Avionics News July 2012 - 55

What do you like best about your job?
I am given the authority to make decisions. The management has trust in my decisions, and they let me do what I need to do to advance the company.

with the technical terms because I learned those in English. Through the years, I’ve picked it up.

What do you do when you’re not working?
I am a homebody. Now that my kids are grown and gone, I’m fortunate that my wife and I like each other a lot, and we do a little traveling. We have three kids. The oldest is Nicole, and she is the manager in a restaurant. Vera is a teacher, and Miguel is in the Air Force. We have no grandkids yet, but our kids are all doing well. They have grown to be good people, and I’m proud of them.

which used to be a female school for nursing and teaching, but now it’s co-ed and has a big business program. Every year, there is talk about changing the name of the school, but they have such a rich heritage in women’s education.

Where do you and Gloria travel?
We try to go to Puerto Rico, to Dorado on the North coast. Living in Dallas, we miss the beach, so we try to go once a year. Gloria likes Las Vegas a lot, and our son is at Nellis Air Force Base, so we go see him. We’re not gamblers, but Las Vegas is a very fun city for people watching. In Puerto Rico, we enjoy the peace and quiet with the ocean and sand. For more stimulus, we go to Las Vegas.

What’s a typical day for you?
I come in early and answer emails – we have a lot of customers overseas. I answer a lot of those questions and get done with them early. By mid-morning, I am deciding what needs to be done and interacting with customers. We do a lot of consultations. We don’t sell test equipment, but we get a lot of questions for recommendations of what customers should buy and questions about issues with the FAA. Some days, I don’t get off the phone. It varies from day to day. I also assist Dallas Avionics on projects with the warehouse and with special contracts. I assist on sales in Latin America, since I’m bilingual. I also represent Cal Labs in trade shows.

And your wife?
Gloria is a school librarian. She’s a professional student, since she’s been going to school since we met. Currently she is working on her doctorate in library science. She is the smart one in the family, although I spent a couple years going back to school and got an MBA. When I was in the Air Force, I got two associate degrees, one in avionics and one in electronic engineering technology. I also completed an undergraduate degree in manufacturing with Southern Illinois University. I did that while still in the military. In 2009, my wife was going to school, and she pushed me. So, I got an MBA from Texas Woman’s University,

What do you see for the future?
People seem more positive about the future than they have the last couple of years. There are still a lot of insecurities, but people are tired of being down about the economy. That attitude will help us move forward. Personally, I will continue this job that I love. The company treats me well, so I have no plans to do anything else. q

Even though you’re bilingual, are the terms the same from country to country?
Spanish is my first language, but when I started, I had difficulty

To learn more about Cal Labs, visit www.callabsinc.com.
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Avionics News July 2012

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