Obed is always up for a challenge and for this reason he is routinely tasked with the responsibility of training unexperienced employees and mentoring them to be the best that they can be.

5. Tell a quick story of one of his best moments.

A story from one of our CEPRA founders - Brandon Ray:

In 2010, Obed was on my crew when I was a crew leader. He was fresh into the country and showed up to work with brand new boots. He had been edging all day, busting his ass! At lunch, I sat under the tree with him, both of us unable to speak each other's language. He took his new boots off and his white socks were covered in blood. He had worn blisters so badly that both feet were bleeding. He never complained or even mentioned it but I went to the store and got him some items so we could take care of his feet. This was 14 years ago. I'm not even sure he remembers this.

Fast forward to 2015, I was leaving the company that we both worked for and Obed wanted to throw a going away party for me. He invited me to his house. I showed up with my wife, 1 year old, and a newborn. Obed's entire family was there. There had to be at least 25 people there and a pig smoking in an underground pit. They made all sorts of Cuban food, and we all had a great time. At this point, I had been working with Obed for 5 years. He spoke some sort of Spanish/English blend, and I spoke some sort of English/Spanish blend. We were standing in the middle of the backyard, having an in-depth conversation with each other using grunts, sign language, and anything else we could do to talk. We had both learned how to speak to each other without really knowing the languages over the year. I looked over at my wife and Obed's family and they were all in awe watching us communicate in our own way we had developed. He and his family were so welcoming, and I will always be grateful for their hospitality.

A few years later, Obed showed up at my CEPRA office. He wanted a job with us, and I said absolutely. He said the only catch was he wanted to come work with us, but so did 5 of his friends. If I wanted to hire him, I needed to hire the entire group of 6. I said, sure, we'll figure it out, and he has been a consistent leader within CEPRA ever since. Obed is one of the most loyal people I have ever known and am very grateful to have worked with him for almost 15 years now. He is serious about doing a good job, can be pretty tough on his crews, but he ultimately cares so much for his team and the company! CEPRA owes much of our success to the dedication of Obed. Well-deserved on receiving the employee of the month, Obed!