Texas Border Business –
By Viviana Ozuna,
Ramon Martinez, the prominent business owner of Martinez Furniture and Appliance, was born in Pasco, WA, where his parents were migrant workers. He is the son of Ubaldo Martinez from El Repueblo de Oriente, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and Guadalupe Martinez from Los Ramones, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Martinez said, “My parents taught me to be a man of integrity, honesty and like we say “un hombre de palabra” which means to be a man of his word. Martinez, who has been happily married for twenty-four years, shared with us how he met his lovely wife at the city “plaza” during a spring break vacation while both of them were visiting family in Los Ramones, NL. They have been blessed with four wonderful children, three boys and one girl.
In the search for work and business opportunities, his first encounter with furniture was when he worked hauling appliances. Martinez’s father owned 18-wheelers and helped Ramon buy his first truck. While hauling appliances one day the owner of the contract gave him the opportunity to take over the contract and this is how he got involved in the furniture and appliance business.
His father always taught him to work hard. But Ramon Martinez explains how it was his passion for business, from a very early age, which inspired him to open his first store in 1999. But, he feels that the main part of his life was missing and that is being in the perfect will of God. It wasn’t until he discovered that part, that was when his business started to grow. He found what he believes is the real purpose, which is managing God’s money. Martinez says he feels like a manager not the owner. “It is God’s money,” he said, “It really is managing God’s money and when you think about it in that way, you manage the money differently than if it was yours.” He believes that is the primary reason he has been successful, “The word of God says to be humble, and I always give the glory to God for everything- the success of my business and its growth. It is so important to me to never lose the reality of who we are and where we came from. I will never forget working in the fields and how far God has brought us to where we are now.”
Martinez said, “Martinez Furniture has become a unique business. There are many furniture stores that do not offer honest deals and do not give customers the full service they deserve. That is the goal we always strive for, we provide the best to our customers.” It is no surprise they have an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
With great success, Martinez Furniture currently has three locations and a fourth location coming soon to Weslaco in approximately 45 days. With a total of 48 employees, Martinez ranks #1 in sales in the Rio Grande Valley for a major renowned furniture brand and #48 in the U.S. The impact is so great that corporate representatives recently came down to visit Martinez due to his exceptional sales volume.
Martinez explained how he is grateful first of all to God, and to his amazing wife, his beautiful children, and his dedicated employees. He said, “Because without them this is not possible, it is a team effort! God gave me this business to glorify his name and I feel this is the purpose. I feel so blessed to be able to run this business and I thank God everyday.”
He works to keep honesty and integrity as priorities in the business in order to make his business work successfully and that sets him apart from the others. But, first and foremost, he keeps God in his life as #1.
You can visit Martinez Furniture & Appliance at any of its locations: 1605 S. 23rd St., McAllen; 2424 S. 23rd St., McAllen; 516 E. Beech Ave., McAllen; and at 5706 S. Cage, Pharr, Texas. TBB
