In honor of Francisco Reyes
Anniversaries come every year. Big ones, little ones. Some that we remember and others that aren’t worth the effort.
This past month, one of our employees celebrated a very important anniversary: Francisco Reyes has been working at McKinnon Associates for 20 years. Twenty years. In my book – or anyone’s I imagine – that’s quite an accomplishment. And even though, he wasn’t expecting any special celebration, we took the time to honor him at one of our recent company meetings.
I know that many of you have met Francisco when he and his crew are working in your gardens. I would like to take the opportunity to tell you a little more about our first twenty-year employee.
Francisco Reyes: beginnings
Francisco Reyes came to Houston in the late 90s to visit the family of his wife Maria, who has several sisters who live in Houston. In his hometown of Guadalupe, Zacatecas, he had worked for several years on construction crews, specializing in electrical work, providing for Maria and their daughter.
‘I came here for what was just a visit and I discovered another kind of life that was possible for me and my family,’ says Francisco. ‘I knew I needed to find a way to stay and provide a better way of living.’
Soon after his arrival here, Francisco enrolled in English classes and began the process to stay and work in Texas. Through a person who was working for us at the time, he applied for a position at here McKinnon Associates.
I remember that when I first met Francisco I was favorably impressed. He had come prepared for the interview and was interested in making a good first impression. He spoke in English, was personable and, with his previous experience on construction crews, was familiar with how a business such as ours works. He was hired.
Francisco worked hard and has attained status as a resident alien. Taking advantage of his regular paycheck, Francisco and Maria have bought a house and over the years welcomed three more daughters into the family. It is his goal to become a U.S. citizen in the near future.
On the job
When Francisco first came on board, McKinnon Associates was a smaller business, with just three to four field workers. Francisco was interested in every phase of the landscaping process and quickly increased his plant knowledge while also learning about irrigation and applying his electrical experience to outdoor lighting.
As McKinnon Associates has grown – we’re celebrating 26 years – Francisco has earned his stripes and is now supervisor of landscape construction, overseeing on-site work and employees. He has stepped forward and proven to be a valuable worker: capable of making decisions, knowing when to call for assistance, managing the crew and all in all, securing his goals.
Francisco seems to know his value to me and McKinnon Associates and he is not careless with what he has earned. ‘I enjoy working here, with the land. I like meeting the different people, seeing the different gardens as we build them and knowing how things grow. When we start a project, I make certain to introduce myself to the owners and work to keep the site clean and neat. It’s a wonderful job and I like everything, well,’ he laughs, ‘except the heat. Where I come from, we had a cold climate so I have had to get used to the summer.’
As much as being an asset to McKinnon Associates, Francisco is a delightful person to know. He loves baseball and the Astros. He plays on a league softball team. He’s a family man, active in his children’s lives. And, he loves to fish. All of which sounds to me as if Houston is the perfect city for his adopted hometown.
