They brought with them their signature of excellence
By Roberto Hugo Gonzalez
As originally published in Texas Border Business newsprint edition September 2018
On August 22, 2018, Texas Border Business was invited to the2018 Convocation “Celebrating our Success” at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley College of Engineering & Computer Science. In this event, the Delgado brothers, all engineers were to be honored during a family-oriented ceremony.
The UTRGV College of Engineering & Computer Science made a notable difference in the life of the brothers. Now, they are making a difference by connecting with the university and touching the lives of other students.
Dr. Ala Qubbaj, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering & Computer Science since April of this year, acted as the Master of Ceremonies of the event. He said, “As you know, this is a familiar culture, so when I invited the Delgado brothers to come, they brought their families, their wives and their kids with them. So, I’m going to ask the Delgado family, including their parents, who are here also, to please stand and let’s recognize you and your success.”
It was a momentous occasion for everyone there. Having four brothers, originally from Mexico, being recognized for their success was a unique experience.
I am talking about Juan Delgado, an Electrical Engineer, Project Executive at Noble Texas Builders; Jose Delgado, an Electrical Engineer, Electrical/ITS Team Leader – for Halff Associates; Eric Delgado, a Manufacturing Engineer, Project Manager for Noble Texas Builders; and Adrian Delgado, a Mechanical Engineer, a Project Manager with Vaughn Construction.
It is important to mention that it was Rene Capistran, President, and CEO of Noble Texas Builders who brought the Delgado brothers to my attention. As you have noticed, Juan and Eric Delgado work for Noble Texas Builders which is recognized as among the best in the field, and also is respected for their philanthropic activities. They exercise the Golden rule of life, they give back to this community.
Let’s continue, how is it that four members from the same family sought such a demanding career? Is it in the genes? Did they follow the steps of a family member? Or what?
First, let’s start with the father, Juan Delgado is an electrical engineer who worked with Mexico’s oil company, Pemex. Anyone that has worked with an oil company in the outfield group knows that requires a lot of traveling. For his father, it meant the transfer to different cities throughout Mexico. He was in charge of Pemex’s fuel storage facilities, not an easy task, and with tremendous responsibilities.
Juan said that their father would let them visit Pemex’s fuel storage facilities where he worked and explained to them how engineering would apply to the functionality of the facility. “Then, he would take us to science fairs and museums where the principles of engineering were taught,” he said.
All the Delgado brothers had a story of their journey to get educated. ForJuan, when he was17 years old, he had graduated from High School and was ready to start college. According to Juan, the same year, his father was asked to transfer from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico to Torreón, Coahuila to run a facility for Pemex.
Juan had been admitted to the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León’sSchool of Engineering, but his father was opposed for him to stay alone in Monterrey.
The Delgado family is a close-knit family, so Juan followed the family to a new city for them. Unfortunately, the local universities had closed registration for the semester.
He told Texas Border Business that losing the opportunity to register at another college, meant a six-month delay before starting college. “That same year, in 1995, my grandfather passed away in Monte Alto, Texas.” He continued, “One of my aunts in San Antonio asked me if I would consider attending the University of Texas-Pan American(UTPA) and staying with my grandmother, Eloisa Escobar.”
For him, it was either having to wait six months in Torreon or move to the Rio Grande Valley and register here. Late in ‘95, Juan moved to live in Monte Alto, enrolled at UTPA, and started a bachelor’s in electrical engineering; his brothers later followed him.
He remembers with love his grandmother Eloisa Escobar, “She was a vital support for us in our goal to obtain our fourdegrees at UTRGV.”
Juan also pointed out that while they lived at her home, she guided them and supported them through their college careers. “Today, my grandmother is 92 and in a hospice. My brothers and I stay in touch with her and always respect her as our second mother and our angel”, he said.
Juan started working at Noble Texas Builders in January 2016. He is a project Executive, ensuring system continuity within construction projects in the Rio Grande Valley. He coordinates with project managers and superintendents during construction to ensure projects are meeting contractual schedules and stay within budget.
His duties also call for meetings with project owners from the beginning to the end of construction to assure their expectations arebeing met.
Juan is married to Elizabeth, and they have two daughters, Valeria 12, and Gabriela 8. Juan’s hobbies include jogging, spending time with family and his daughter activities. His civic activities are being a member of the board for the Boys and Girls Club of Edinburg, also a Board Member at RGV First.
His parents came to the United States in July 2011. “Our Father retired after working for Pemex for 30 years,” he said.
Their parents, Juan and Melba Rosa Delgado also lived with grandmother Eloisa in Monte Alto for a couple of years while building their home in Elsa. His mother is originally from Elsa and currently works as a Teacher Assistant at Monte Alto ISD. His dad is the maintenance and operator manager for ChaseSource.
Everyone if not most people in their lives have challenges, for the Delgado brothers, it is having a crystal-clearunderstanding of the task at hand. “This is probably the most difficult challenge in this profession.” He said, “Our perception of a problem might be different from the end user, and if we fail to listen and understand all efforts will be in vain.”
His brother Eric Delgado is a Project Manager and the director of Noble Building Solutions Division. This section of the company specializes in job order contracting, emergency response, and small to medium size renovations. He has worked with Noble since July 2016.
He is married to Olivia, and their children areDaniel 9, and Julieta 2. His hobbies include working on mechanical projects with his son and gardening. Eric’s participation with the community is to assist the local community during emergencies, and also repairing homes and helping the needy.
There are also Jose and Adrian Delgado. Jose is a member of Edinburg Leadership and an honored alumnus of the school of engineering. Jose is married to Erica, their children are, Victoria 10, and Lorena 7. His hobbies include jogging, reading, and spending time with hisdaughters in sport activities.
Adrian is an alumnus from the school of engineering, he is married to Mariana. His hobbies are reading, remodeling and traveling.
By now, for sure you understand that the Delgado brothers love the field of engineering because it fulfills their desire to solve problems. Like Juan said, “A fulfillment not only from a technical aspect but also they can be experiencedphysically.”
The Delgado brothers understand the concept of engineering, that the theories and practices are applied to any industry. “Our Father is an Electrical Engineer and would always focus on our math and science projects while we were attending school. We believe this was a great reason why all of us ended up with an engineering degree,” Juan finalized.
