’t try. The men hadn’t seen a woman in charge and couldn’t believe they had to listen to a woman. This was the 2000s.
My observation of the cleaning and janitorial industry is that women make up a large percentage of the workforce, but account for a very small percentage in leadership roles. I would often hear that knowing how to perform floor work (strip & wax) is a prerequisite in order to be a supervisor. Yet, women were not encouraged to learn floor work.
What other prerequisites exist that limit representation? I think about who I am inviting to lunch. I think about who I call to say hello or check up on.
Since then, I have been involved with helping promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. I joined The National Society for Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) while living in DFW. I appreciated how inclusive the organization was–inviting and working with many other groups. I served on the board of Prospanica (fka NSHMBAs) as the VP of Corporate Relations, then as the Executive Vice President for the San Antonio Chapter. While in Argentina, I moved my organization to participate in events with The Red Shoe Movement to promote women in leadership. To this day, I am involved in my organization’s ERG.
In 2006, My family and I relocated to El Paso, Texas. At first I had difficulty finding a job in distribution/fulfillment/e-commerce. In order to support the family, I took a temp job running the receiving department for a company that manufactured server racks in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. I was making minimum wage (a huge pay cut from what my family and I were accustomed), but by paying off bills, and reducing monthly expenses we made it work. By the way, the organization took me on because they had difficulty finding someone with SAP experience–although I did have to convince them that I knew what I was doing. Lucky for me, I started my career in the Dotcoms of the 90s, so I had experience with SAP implementation and staff training.
I enjoyed the job–it was a swing shift position, but I enjoyed the camaraderie of my coworkers. I purchased a 4×4 Chevy Blazer and that made ride home enjoyable. Once my shift was over, I sat behind the driver seat, put on my black cowboy hat, started my car, and drove the dark dessert rode home. I was blasting country music–the only thing on the radio. It turned out to be a nice competition to see who reached El Paso first. I truly enjoyed the drive.
Before starting this job, I applied at various organizations, so I did eventually find a better paying job running HSSE for a manufacturer in downtown El Paso–it was a multi-plant operation.
I was excited to positively contribute to the well being and safety of the organization’s workforce. I was excited to no longer be making minimum wage. I sat in my office in the morning, turned on my computer, poured a cup of coffee then began my morning by walking the main facility. I loved greeting the employees when they reported to work, checking in with the security officers to see what was reported in the log books from the night before.
The company made blue jeans for larger well known brands–like The Gap (this is important later).
I soon found out that the company had had an explosion and fire before I moved to El Paso–luckily, no one was hurt with that explosion. As a consequence OSHA was frequently inspecting the site. also started to realize that the HSSE role was there as a show and was not a role that was truly valued nor supported by the organization. The intent of the company was not to resolve issues nor mitigate possible injuries, but rather to make it difficult for employees who got injured or wanted to discuss deficiencies. Nonetheless, I was determined to make changes and positively impact the organization.
I recall the first time someone got injured I was reproached for documenting it instead of encouraging the employee to just get back to work. I believe the company got away with it’s tactics because it’s workforce was made up mostly of Mexican nationals who legally crossed the border every morning to come to work.
Flammable
As I was leaving to lunch one afternoon, I looked left towards the chemical storage area of the facility. I was already at the main entrance and I continued to walk out and making a mental note to visit the area upon returning from lunch. I stepped outside, but I kept getting a feeling that I truly needed to check that area. I turned around, walked back into the facility, and made my way into the chemical storage area.
When I walked through the plastic curtains that separated the area from the rest of the plant, I saw a maintenance technician getting ready to start a welding torch next to a large chemical container with labels on it identifying the contents as highly flammable and to keep away from flames. He was right next to it.
I informed him that the situation was not safe and that I need him to please move to a safer and more distant spot. He very sternly replied that I was not his boss and that he had a job to do, and that he was going to do it. I showed him the labels and explained the severity of the situation, but he was undeterred. Finally, I explained to him that he may not be concerned for his safety, but that I was concerned for the safety of his colleagues. I asked him to wait until I evacuated the area before he continued. He looked at me, looked at his colleagues who began to leave and reconsidered. He picked up his equipment and went somewhere safer to complete his task.
Wrinkly Jeans
On another day, I was walking the area where they create the distressed or wrinkle look on jeans. The process entailed placing jeans on a mannequin then spraying the jeans with a resin to create the look. The area was a separate enclosed room with many mannequins lined up next to each other with glass walls so that people passing by can look in. I looked in and realized that no one is wearing safety glasses, gloves, respirators, nor safety suits. I am immediately concerned, walk in, and stop production.
I inform the team that they need to wear full suits and gloves to prevent spraying on their skin, that they need to wear respirators so that they do not breathe in the chemical, and that they need to wear safety glasses to protect their eyes. I informed them that they are in close proximity to each other and that they can spray one another by accident. The employees put on the PPE I required, so I move on to another section of the facility.
The next morning I come in, and I am informed that everyone took the PPE off after I left. I am also informed that one of the employees working in that area was sprayed in the eye with resin and he had to be rushed to the emergency room.
Wrinkly Too
On a separate day, I walked into another station where ladies were lined up at ironing stations. Their job is to put jeans on the device, spray resin on the jean, and press a hot iron onto the jeans. As I walk by I notice that they are not wearing, safety glasses, gloves, nor masks. I mention that they should wear them and I begin to listen to complains about how uncomfortable PPE is. As I walk away, I chemist who happens to work at the plant tells me that he is happy to hear what I did. He said he was always concerned that they do not wear appropriate PPE. He continues to tell me that that resin at high temperatures is a carcinogen.
The next day I walk into the same area and no one is wearing their PPE. I speak to the department head who informs me that buying PPE is too costly. He said he’d consider it if the employees can reuse the same gloves and face masks so that his cost does not increase.
24 Hour Shifts
As I was making my rounds one morning, I walked into the area full of sewing machines and saw a group of ladies who I said hello to the day before. i don’t know why I noticed it, but I noticed that they were wearing the same clothes as the day before. I walked over and said hello and asked how they were doing. They replied that they were tired from their long shift. I was a bit surprised because I saw them yesterday and said that they’re sift just started. They told me they had yet to leave and had worked a 24 hour shift. Another lady replied that she was on 26 hours.
I was shocked. I went to their boss and asked it that is possible and he replied that it was true. I then went to HR to find out why we have employees working such long shifts. I mentioned that that cannot be good, and how is that even legal. I was told that no laws were broken. I was also told not to worry because they weren’t going to get overtime pay because they’d only be allowed to work 40 hours. I mentioned that I wasn’t worried about the overtime pay rather their health and well being. How can it be safe for anyone to work 24 to 26 hours sitting behind a sewing machine. Again I was told the company did nothing illegal.
At this point, I knew the practice of having employees work shifts this long was antithetical to everything I learned and was taught about leadership. I had to do something. I went directly to the owners to plea my case, but I was met with the same stance that the organization did nothing wrong. By this point though, I knew the company was acting contrary to clauses within the contract they had with The Gap. The contract clearly prohibited such actions and enumerated the maximum number of hours an employee can work daily and weekly (including overtime). Ultimately, The Gap did not want to be working with sweatshops and expose workers to unsafe conditions. I brought this up to HR and the owners and was told that that is why they have employees carry two timecards–one for regular hours and one for anything beyond the specified number of hours in a day or week. If the company gets audited they just hide the second timecard and as far as the clients know they are always compliant.
Ambivalence
I did what I thought was right. After my appeals failed, I called The Gap and informed them of the work practices along with how they bypass any client audits. I then submitted my resignation effective immediately. I couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about the whole thing as I drove away in my Chevy Blazer. Was there anything else I could have done? Will the employees coming over from Mexico be okay? Oh, and then there is the matter of not having a job.
Lucky for me, I received a call about a job with Canutillo Independent School District.
It’s been one year! In February 2020, my family and I decided to start a new adventure. The day after my daughter’s 17th birthday, I packed a couple of bags and started the drive to Southern California to start a new role with a new organization. Goodbye Texas.
I arrive in Phoenix, Arizona on March 2nd and checked in for my first day with JLL. I spend a week with Jennifer Russo, a peer who helps me with org charts, portfolio summary, tech access. This is one of the best onboarding experiences I’ve had with an organization–usually it’s sink or swim. I am back on the road on March 6th leaving Phoenix headed to Los Angeles.
The plan is simple. I will arrive in Los Angeles and I will stay with my brother until the school year ends in San Antonio, TX at which point my family will join me in Southern California. I will stay with my brother three months tops–my family and I will be in our new home by the end of May.
Shortly after arriving in Southern California, Los Angeles went into lockdown and the rest of California followed shortly. There was uncertainty in the real estate market–inventory was tight and I found myself chasing after houses in the little inventory that was left. When I found a house that met our needs it was off the market by the time we reached out. When we finally found a house we discovered a new protracted funding process–financial institutions were nervous because of layoffs and furloughs.
I was introduced to my my new team. I am so lucky to have such a talented team–knowledgeable and professional. I was prepared to implement my 90 day routine that consists of observation, notes, learning, SWOT analysis, and formulating a plan. That all went out the window as the team and I adjusted to the reality that everyone was learning to deal with the pandemic.
We found ourselves implementing enhanced cleaning protocols, sourcing masks, disinfectant spray and wipes, ordering signage, and staying abreast of changing CDC recommendations. Also important, I was trying to keep the team from burning out.
I was nervous when the end of April approached. The movers were scheduled with no place to go. The family was heading out the following month. We scrambled–my brother let me stay with him longer, my in-laws took in my wife and kids (in Arizona).
We found a house, made an offer, it was accepted and we were looking forward to closing in early June.
I made tactical and incremental changes at work–small wins. The team and I analyzed data behind some pain points and monitored for improvement. I hosted my first quarterly business review. The team managed to meet targets, deadlines, and anticipated what was around the corner. All actions that positively affected the customer experience.
The close was extended and I had to divert the movers to a month-to-month storage space.
In July, I was preparing my second quarterly business review while finalizing the close, scheduling movers to pick up and move our belongings from storage to our new home. The agent met me to give me the keys, I prepared the house–made sure utilities were on. The family arrived. I hadn’t seen the kids since February 29th (it was a leap year). While the kids explored the house, I took off to the office to present the quarterly business review.
Schools were closed to in person class when the school year started. My kids attended class via Zoom. Because we tend to relocate every three to four years, our kids are adept at going to new schools and making friends. This year they learned to make new friends online and cultivate those relationships. My introverted son seemed fine, but my extroverted daughters had a difficult time.
We are fortunate that my wife jumped into action to help our daughters manage the challenges of isolation.
What a year! March 2nd is my one year anniversary with JLL and I love it here!
I found this picture on the Internet. I tried to find the original location and name of the person who took it to give credit without any luck. Beyond the graphics this has a power statement based on a German proverb.
What a true statement! A pause for reflection about what could have been, what I may have missed out on if it wasn’t for fear. At the same time though, an opportunity to reflect on the opportunities when I took a deep breath an carried on or took a step in a different trajectory.
My family and I are working through a relocation. This isn’t out first relocation, but it is the first one during a pandemic where my wife and kids are in one state while I am in another with stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions. The situation is stressful, yet manageable.
We are moving to California, leaving Texas. Texas grew on me and I learned to love it–my favorite city is Dallas and the surrounding area. I have a comfortable life in San Antonio, great friends, great neighborhood, but I was looking for that next challenge and opportunity. I was lucky to find that opportunity in California with a phenomenal company where I am surrounded by brilliant peers, coworkers, and leaders–subject matter experts in our industry.
We pulled off our relocation to San Antonio from Dallas in two weeks. Just like now, we had some trepidation about the move. We didn’t know anyone in San Antonio; we were pulling the kids out of school again; we pulled our son when he was starting his senior year; and I took a role with a smaller company–ISS. My colleagues questioned my motives. Why leave CW when I have it so good, when I made a name for myself? Why leave to a company like ISS who doesn’t have a good reputation in the US? Did I not hear of all the trouble the company has? Did I hear the CEO and COO were fired?
All valid points, but as I stood firm with my decision, I thought of the opportunity to contribute to a new organization. Sheryl Sandberg’s word in Lean In. How she left Google for opportunity for a smaller company–Facebook. I took a deep breath and carried on.
When I arrived at ISS, I stopped in middle of the street and questioned whether I made a mistake. I traded my office on the 10th floor in a class A building in Dallas for an office of what used to be a mechanic’s shop with the roll up gate serving as a wall behind my back. I inherited an operation with high turnover, low morale, old technology, and a P&L in the red. There was no turning back.
One of the first challenges I took on was the high turnover. The high rate was affecting morale, service delivery, and the customer experience. The turnover was so high the operation consisted mainly of temp labor. There was no consistency in service and customers were upset. I performed a market wage analysis and discovered that we were paying minimum wage, we were below market, and below our competitors. I understood why we could not attract nor keep employees.
In addition to starting new training and onboarding programs, I decided to give my team a wage increase to be competitive. My team expressed their worry. How could I justify giving a wage increase when the operation was losing money? I informed them of my findings and that I was taking a calculated risk that by increasing wages we would attract and retain employees. If successful we would eliminate the temp labor that came with a 35% markup. They were not convinced but followed my directive.
We had just relocated to San Antonio, I went home and told my wife not to fully unpack. I told her what I was doing at work and told her that we are if I still had a job at the end of the quarter.
Thankfully my gamble paid off and turnover reduced to industry standard with the added benefit of eliminating the temp labor markup that went back to my profit margin. We were on our way!
There were many deep breaths in my life. When I relocated to Argentina, I stopped in my tracks when I landed in Ezeiza–the sounds, smells, and signs hit me. I realized I was not in the US. I was in a different culture, with a language that I used only occasionally. When Scrappy and I were in the helo, locked and loaded, looking out the window before we landed–I could have frozen.
The Alamo City hosted a friendly match between Mexico and Argentina at the Alamo Dome on September 10th. The venue was packed, and Mexican fans were in full force. The energy and excitement was invigorating and infectious. I cannot believe that I failed to take pictures of the Mexican fans who wore luchador masks, draped in the Mexican flag, and chanting in the streets as my wife and I made our way to the stadium.
When Argentina scored the first goal, I jumped up and cheered. As I began to sit down, I realized not only that I was outnumbered by the Mexican supporters but also I was getting weird looks and confused faces looking at me. I understand. I am wearing my San Lorenzo jersey, cheering on Argentina, and I look Mexican.
Why don’t I support the Mexican national team (el Tri)? The answer is not short and simple involves my nationality, my ethnicity, where I have lived, and of course football/soccer.
Los Angeles!
I am an American, born and raised in the Los Angeles–the best city in the world. So I should really support the USNMT–right? I don’t, but the reason I will admit is petty. I don’t like the USNMT’s chant–it takes too much work and requires someone to lead in order to get it right. I cheered on the USNMT in the world cup while living in Dallas. That chant, I just can’t. So, I started to follow the Black Stars–Ghana’s national team. They were my team until 2018.
El Tri
I am of Mexican heritage. So I should support el Tri, right? I tried. I cheered them on in the 1994 world cup–the Mexico vs Ireland was a fun match. Mexico had a great squad under Ricardo La Volpe. The squad played fast and deployed a great offense. I was proud supporter. I owned the jerseys, and went to every match they had in LA.
I was so disappointed when el Tri let La Volpe go. Rumor has it that he was let go because he was Argentine, and how dare Mexico not have a Mexican coach. I wasn’t impressed with the results. I tried to hold and and get excited but I couldn’t. I jumped ship to the Black Stars.
The Black Stars did not disappoint. They played well and made it to the cup. They would have advanced in the cup if it wasn’t for Suarez’ handball in 2010. I stuck with Ghana.
Argentina
in 2018 I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina and lucky for me it was a world cup year. I loved experiencing the world cup in a country the loves football/soccer–it was amazing. Before moving to Argentina, I was warned about the snobby Argentinians that would treat me bad because of Mexican heritage. I did not know what to expect when I moved there.
When I walked off the plane in Ezeiza, the sudden realization that I was no longer in the U.S. hit me. The feeling was overwhelming. I can read, write, and speak Spanish, but everything is in Spanish in Argentina and for a second I questioned whether or not I can live in an all Spanish world. Well, take a deep breath and suck it up Marine.
In Argentina, the people welcomed me. They were friendly and kind. Some could tell I was a Yankee, but most thought I was a Mexican national. I tried to attend a River Plate or Boca Jr match, but I had no luck. I was invited to San Lorenzo matches and I loved it. I was later told that most Americans my team knew supported San Lorenzo. They assumed it was the team colors–red, white, blue. Argentina’s national team is my team. Why? Because I’ve lived there, I been to a Superliga match, I’ve watched the world cup in Argentina, and the people accepted me.
I could go on about culture, and how it is a human construct–I won’t. Oh, the final score was ARG 4 – 0 MEX.
The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is yourself…Stop! saying the words “I can’t.” Forever replace them with the words “I can” and “I will!” Fight to make your dreams tomorrow’s reality.
MLK
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Isidro V. Reyes 