By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published by Texas Border Business newsprint Edition
The same goes for Rios of Mercedes and Anderson Bean Boot Co. These manufacturers are blessed, and they shine because they have the most loyal, dedicated and talented employees. They are true artisans that create beautiful boots for cowboys in the United States and throughout the World.
Having had the opportunity to know some of them and listening to their voices made us feel proud to have known humble, good, and kind people in charge of strategic positions in a company as important as this.
But you know they didn’t get these important positions because they were just there. They earned them with their talent and their hard work.
Those people that I am talking about have several decades working for the company. They started from the ground up; they learned and mastered their skills that have made them shine as well.
It is important that the new generations learn that it is important to be honest, hardworking, dedicated, and loyal to the company they work for. This is the secret of success, for the worker and the company. If they all contribute a grain of sand, then everyone does well.
During our conversations with Ryan Vaughan, General Manager, he said that his main concern was his workforce. On several occasions, he spoke in high regard about the workforce of the company, the very people that make Rios of Mercedes shine.
In this issue, you will learn about some of the people that work with this company, but now I am going to tell a little bit about them. Arturo Jilpas, Jr. has been working for 32 years, having served as Production Manager for 25 years prior to becoming a Floor Manager for both companies.
Jose Antonio Plasencia has been with the company for 44 years and specializes in the fittings of the boots by stitching together the top shafts with the vamps, which is the foot area.
Domingo Ruiz specializes in the beautiful and intricate inlay work with brands, company logos, and cording (a technique at the top of the boot). Domingo has been with the company for 33 years.
And Aurora Flores, who has been with the company for 39 years, has several different responsibilities with accounting matters in the office.
There is another aspect that businesspeople have to take into consideration to acquire success, once you are able to have a workforce as good as this one, then you need the best retailers to sell to the public.
This time Texas Border Business is showcasing Martin Masso, owner of Boot N Jeans of Weslaco. He is one of a kind, a true and successful Christian businessman that starts his day by reading Psalm 91; he says, “That scripture makes my day start in the right direction.”
That is powerful; his faith in God is strong and the base from where he starts the day. He comes from a very hardworking family. His father, Julian Masso and his mother, Cornelia, established the Boots N Jeans Company 37 years ago.
For Rios of Mercedes, a retailer as successful as Martin Masso is the other piece needed to reach the level of success. So as you can see, there are many parts to make it happen. Today I have learned that in order to manufacture anything, you need a facility, equipment, materials, and above all a workforce that can produce and yes, the retail boot outlets.
It is more complicated than the example I just gave, but this gives you a general idea. Oops! I forgot, you need someone to put together all the components; but they feel that the heavy load of all the work is done by the workforce and the retailers. “They deserve all the credit,” Ryan said. TBB
Written by Roberto Hugo Gonzalez the 2009 SBA Journalist of the Year Award Winner & The 2009 and 2012 Paul Harris Award recipient.
