The Day One List
The Day One List is the podcast about the people you call first.
Every successful career, business, and life is built on relationships. Behind every opportunity is someone who believed in you, challenged you, opened a door, or showed up when it mattered most.
Hosted by Hunter Schwenke with co-host Andru Morgan, each episode features honest conversations with business leaders, entrepreneurs, and community builders as they share the people, decisions, and moments that shaped their journey.
Through recurring segments like The Day One Decision, Hired or Fired, Who’s On Your Day One List?, and The Day One Challenge, every episode delivers practical leadership insights and relationship lessons listeners can apply immediately.
Because a Day One List isn’t built when you need people it’s built long before you do.
Who’s on your Day One List?
The Day One List
“You Either Win or You Learn": Gabe Arreola on Work Ethic, Community, and Second Calls
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Gabe Arreola is Supervisor of Bottling Operations at Stoller and a former Express associate. In this episode of The Day One List, hosts Hunter Schwenke and Andrew Morgan sit down with Gabe to talk about the work ethic he learned from his mom and grandparents, how he moved from welding to winery operations, and why Brandon remembered him ten years later. Plus: a surprise video message, Take It or Leave It, Gabe's Day One List, and a challenge for anyone looking for their next opportunity.
The Day One List is proudly brought to you by Express Employment Professionals, Specialized Recruiting Group, and Express Healthcare Staffing.
The people you call first.
I'm an information giver. I I share my knowledge. I don't I don't want to die with it.
SPEAKER_00Welcome to the Day One List, the podcast about who you call first and how you earn that position. This show is for anyone who wants to become that person people trust enough to call first. This is the day one list.
SPEAKER_04Welcome back to the day one list, a podcast about who you can call first and how you earn that position. I'm your host, Hunter Schwenke, alongside with me, Andrew Morgan. Hey, how are you doing today, man?
SPEAKER_03Good, how are you? I'm doing pretty good. I'm excited about today because it's gonna be a little bit different. Like we've had a lot of different guests on who, you know, who work with Express in in a particular way. This is a new kind of guest. Can you explain a little bit?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so let's just kind of jump in. Gabriel, I don't know, I don't want to butcher your last name. I don't know how to do it. Areola?
SPEAKER_02Ariola. My wife would be laughing about this when she watches this.
SPEAKER_04All right, perfect. So can I just call you Gabe then? Okay. Okay. So, Gabe, you were a former Express Employment Professional Associate. Um tell us a little bit about yourself, maybe what you're doing right now, and uh just kind of your story. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, uh right now I am currently the supervisor of bottling operations at Stoller. And uh I've been there for a year and two months now, barely. Yeah. Uh but I I've been in the industry for 11 years now, including the year at Stoller, uh doing uh uh mechanical maintenance and installations and um all the above with uh winery equipment.
SPEAKER_04Well, let's kind of dive in where the drive came from. Um you pride yourself on work ethic.
SPEAKER_02Who taught you that when you um it uh when I when it comes to work ethic, man, and and I think about it from the very beginning, uh the one only person I could think about from the start was was my mom. We we're a family of eight. I got there's five boys and three girls in my family, um at the time, seven. But um we lived in Los Angeles, uh, you know, not very, I mean, pretty much in poverty, you know, and and uh um my mom worked basically Monday through Sunday, you know, or as many hours as she could, you know, to provide like like any parent would for their kid, you know. Um and so I I was just telling my wife about this yesterday, but I never really thought about what that drive or that work ethic was until I was an adult. Somehow or another, we always had what we needed for for school supplies or clothes or you know, a roof over our head, even if it wasn't the best roof, but you know, we were sheltered and we had, you know, food especially. Never really understood that until until I was an adult, what she did on the daily. And it it it put the base the the foundation for me as um what I wanted, what I needed to, or the the minimum that I needed to do in life was at least get up and show up. Yeah, if I could, if I could do that, if my mom could do that, supporting all those kids and you know the craziness of where we lived and stuff, if she could do that, I had it way easier. The way I the way I saw it is I take that that basic foundation of get up, show up, and do your job, and you know, just try and be as awesome as possible, you know. And then I took I went with that foundation and then added to that. For example, I started welding, right? And so I started off at the very bottom and I started off grinding. I was just with a nine-inch grinder, man, just grinding the metal down and actual grinding. Actual grinding, not actual grinding. Um, and um, you know, I started looking around and you know, I see the the senior welders, you know, and the um the what what actually intrigued me about that is that the senior welders always got to do all the prototype stuff, you know. So I started thinking about it, and I was like, man, you know, that's something I want to move towards, you know. I want to learn how to weld first because I was the the first and then move on from there. So I went from in that company, I went from grinding frames all day to I learned how to weld in that company. And then I went from a welder to a lead on the table. Then I got to read all the blueprints. Some years later, I started doing all the prototype stuff. I started making all the decisions on the um uh modifications we're doing, and it became really cool. I started really digging um reading blueprints, you know? And um just kind of went from there, man. I ended up being a uh foreman in that company for the night shift. And again, based on that work ethic and based on the grind and my vision of what I wanted to accomplish in a day with a small crew of of like 15 people on the night shift, we were building more on the night shift than they were doing on the day shift with the entire crew. I actually designed uh stops for our table that we used to weld on, right? I brought the idea to the division manager and I was like, look, this is what we're doing at night. Because they were like, he's like, How the heck are you guys building this many frames at night? Like, what are you what are you doing? And once I showed them, they they adopted it and they started doing it during the day. And I mean, production got right, you know, pretty crazy.
SPEAKER_04I know that your grandmother also kind of taught you to keep your word as well. Like, what does that mean to you?
SPEAKER_02Um, well, my grandparents are cool, man, before they passed away. They're super awesome. Um, I was grateful to to be able to go and live with my grandparents as long as I did. Um, all my family in Mexico worked. Uh school there was not till the afternoon. So I didn't go to school until until two o'clock. So we all worked during the day. My grandpa owned uh um huge uh crop fields. Um we had limes, we had mangoes, we had bananas, we had, you know, coconuts, we had cows and horses, and uh so you know we would go work all day, you know what I mean? And and uh I was like eight years old, you know, but I would go to work with my uncles and my grandfather every single day. You know, I I love going to work. I saw it as a I got to hang out with my grandfather and my uncles all day long, you know, and my brother. Um the collaboration between my my grandmother and and all of us was was what really sparked my head, like everybody has a job to do, you know, and when the when everything is done properly, it's a it's a really harmonic, you know, day, you know what I mean? Um I um I always had everything that I needed for school, for whatever I needed, but I worked for it. You know what I mean? So that also in the in the category of work ethic got me to understand that you know you're not gonna get stuff for free. You know what I mean? So I I learned from a really young age to hustle for what you want. Right. You know, you gotta work hard if you want stuff.
SPEAKER_04So well, let's let's move on to our next segment. It's the first opportunity. Um, just knowing your background with Express, how did you find Express or was that something that you wanted to do or talk about?
SPEAKER_02No, actually, um never thought about Express being uh the place for me, you know. When I went to Express, I had I left the job and I was taking some time off. I always uh make a joke about this, but any time that I have ever left a job and wanted to take time off, never did I take time off. Somebody always found me, or somebody it was always a phone call. Hey, you know, um heard you're not working over there anymore. You know, would you be interested in this? So when I saw the sign at Express, I was like, well, I'll go and apply. And that was the first time I ever met Brandon. He got me on and I got hired on as a as a grunt. But um again, because and I credit I credit all this to my work, I think, and my grind, man. But I did such a good job at doing that, the grunt work and the grind work that they're like, hey, you know, we're wondering if you want to try machining. And I was like, sure, you know, one step up. I'm always going one step up, you know. So I was like, sure, I'll I'll try machining. And I did so well at that that they ended up hiring me, like, I wasn't even there a month and ended up hiring me full time. And I was doing that for like six months, and then I get a message from Brandon one day, and he's like, Hey, the uh you have a welding background, right? And I'm like, Yeah, I was welding for a long time. Um, I became a certified welder. Um, all right, he goes, Well, well, keep this in mind. He goes, There's a winery company that just moved to Oregon and uh um they're looking for a welder, somebody that knows how to weld. And I was like, Well, okay, I was like, Well, what is it? And he's like, Well, it's just a welding, it's just not a uh a winery company. They build winery equipment and they install and whatnot. They just want somebody who knows how to weld. And I'm like, All right, he goes, um, he goes, Do you wanna do you want to interview? And I was like, all right, sure, you know, I'll entertain an interview. So I went to the interview, and a week later they hired me. And then, I mean, the rest is history, man. I started that company in 2015, and I was there with them for about four years or almost four years, and um, it just kind of took off from there. I never never left the winery industry after that until here. I mean, here's where I am now. What do you think Brandon saw in you? Like, what was it that made him call you up? I don't know. You know, I must have made a good impression in talking to him that this is what blows me away is that 10 years later, Brandon calls me out of nowhere. Or he shoots me a message and says, you know, hey gay, this is Brandon from Express. I was wondering if you had a minute to talk, you know, I got a job opportunity. And I'm like, I'm like, well, I already work somewhere. That's kind of weird. So I was like, you know, I was like, it's Brandon. So I called him and he's like, hey, there's this company out here in in Dayton. Um, I don't know if you ever heard of the company Stoller. And I'm like, oh yeah, Stoller is great. And I've been in the industry for a while, so you know, I got to meet, you know, a bunch of people. And I was like, yeah, Stoler's great. And he's like, well, hey, he's like, they have an opportunity for uh uh a maintenance person. They need somebody to do maintenance over there. And he's like, Are you interested? And I'm like, well, I already have a job. He's like, um, he's like, well, he's like, I respect that. I don't want to take you away from your job. He's like, you know, you've been there for a while, you know, you seem pretty happy. He's like, but uh uh he's like, let me know, uh, let me know if if anything changes or you know, whatever. So after my conversation with him, it just kind of festered in my head, and I thought about uh my future and what I always think about is the step up. So I called Brandon back, had a conversation, and I was like, yeah, hook me up with an interview, you know, I'll go and see what's up, you know. Um went for an interview on uh Friday at Stoller, and then um like two weeks later, no, I I I shot for a month because I don't like Bernie Bridges, you know, and started at Stoller July 1st of last year.
SPEAKER_03You know, I want to point out a couple of things that I think is unique in this conversation that we're kind of seeing. This is a new angle that we're kind of seeing the day one concept, right? Like the idea that you had a job, but you said something earlier that stuck out or stood out to me. You said, but that's Brandon. You know, like I'm willing to take this call because that's Brandon. There's a trust put, you know, put in trust. Right. And the other thing I want to point out, and it's not even really a question, I just wanted to point out about I I love about hearing your story. One, Brand, Brandon had the ethics, the ethics to kind of say, you know, I don't want to take you away, but I'm your guy, so I want to tell you about this opportunity. I also like the idea that you're like, I don't want to burn any bridges. And so working that 30 additional days, making sure everything is set up, you know, like that's part of that work ethic that you're so yeah, I commend you for that. That's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_02I um I've always been a big believer in building in building community, you know what I mean? So uh in uh the way I see it, uh, you know, any anybody that I talk to, binary or not, I'm building a uh a relationship with, you know what I mean? And no matter what, if I don't see you from this day forward, I'm always gonna remember you. I'm always gonna remember you. You know what I mean? Like you guys are gonna be now a part of that that storyline of mine, you know. The day I came to here, you know, to do this, you know what I mean? And so um my thing has always been building community, man. I've never burned bridges anywhere. I always do it in such a respectful manner, and I understand, and I I present my my um my departure in a in a proper way, you know what I mean? Because uh because of the building community, you know?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. So you realize that the opportunity he presented to you was important or it was something special about it. Walk me through a little bit of that process. Like, what was it that made you say this could take my career to the next level, and I owe that to myself?
SPEAKER_02That's an excellent question because that's exactly the way I saw it. Um, what got me to to make that jump and to make that decision in my life was the fact that I knew I knew a little bit about Stoller and I knew that Stoller was a big company, and for me, the motivation was to advance in my career, you know. Um, but someday or another, I want to be the guy that hires the people coming on to, you know, Stoller or, you know, wherever I end up in life, you know, but I want to be the guy that does the interviews and I want to be the guy that, you know, maybe puts the idea in somebody's head of bettering your life or or you know, moving forward in whatever path you're on, you know. Sometimes people come to an interview not knowing ideally what they want to do until they talk to somebody that you know is encouraging or you know, maybe I might say something that sparks something in somebody else that they're like, oh man, I want to do that. Like the only thing I can think about is that I want to be the guy to to motivate somebody else. Yeah, you know, I want to be the guy to put somebody on a career path, you know, like the like the brandings in life, you know what I mean? That literally this guy recruits people and puts them on a path, you know. Right. With me, this is he put me on a path in the winery industry, and now um, you know, supervisor of bottling operations at one of the greatest companies out there, you know what I mean, which is a huge deal to me. Not only that, but um at Stoller, there's there's uh huge opportunities for advancement. Eventually I want to I'm gonna end up in management. Yeah. And so um Joshua, the director there, now that I work under, super awesome guy, um, has done a fantastic job at training me, giving me the info that I need to move forward in these positions, you know. He even went as far as as paying for a course for me to take um online to better my management skills.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_02I mean, who does that? He's investing in you, he's investing in me, you know, and so these guys are investing in me, so I'm investing back in them, you know. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Well, let's move on. Uh, so this is a segment that we call hired or fired, but it's gonna be a little different because since you're associate, we're gonna name this take it or leave it. Yeah. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna ask you a question and just from your answer, you would take the job or maybe pass on the job. First one is um a job isn't exactly what you pictured, but it could teach you a new skill. Take it or leave it.
SPEAKER_02It would depend on what it is. But if you told me, like, hey, we have an opportunity for you to, you know, go be uh um, you know, uh jet mechanic for the military, you know, and we have opportunities to train you and you can have this job, I probably would go be a mechanic for the military. Right. You know, just because that's something that I've always wanted to be a part of. So some you know, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I know I but on a on a blind whim like that, if you just say, Hey, I have an opportunity for you, right? Uh, you're gonna learn new skills, but I can't tell you what it is until you say yes. I I probably wouldn't jump on that.
SPEAKER_04Okay. What about the pay is better, but there's no room to grow? Take it or leave it. Leave it. Leave it.
SPEAKER_03Just I figured you were gonna say I knew that would be.
SPEAKER_04It starts temporary, but gets your foot in the door at a company you respect.
SPEAKER_03Unless it was a military, I would leave it. Leave it. Really?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03See, I figured a person with your work ethic, you take it because you know you could you what you can do.
SPEAKER_02It would depend on what it is.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You know? I um and I only say that, man, because I see so much room to grow as stoler. You know what I mean? Like I'm I'm barely at the beginning of of what could potentially be a fantastically beautiful career for me as stoler. And so I'm I'm just I'm I'm just right now piling up the stepping stones, man, and I'm slowly climbing. Right. You know what I mean? So, so um I don't know. That's a hard one. Yeah, that's a hard one.
SPEAKER_04No, I get it. What about this is the last one? You meet almost every qualification, but you're not sure if you're ready. Take it or leave it. Leave it. Leave it.
SPEAKER_03Respect it, respect it. You gotta know. You gotta know for yourself.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't um I can't uh um I didn't I didn't jump ship from where I was to Stoller because of better pay or anything like that, but it was the opportunity for growth for me. Because like I said before, I was I was happy where I was, right? But I saw the a huge opportunity for growth at Stoller, and that's what I wanted to move into, you know. At the end of the day, 1000% in my head, I want to move to a position where I can encourage everybody else below me. You know, yeah. I'm an information giver, I I share my knowledge, I don't I don't want to die with it. You know what I mean? So keep anybody below me, man. I share my information, I bring everybody in.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, let's okay, let's jump back to 10 years later. I know you mentioned a lot about Brandon. Um, why do you think he remembered just to call you again to maybe ask you for that opportunity?
SPEAKER_02I have no idea. I asked him this question actually, and he said that when this job popped up for Stoller, he said I was the first person that came to his mind. So I'm like, that's wild that 10 years later you not only remembered my name, but remembered my phone number. I joked about this earlier saying that you know, I'm glad I never changed my phone number. And me doing that, it may have been not so significant, you know, five, six years ago, but ten years later it's significant, right? Because Brandon had my number to call me, yeah, remembered me. If I not had that, would have never made contact with Brandon again. You know, so I mean everything is in line, everything is in line for for for a reason.
SPEAKER_04I mean, is that why you came back to Express just the um networking that you and Brandon had just in the past?
SPEAKER_02Or I don't feel like I came back to Express. I felt like I came through Express to Stoller. Okay, you know what I mean? Because I didn't I didn't get hired through Express to work at Stoller. I got for lack of better words, I got summoned from Express to work at Stoller, and then Stoller hired me right away. Right. So I actually came to Stoller before I even worked for Stoller to help them uh with the rinser. Okay so before I even before I even knew I was gonna work there, I came to help. Right. Isn't that weird? You know?
SPEAKER_04Um yeah, well, we actually have a special surprise for you. Um we have a little video that maybe um my production team wanted to share. Uh oh. I don't know if they're ready for this or not.
SPEAKER_02Um secretly filming me at work singing? No. That's what I do. Anybody will tell you at work, man, I walk around singing all day. It's part of my part of my jam.
SPEAKER_01Hey Gabe. Welcome to the show, my friend. When I heard you were gonna be on the podcast, I wanted to surprise visit you. Um I actually got permission to do that, but I am out of town on the day you're doing this, so I want to at least do second best, this video. Uh we go way back, and I just wanted to share some words. Because I've interviewed a thousands, well, thousands of people over the years, um, and most of those conversations fade over time. I have to look people up in my computer to look at notes to remind myself. Um, but every once in a while, one of those people stick in your brain forever, and you're one of those people that just stuck. Um the older I get, I think I realize that we don't remember the perfectly put together person um that said all the right words. We remember we remember the real people, right? Um those are the people that you can trust, those are the people that you count on, that you call when you need somebody in your corner. Um you've always been one of those people. From every single conversation we've ever had, you've always been the same guy. Um you're super genuine, um, you're compassionate, you're humble, you're funny. Um it's never faked. It just feels like a natural conversation all the time via email, over the phone, text message, what I was text messaging you. Um I feel like when you're real like that, that in itself kind of earns trust right from the get go. And I feel like that's that's what kind of makes you special. So congratulations on everything you've accomplished. Um you've earned every bit of it. And it's been really rewarding to be part of that journey. I'm proud to be part of it. You know, I've opened doors, but you've done all the work. So thanks for always making everybody around your corner look good. And thanks for being exactly who you are as a person and don't ever change.
SPEAKER_02That was cool.
SPEAKER_04That was actually cool. What does that like mean to you after just hearing that from um? Just you know, this this is actually really great.
SPEAKER_02This just proves that you know, uh uh not only your work ethic, but your your person that you work to you strive to be actually makes a difference, actually makes an impact, you know. Growing up the way I did, man, never ever ever did I think that I would be not only in this position, but that I would be this person, you know. Um from my work ethic, man, to my vocabulary. I had I have changed and and entirely into a different person. I mean, I'm still the same guy, you know, don't get me wrong, but what I've learned and what I what I've what I've learned to hold on to and what I've learned to to um expand as far as my career, my vocabulary has been just tremendously huge, you know, and this I appreciate that. I was really touching, and uh that just proves it, you know. Like same thing I think about Brandon, like, you know, um it it's really it's really wild that he remembered me all these years later, so I must have made some sort of an impact, you know, which is man, it's it's huge to me because that just that just tells me I'm doing the right thing and I'm on the right path, and um this just man, it gives me a huge boost to just go forward, you know, even more.
SPEAKER_03You know, so I I can see how much this encouraged you. Uh, you've got any words that you would want to share back to Brandon?
SPEAKER_02Um Brandon's been cool, man. I um I really appreciate that, man. And Brandon's obviously he's doing the right thing as well. He's the type of guy that I'm I'm talking about being as well. Is you wanna you wanna be the guy that leads the people into uh a career or you know, or just just uh just words, man. Words are powerful, you know what I mean? And so you can speak life into somebody, and that life that you speak into somebody can turn into what you see here today. You know what I mean? And I I super appreciate that about Brandon. Never, never have never has he been, you know, and like like you said, our conversations in text or whatever. It seems like I'm talking to somebody I've known for 10 years, you know. We just like we can laugh and we can you know BS over text and whatnot, you know, and it's just it's like I'm talking to a friend, you know? And all these years later, here I am because I went to go see this guy one day.
SPEAKER_04It's crazy how everything just kind of works out.
SPEAKER_02It is, it's it's pretty, pretty amazing. It's man, this is just proof to to prove to myself and my word that the hard work, dedication, the the hustle, the the yearning to learn more and advance yourself as a person is it's real. Right. You know what I mean? It's a real thing, and people can really do this. Um you know, you you don't have to, even if you doubt yourself, man, that the doubt is is the is the roadblock. You know what I'm saying? But if you get over that, you can move forward, you can put those positive thoughts in your head, you can you can get the the the positive electricity in you, you know what I mean? And that's a drive, dude. You know, and somehow or another, when you get on the right path, you meet the right people, I feel like, you know, and these are the people, these are the boosters, you know. Any person you meet in the positive way that helps you move forward is is great, you know. And that's brand new for me. That was that was the one. You know, my career has taken off from meeting that guy all those years ago.
SPEAKER_04So we're gonna move on to our next segment. It's probably the heart of the episode. Who's on your day one list? Um, who would you say maybe that is on that list for you today? Uh, people that I've been in my corner. Or yeah, just like people that you think are day one.
SPEAKER_02So some of the people I mentioned on my list are are some of my day ones just because of the fact that um I so, you know, I never had like a father figure that guided me in the right direction, right? Or that taught me any skills, or that, you know, um, you know, put things in my head as a little kid, like, you know, hey, what do you want to be when you grow up? Hey, this is how you can achieve that. Hey, this is how you can move forward in this or push me in the right direction. Everything, everything that I've learned about what I've learned is been from paying attention to to the people above me, you know, the relationships that I've built with the people that I work with. Um, and uh, and um, and you know, the the people like, for example, um, and I I think about this guy a lot, and we still talk all the time because uh I owe him a lot as far as what I learned today. So Georgie Spasic, one of the guys on my thing, um, I traveled with him a lot when we were doing uh wine presses, right? So it's funny because we didn't start off good. We because, you know, just you know, somebody else coming in that he has to teach how to do stuff, and you know, at one point I felt like he was kind of annoyed, you know, trying to show me because I ask a lot of questions. And uh one day we were out in the middle of Washington, and um he was he was trying to tell me to do something, to test something electrical. And at the time, like I didn't know anything electrical. You know, I'm like, I don't know what the heck I'm doing. I don't want to shock myself, so you know, tell me what I'm doing. And he got frustrated, and he's like, you know, get out of the way, let me do this, you know. And so later on that day, I pulled him aside and I was like, listen, Georgie, I was like, I understand that it's probably not ideal for you that I'm here doing this job. I said, but know this about me. Number one, I said, I do not take your knowledge for granted. I was like, I appreciate everything that you teach me, dude, because you had to work hard for what you know. Yeah, and I told him, I said, I don't take it for granted, Georgie. I said, what I'm trying to do here is learn and excel at what you teach me. And I promise you, if you teach me, you we're all gonna benefit from this. I I promise you that. And after that, the next day was like light, like day and night, you know, we we like hit it off, we got along. He taught me a major part of what I know electrical-wise. You know, um, we just became super friends, man. And after after all the years of knowing him, um, even after he retired, he would tell me in game. He's like, you know, if you ever need anything or need any help, call me. And I did. I reached out to him quite a few times after he retired, and I would be like, hey, Georgie, I'm working on this press, this and this and that. And he would, you know, he would guide me to what I needed to do. Everything I learned was something new every time with that guy. But I mean, I I credit that dude for a lot. He really took me under his wing and and um showed me a lot about um the wine presses.
SPEAKER_04Uh so I know you talked about your wife a lot throughout this podcast. Uh, what role did she have, and maybe kids too, played in your story?
SPEAKER_02Uh my wife, she she's a trooper, man. She um she put up with a lot. So I traveled, like I said, my contract was 21 weeks a year, and it turned into two to three weeks out of every month. I was gone somewhere. Um, you know, I it was hard for me to come home. Um, you know, then we had a well, then we had a kid, then it was even harder because she was by herself and I was traveling all the time, and I was driving 10 hours from a job in Washington, home for the weekend, just to just to spend a day, you know, with my girl and drive back. I mean, it was it just became pretty crazy, but she um she went through a lot, man, trying to, you know, supporting me and being there for me. And even though I knew it made her super mad sometimes, you know, but she never, you know, she never she never left my side.
SPEAKER_03You got a better work life balance now, right? Oh yeah, 100%. How's that working with your kids, with your children? Are you able to be there and and and be just as close with them as as you've always wanted to be?
SPEAKER_02Um, yes, actually. Better more so now than before. You know, like I said, I was traveling all the time, so I wasn't able to be, and this is actually what got really hard about the traveling stuff was that I wasn't there for my kid. Um I missed a lot of, I missed not a lot, but I missed a few of his first. And I started thinking about it, man. It's like, you know, no job whatsoever anywhere, no pay whatsoever is gonna replace what you don't get with your children. You know, if you fail at raising your children or doing good by your kids and your family, then then you know, nothing else matters. You know what I mean? If you fail at that, so that has to be that has to be a huge priority, and and I feel like not mine, but everybody's life. You know, kids are looking up to us, you know, and we're important to them, just like my mom was to me. Um I was talking to this about my with my wife yesterday, actually, about the the whole back to the work at the game, but me seeing my mom doing what she was doing, I took that foundation, added to it, took a step forward. That's what I want my my kids to look at me and think of this as well, like man, you know, and that's funny, we were just talking about this yesterday. So, you know, I do what I do, maintenance, you know, and um I'm working on machines and I'm learning electrical stuff. And, you know, I want my my hopes in my head is that my kid, right now, he's only 10 and and I take him with me all over the place. My hopes is that he's gonna take whatever I'm doing as a stepping stone, as a foundation, and then add to that, you know, or my wife, she's in the medical field, you know. I want him to be like, you know, man, you know, my mom, she takes care of these people and she does this, you know, and and I want him to think about that with that foundation laid and be like, I'm gonna take that a step further and be a physician or be a doctor or be a you know nurse or whatever it is that that, you know, however we encourage him in this foundation that we're laying, I hope that he takes it a step further like I did. Right.
SPEAKER_04You know, so uh what about the people on your day one list? How do they influence the way you show up for others?
SPEAKER_02Uh just the way they showed up for me, man. You know, um everybody I put on this list uh has has always been available to me for whatever I needed, but it's just that I I learned to build such beautiful relationships with people that it's just like, man, like we're we're cool, we're friends, you know what I mean? And as friends and as helpers of each other to to build ourselves and grow, you know, we we communicate with each other. We're there, these guys are always available to me. I actually haven't talked to some of these guys in over a couple of years, but I guarantee you, I still have their number. If I call them, they'll answer. You know what I mean? Why? Because, you know, we built that awesome friendship. You know, we we we built those bridges to connect to each other, and you know, we'll forever be there for each other. Right, you know, and that's how these guys uh have always been on my day one list, man. The guys that have helped me grow to what I am now.
SPEAKER_04That's what it's all about, right?
SPEAKER_02And so not taking that for granted, I pass my knowledge down to whoever wants to learn from me. You know, I don't never keep it. These guys never kept it for me. Um, you know, and and I I learned from that. You know, these guys taught me that, you know, passing your knowledge down is is is key, man. It's important. Right, you know. There's a lot of there's a lot of uh there's a lot of people out there that that want to come up and do what we're doing and feel like they don't have the opportunity, but the opportunities are there to grow. You know, you just gotta know what you want to do first of all and then pursue it. You know, there's there's doors everywhere that can open up for you if you just get to them. You know, it may be a struggle, it may be whatever, but if you get there, the reward it is is um great.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you know, you ready with the next segment? Yeah, all right. So last one before we kind of bring it all home, it's a day one challenge. Um, I've just gonna ask you a question, and then if the listeners are maybe having a challenge that they're dealing with, you can maybe help them out. Um for someone listening who's looking for the next opportunity, what's one thing would you challenge them to do this week?
SPEAKER_02If you are if you're searching for your next opportunity, if you know, if you happen to have an idea about what it is you're trying to pursue, even if it's not ideal, you even if it's not something that you're that you've been thinking about for the last year, but if you just think of something that you want to do, uh my my encouragement for you for this week would be to research. You know, like we now research the job and what it entails and how that fits into your life. Okay, you know what I mean? Yeah. It could it could be, you know, sometimes when you research a job and what what it what uh what the job does or or how you how what will be your responsibilities in the job, you come to find out that you know that that idea or that thought has always been in your in your heart and soul and your mind. You just never thought about it again, you know. But if you have something that you think of pursuing, you know, do the research about the job and what it entails. And I more than likely, if you're interested in that and you want to pursue it, something will spark something in you that will drive you towards that. You know, gravitational pull in the industry is a real thing, man.
SPEAKER_03All right, one more real quick question in that area. Uh, what's one thing that someone can do today to make themselves more memorable when it comes to when an opportunity comes? Something they can do to make themselves more memorable, stand out when that opportunity comes about. Be honest.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's number one. That's good. Be honest about be honest about what you say to people, you know, because it it's always words are powerful, like I said. You know, be honest about what you say and be true about what you say. People will respect more raw feelings than made up feelings, you know what I mean? So uh just be honest.
SPEAKER_04Uh what would you tell someone who feels stuck or unsure what's next?
SPEAKER_02If you're unsure about life, man, that's a hard one. Um life is tricky. You know, there there's um I feel like it this is kind of off a little bit, but in that aspect, follow the light. You know, if you surround yourself with uh with uh with the positive people, you know. Um I always say this, man, the bigger you build your your your positive energy, the more beautiful things you'll attract to yourself. You know what I mean? Um and if you're just unsure about life, man, just you know, meditate on what you think is is needs to be positive in your life. Right. You know, take uh take the time to just breathe and think. Nothing is nothing is uh you're not in a rush for anything unless you make yourself be that way. You know? Stop and think, breathe, take things one step at a time, and move forward. You know, I always say there's no you uh there's no losers, man. You either win, you either win or you learn, but you keep moving forward.
SPEAKER_03You know? Good. So what would you tell someone who's looking for work right now and then they might be a little bit hesitant about going to a staffing company like Express?
SPEAKER_02Uh I would say to to uh give it a try. You know, don't don't uh don't be misled by the fact that it's a temp agency and that you think, oh, well, it's just temporary work, or you know, it's not some people think uh, you know, oh it's not like a real job, they just send you different places. It is an actual foundation, it's a good stepping stone, a good start for somebody that you know um may not know what they want to do. You know, Express has a ton of opportunities in every field, you know, like the amount of fields you can go work on through Express is is you know is huge, you know. So you can go there and and and fill an application and say, hey, this is this is something that I had uh in mind that I want to do. And these guys will point you in the right direction. Even if it is temporary somewhere, you'll have a foot in the door, number one. You'll have the experience of doing that, even if it's just for a few months, but you'll have that experience and you can better make a decision, you know. Maybe it's something great that you're like, oh my God, this is this was really cool. You know, I want to pursue this, and it turns into this, you know. Um Express is great. It's a it's a a uh great start, great foundation.
SPEAKER_03All right, so I got one last thing for you, and I want you to like finish this sentence for me, all right? Okay, it says uh if you want to become someone, uh if you want to become someone people call first, you have to be blank be impressive.
SPEAKER_02All right, make a good impression, yeah. You know, by being genuine, you know, be yourself, be honest, like I said, you know. That's who that's who that's who I would call first, the real people. Right, you know.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04As you wrap up, you got anything else, Andrew?
SPEAKER_03No, you know, I I just want to commend you for your journey. You know, we've listened to both uh before we started recording, we got a chance to hear your story. One of the things that stood out the most to me was just you working with your grandfather and working, and you recognize their work ethic. You were able to recognize cross-generational respect. And I could see throughout your story where you go and you you tell someone I value your knowledge. Uh that comes right back to the origins of that story. And so I commend you for doing everything that you're doing. And and like I said earlier, I feel like I'll I'm excited to say, like you heard it here first. You know, you're gonna be in those positions that you said. 100% claimed it. And so I'm I'm glad to have gotten a chance to hear. And uh can't wait to have you back uh in a couple of years and as you're telling us how you got there. So yeah, that'd be really cool.
SPEAKER_02Uh I hope that I hope that this interview and if it reaches anybody, man, that it it it um inspires somebody to to pursue something. You know what I mean? When I first came to Express, I have no idea in my life that I would end up where I am today. You know, no idea. But yet here I am. You know, I learned, I worked, I hustled, I moved forward, I stayed positive, and you know, you can turn you can turn it into something huge. You know?
SPEAKER_04When um do you have like a LinkedIn? Maybe someone can like follow you or like reach out or uh so people can follow them on LinkedIn and um Yep, uh it's under my name or or you can find me under uh ATEC Wine Equipment Services.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_04Well, I I appreciate your story and just the opportunity that we get to sit down with you here. Um I know just relationships can lead and how you can show up can make someone just a difference, and I appreciate everything and your stories here.
SPEAKER_03All right, it's been a great show, and thank you so much for joining us for the day one list. Listen, never underestimate the people you call first and never underestimate what it means to be that person for someone else. We'll see you next time. And remember, who's on your day one list?
SPEAKER_00Thanks for listening to the day one list. It's all about the people you can count on and the people who can count on you. Until next time, who's on your day one list? And more importantly, whose day one list are you on? The day one list is proudly brought to you by Express Employment Professionals, Express Healthcare Staffing, and the Specialized Recruiting Group, the people you call first.