mensajero - Mi Pueblo

March 2015
6th Edition
EL NUEVO
MENSAJERO
FROM CORPORATE
From the
Desk of Javier
Mi Pueblo
SCHOLARSHIP
2015
Dear Colaboradores,
On March 6 we celebrated Employee
Appreciation Day. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank our colaboradores for
your hard work and to remind you how much
Mi Pueblo values your commitment, loyalty,
and support. Mi Pueblo believes in showing
our appreciation and celebrating our employees
every day not just on special occasions. We are
very proud of the work that you and your teams
are doing to make Mi Pueblo a better place and
to serve our communities.
This month’s Nuevo Mensajero newsletter
includes information on Mi Pueblo’s scholarship
program, a healthy Latin recipe to celebrate
National Nutrition Month, and advice on how to
save money. We’ve also included information on
Mi Pueblo’s community events and the Adopt a
Church program. Please feel free to share your
comments and suggestions for content and
photos you’d like to see featured in next month’s
issue to [email protected].
Also, don’t forget to submit your Visionary
Award entries with your ideas on how to
improve our stores and increase store traffic. We
have two separate $500 gift card prizes for the
best ideas! The deadline is March 31.
Sincerely,
Javier Ramirez
President and CEO of Mi Pueblo
Employee Scholarship
Reminder
Our scholarship program has officially launched.
If you can demonstrate excellence at work,
community involvement and a true commitment to advancing your
education, apply for a chance to receive a $2,000 or $5,000 scholarship.
This program is ideal for those who are about to start college, are already
in college or seeking a higher degree. Additional requirements include
submitting letters of recommendation, showing recent transcripts and
writing two to three open-ended essay questions.
Mi Pueblo will award (2) $2,000 colaborador scholarships per each store,
corporate and distribution center location and (1) $5,000 scholarship to the
best colaborador application across the company.
We are also offering this program to our local communities. If you know of
a student who might be interested please share the link.
The application period is open now until April 30. To apply please visit:
https://mipueblo.awardspring.com/ or www.mipueblofoods.com
International
Women’s Day
8
March
International Women’s Day, commemorated
on March 8, provides us with an opportunity to
celebrate the achievements of women while calling
for greater gender equality. In honor of this day,
Mi Pueblo spoke with Gretel Tortolani, Controller
from our corporate office.
From the start of her career, Gretel had the courage
and skills to thrive in an industry dominated by
men and has made a pathway for other women to
follow. We asked her a few questions regarding her
experience. Here’s what she had to say:
What are some of the advantages faced by
Latinas in the workplace today?
People are starting to realize that women, in
general, have a lot to offer as professionals. The
barriers are starting to come down and companies
understand and appreciate our value as women in
the workplace. Latinas are known for being hard
working, strong-willed, multitaskers, having great
leadership skills and at the same time possessing
great personal values that make them well rounded
professionals. This is a great time to go out there,
work hard and accomplish your dreams!
What is the most important thing women need
to remember when it comes to balancing their
career and personal life?
Balancing work and home is based on what you
need to do as an individual to provide for your
family. Personally I have been blessed to have a
great husband and in-laws who have allowed me to
be a hard working executive at different companies
and not made me feel guilty for not being that
wife and mother that society makes you believe
you need to be. I think the most important thing
women need to remember is balancing their career
and personal life is going to depend on who they
are and their own personal circumstances. Life is
too short to have regrets, so whatever that balance
is, accept it, learn to live with it and know in your
heart that it’s the right balance for you, regardless
of how other women balance their own lives.
Why did you choose to work at Mi Pueblo?
It is important for me to be involved in a workplace
where I can use my Spanish-language skills and
collaborate with the Hispanic community. When I
was told that there was an opening for a Corporate
Controller, I thought it would be interesting and a
great challenge since it was an industry I had never
worked in before. My expectations were right, it’s
been a great challenge that I enjoy more and more
as each day goes by.
STORE NEWS
Employee Appreciation Day
We are grateful to have hard working and caring colaboradores at Mi Pueblo. It
is because of your dedication and commitment that we are able to thrive every
day. To celebrate Employee Appreciation Day we asked two of our store directors what they admired most about their employees.
Salvador Ahumada, Store Director #12:
“We have so many talented and hardworking individuals that have helped move
the store in the right direction. I would like to thank each and every one of the
colaboradores that are part of Mi Pueblo #12 for their hard work and dedication.
That being said, I want to thank my ASD, department managers, assistant managers and every single team member that works at store #12, our goal is to make
this the #1 store in the company and with hard work and a positive mindset we
will reach our goal. THANK YOU ALL!”
Ruben Hernandez, Store Director #6:
“With hard work, our team has been able to grow together as a family. My team
at Store # 6 took on the challenge and earned the highest customer service scores
in November and December. We have been able to promote employees to the
store management team from the deli to the produce department. We work hard
every day and I just wanted to say how proud I am as a leader of our company
that I have the best job ever because I am able to work with such a great group
of up-and-coming team members. I appreciate all my past, present and future
employees for all they do.”
MP 6- Colaboradores in Watsonville store
Rubén Hernández
MP 12- Colaboradores in Capitol, San Jose
Salvador Ahumada
MARKETING
Mi Pueblo Making Air Waves
Alberto Gonzalez, Mi Pueblo’s VP of Marketing, has been very busy making
on-air appearances in radio and television shows to talk about all the positive
initiatives happening at Mi Pueblo and inviting the community to visit our stores.
Alberto recently stopped by local radio station KIQI-1010 for the Ventana de la
Comunidad show, La Buena 103.5 at Aristeo Gonzalez’s show and with DJ Paco
Pacorro at La Zeta 105.7.
Additionally, he made a TV appearance at MundoFOX and Estrella TV to
share information on the scholarship program. Stay tuned for any other onair appearances by Mi Pueblo and make sure to support us by tuning in and
encouraging your family to do the same!
Mi Pueblo in the Community
Adopt-a-Church Program
On Saturday March 7, Mi Pueblo attended the first East Palo
Alto Family Health Fair & Festival at Stanford University. The
event was organized by Stanford University and the East Palo
Alto Tennis and Tutoring Organization, an academic, non-profit youth development program for K-12th grade students from
East Palo Alto and surrounding communities, with the goal of
educating consumers on how to lead healthier and active lifestyles.
The event provided useful,
health-related resources and
promoted healthy lifestyle
among more than 300 attendees.
Mi Pueblo participated in this
community-building event by
having a company representative
share information on our services and ongoing community
initiatives including our scholarship program, El Mero Mero,
in-store Western Union service and more. Mi Pueblo also supported by donating fruits and healthy snacks to the attendees.
National Nutrition Month:
Healthy Latin Dishes
With March being National Nutrition Month, it’s the perfect
time to create awareness of what we eat and its direct correlation
to our health. Some ideas to improve your nutrition and health
include reducing salt consumption and adding more vegetables
to your meal. Here is a healthy and delicious recipe easy to
prepare at home.
Turkey and Cactus Paddle Salad
Ingredients
• 6 cups chopped cactus paddles
• 1 pkg. (9 oz.) Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Turkey Breast, chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed, finely chopped
• 1 plum tomato, seeded, chopped
• 2 tomatillos, cut into wedges
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing
Preparation
1. In medium saucepan, bring cactus to boil in 6 cups salted water.
2. Simmer on medium heat 15 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain well and allow to cool 5 minutes.
St. Edward en Newark
St Francis Assisi Church, E. Palo Alto
Mi Pueblo has launched its Adopt a Church program to support
local organizations. So far, we have partnered with St. Edward
Church in Newark, St. Francis of Assisi in East Palo Alto, Holy
Cross Parish in San Jose, and St. Peter’s Church in Pittsburg, just
to name a few.
A major component of this community outreach program is
Mi Pueblo’s commitment to give back 1% of the total amount
churchgoers spend at their local Mi Pueblo store each month.
Members of each parish who would like to support their local
church are encouraged to submit their Mi Pueblo sales receipts
to the priest. At the end of the month Mi Pueblo will collect all
receipts received by adopted churches and donate 1% of the total
added amount spent to the organization.
If you know of any church that would be interested in
participating in the Adopt a Church program, please let us know.
Five Ways to Save Money
According to studies, saving money can increase happiness, help you
achieve your dreams and prepare you
for an emergency. But we know many
times it’s easier said than done. Here
are five tips to help you get started on
putting some coins in the piggy bank!
1. Have clear goals: Know
what you’re saving for. Having
clearly defined goals will help you stay
motivated with your savings plan.
Whether you are saving for your next vacation or a house, you need
to figure out how much you need to save every month and by when
in order to reach that goal.
2. Think before you buy: When you are about to make a purchase, ask yourself: Is it a need or a want? If you answer honestly,
you will only buy the essentials and be able to save the money
spent on a “want”.
3. Prep your meals for the week: Dining out and entertainment are
two of the biggest money pitfalls, but with a little bit of planning,
you can hit Mi Pueblo before the week starts and have your meals
mapped out for the rest of the week. Use our weekly Ad!
4. Go on a Spending Diet: Designate two days a week as a nospend. Pay only for essentials, like bus fare or tolls for work, and
skip using money on nonessentials.
5. Get your colaboradores to motivate you: Saving is a group activity. By being vocal about your savings goals you can save more
money. We always need a friend to keep us in check when we have
a purchase impulse.