Restaurant Supply Warehouse

Factory and warehouse work shuttle bus?

I am a CDL B with P, S and air brakes. It is used to drive a school bus. I've been driving a laundry truck last year. There is a company local, which has received some federal funds to start a semi-private shuttle service to various factories. Our area has a large number of Mexicans and Central Americans. Much work in restaurants, local factories, much work as laborers. This new company is going to transport supply 24 / 7 from the neighborhood of the city of factories and stores a low rate. They are in the process of renovation of four school buses for 1997 to use it. They offered me good money. I wonder if the transport of these people will be worse than the transport of their children? I do not like school bus conversions under budget, but by a school bus in 1997 is actually not that old. The company worked to use 1994 as spare parts. They have an equal number of service 1995-2006. Once the bus turns 12, spent last year as a spare.

Any work you think you can advance your career's worth of research. I ride the bus. I'm 1 / 4 black. I have no desire to attack you.

Challenging conventional wisdom

Conventional wisdom is a term coined by economist John Kenneth Galbraith in his 1958 book Society affluent, second edition (New York: Houghton & Mifflin, 1958). It is used to describe certain ideas or explanations that have been generally accepted as truth. Without But conventional wisdom may actually be true or false.

Conventional wisdom often stops people in their tracks. This is not necessarily bad. If conventional wisdom is that small businesses may not survive and grow without adequate funding - a topic that has shown many times to be truth - and rightly so, should act as an obstacle to the owner of the fledgling small business that intends to start a business with little money and hope for the better.

But conventional wisdom should not stand in the way when the belief is based on outmoded facts, wrong premises, or prejudice.

As Galbraith said: "The enemy of conventional wisdom is not ideas but the march of events. Take, for example, conventional wisdom of the past years the construction industry are clearly a man's world and that women need not apply.

Linda Alvarado and Mercedes LaPorta has never known. They live more than 2,000 miles apart, one in Denver and one in Miami. They are the heads of successful businesses built from the base for many years. The phenomenal success stories are so identical that at first appear to be the same story. Though not the same story, success stories of small businesses often seem very different to have the same roots.

The success of Alvarado Construction, Inc. and Mercedes Electric Supply, Inc. have their origin in the will of two women to follow their dreams and challenge the conventional wisdom that none of them had any chance of success. Both have had success in different facets of the construction industry, which is particularly hostile to women in general. Minorities often face hostility in the same management and ownership. When the two women started their business more than 20 years, women doing what they wanted to do was simply not available. Conventional wisdom was not simply it would not work, but they were crazy to even begin. But each met his will against this conventional wisdom and the end not only outperformed anyone's expectations - most likely including your own - but in doing so, also changed their respective industries, both in gender and minorities in general.

Linda Alvarado was raised in a highly competitive, with five brothers and sisters. "Both my grandfathers were pastors, I was a little weird because are Hispanic, "he recalls." As you can imagine, our life revolved around the church. "

"My parents were very, very positive. I was clear what its priorities were growing. There were high expectations in school that not only would you bring home an A, but I would say what he had learned .

Mercedes LaPorta was born in Havana, Cuba, and his family emigrated to America and settled in Chicago. "When I was growing up, I type of always knew that someday I wanted to have my own business, "she says." I come from a family business. In Cuba, my father had his own business and my uncles had their business. When we came to this country, my father, the money as soon as they had saved enough money, opened a small grocery store. I was 13 years old, and I want to work in the store on weekends. I've always had this bug in me that I wanted my own business. "

Linda Alvarado, admits with a smile that was not born an entrepreneur. "We have no business history in my family. I was not even a Girl Scout, and I have never sold Girl Scout cookies from. I have not really thought of having my own business or be my own boss. "

During his college years, Linda distanced themselves from the conventional wisdom in his first work-study job.Young women worked in the cafeteria or did things like filing and answering the phone. But she took a job for the garden department of the university, and to do so, she discovered he liked working outdoors. She started to fall for the construction industry. "I took classes very unusual for a woman surveying, estimating and construction supervision classes. This was very traditional as you could imagine. "

After college, she went to work for a construction company. "I started really in a project accounting position at the site, later moved to a position of supporting a project manager, and as my level of skills developed, he moved to a function project engineering. "In these positions, he admits," I liked being on construction sites as well, seeing the buildings up from the land. When a superstructure came, gave me a great sense of the creative process that resulted in the retention structure and beautiful. "

After secondary, Mercedes LaPorta went to work for the supermarket chain A & P and quickly became the first woman from the purchaser for the time the purchase of items groceries with a budget of over $ 200 million per year. It also helped end a labor strike of Mexican labor dominated by the channel. It could have gone to the senior management with the company, but their corporate genes arose about the same time that she and her husband Victor decided he had enough of the winters in Chicago.

Mercedes and Victor LaPorta arrived in Miami, Florida, began in March 1979 Mercedes Lighting, Inc. was started in a 1,000 square foot sales office Sylvania lamps only. The decision to start his own business was simple. She says: "I always had this error when I wanted to have my own business. I never really wanted to work for anyone else, my first job in Chicago was born of necessity. "

Just three years before Mercedes and Victor LaPorta arrived in Miami, Linda Alvarado had decided to enter the construction business by starting small:

As I was in the construction of these sites, there were very, very large projects going on. I dreamed of building a project of mine. It was a dream rather modest at the moment and I began to think of it as a possibility. I decided I would like to start a small business of construction management.

My start was very traditional. Many times, will develop a business plan and follow. He never dreamed of owning a business. I started very, very small, working in development.

Of course, banks did not like to finance construction companies. To make a long story short, I had this blue suit and I went to several banks, but was rejected by all six banks. My parents eventually mortgaged his I'm going home for $ 2,500. It was the money needed to bridge the gap until I was able to get a small business loan. Perseverance and persistence that kept me going. They are important in so far as I think I'll Outwork most people in finding a solution.

This led to the initiation a company as a cutter to stop and make the sidewalks and foundation work - in fact was a basis to build my business to what it is today.

The growth of both the companies started by these two women has been nothing short of inspirational.

Less than 10 years after its inception, Mercedes Electric has achieved its goal to be a leader in the distribution of electrical equipment in southern Florida. In 1992, Mercedes Electric Supply, Inc. and moved to a 300,000 square meters warehouse and an office building, housing 2 million dollars worth of inventory.

The company aims Mercedes now acts as the electric automation, and data communications provider that employs 45 workers, has annual sales of more than $ 25 million and is growing rapidly. It is among the most 200 houses of electricity supply in the country. In the last couple of years as Miami International Airport has undergone significant expansion and rehabilitation, Mercedes Electric Supply, Inc. has won the largest winning major contracts in history. First, it won a contract for 10.2 million U.S. dollars American Airlines to supply electricity distribution and lighting system for its new terminal. He won a 9.2 million U.S. dollars of the company subcontract contractor, with the modernization of the South Terminal and now has started a contract of 3 million U.S. dollars in the modernization of the North Terminal.

Linda Alvarado never lost his dream of building large projects. Its small sidewalk and the company became a foundation of small general construction company and soon became one of the fastest growing commercial general contracting firms in the country. It was one of the three companies that built the new stadium of the Denver Broncos and was also part of the construction of Denver International Airport and the Colorado Convention Center. Today, it employs 450 workers and has multimillion-dollar revenue in the construction of projects for public and private sectors, both nationally and internationally.

Both Linda Alvarado and Mercedes LaPorta successful, not because there was something better idea for a new product or service. Both, after all, are in very settled, the industries of the old line. Although both innovative techniques led to what they do, they did their competitors. Nor is this success simply because they worked hard. When talking about his years in the construction industry, their stories of beating are similar enough that you realize that succeeded because he stood up to decades of prejudice. It was decided not only to ignore conventional wisdom, but to meet the head - and the right to steam roll over it.

Their stories of their first years are very similar. Mercedes recalls with a smile:

It is quite difficult for a woman to start a small new company, but it is doubly difficult when that business is typically a "business man." When I started 28 years ago, I remember running into a woman in any part of this industry here in southern Florida. I had a lot of doors slammed in his face. In the early years, I had to use all the tools could be available for me to break in. In those days, I was somewhat relegated to the back room because I could not get my foot in the door anywhere. So my partner, who was a man, would have to leave to make all calls.

Linda recalls that at that time, women were not received at construction sites:

Experienced graffiti being written on the walls and pictures of me at various stages of undress. However, I have worked with good people and I knew this was an industry that I really wanted to be a part of.

Being optimistic by nature gave me some personal sense of mission to prove that women can succeed in this field. You have to smile because what people want when you enter the room is someone eight feet Burley. And actually, I'm five foot five.

I would be asked, "Do you know what you're doing ... You know it will not be welcome?" I was never directly told he could not do it, but was indirect. I was once told, "You have much potential, we have looked to other fields such as teaching or corporate America, or even law school?" At the same time, women were just making their initial forays into these fields. "Why do not you look at those areas that might fit in?" I was told. I overheard conversations and jokes on me by many people. It was an environment in which the first led to the boys putting an arm around me and saying, "What is a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? "

But rather than discouraged, the hostility of women did so much to dig in their heels and try to much more difficult.

Mercedes says:

But in all these 28 years, I never considered that there was anything I would not be able to overcome any problem that had at that time. I always knew I would find a way to do it, and we always find a way to overcome the obstacles that were in my way.

When someone told me I was going to fail, just stared into my eyes and said would never happen.

Linda recalls:

For me it was at the same time, both painful and difficult. When questioned its credibility, it is very easy to customize criticism, and had to be very careful not to disqualify me same opportunities, I do not think conventional thinking, and not put myself in a box. That was my biggest challenge. While no one said no, I'm sure there were some bets I would.

My mother always told me you have to start small but think big. That was reinforced to me and reminds me today that all companies began as small businesses. Without a bit of pain can never be profit. The key is balance and measuring that. That little sentence let me go back and rethink and if nothing else, say "Look. I'm no different to any other person in a van with a briefcase."

Both have become much more than entrepreneurial success.

Mercedes LaPorta is active in numerous civic and business groups including the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Women President National Organization of Minority Supplier Development Corporation, National Electrical Contractors Association and National Association of Women in Construction. She is a passionate advocate for women in business, entrepreneurs is part of the National Advisory Board on Women and is an ambassador of WBENC works to get great companies to recognize the importance of supporting the growth of women-owned businesses. It has become a mentor, especially to women starting their own business.

In the mid-1980s, Linda Alvarado started a company called Palo Alto VA, with her husband Robert. Palo Alto, built and now runs more than 100 restaurants fast food like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken locations.

In the 1990s, he learned that the baseball franchise Mountains Colorado Rockies was on sale. "I never thought about owning a professional sports team," Alvarado says. But the more I thought about it, she liked the idea. No woman had tried to buy a major league franchise. "It was a great risk for a woman, especially for Hispanic women, have a sports team. "But at age 39, he became part owner of the Colorado Rockies.

She is now corporate director of three companies Fortune 150 and has served as the chairman of the board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Denver, and as Commissioner of the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence Hispanic.

But every day, both of them care about their business.

Mercedes admits:

At this time, my company is preparing to take another important step in size and volume. So I am preparing for this new step forward by adding technology tools. We had the computer systems and technology for a long time, but as we grow we will need more and more to serve our growing customer base. In my cellar, I'm now using automated handheld devices that will print the orders and inventory. Everything is made from bar codes to fill orders is more accurate and faster and deliveries can be scheduled automatically. This eliminates errors, saves time and money, and above all the updates to our level of customer service. If we make it easier for our customers, we make it easier for ourselves.

Linda Alvarado admits:

I worry about cash flow, labor, delays, the cost of insurance and all sorts of other things. But when I wake up in the morning, I can not be paranoid that people after me.

People measure success very differently. My success has come from my ability to allow others - people who work for me and me - And understand that change is constant. To be on top of your game, you have to be able to adapt to change. The only why I am a success is to empower those who around me to meet the expectations of our customers and make them understand that is part of his dream too.

From a human world, what lessons essential that these remarkable women learned in their path to success beyond to ignore common wisdom?

"There are ways to play the game rules, but still find ways to win, "says Linda Alvarado.

"I think it was the way it was raised, my father raised me always told me that if you set your mind to do something, then there is nothing you can not do, "Mercedes said Laporta." If you put everything you have into it, you succeed.

"And I always carried it with me. My father died some years ago, but my life was my inspiration."

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