MP Newsletter
- 1. Dear Colaboradores, On March 6 we celebrated Employee Appreciation Day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our colaboradores for your hard work and to remind you how much Mi Pueblo values your commitment, loyalty, and support. Mi Pueblo believes in showing our appreciation and celebrating our employees every day not just on special occasions. We are very proud of the work that you and your teams are doing to make Mi Pueblo a better place and to serve our communities. This month’s Nuevo Mensajero newsletter includes information on Mi Pueblo’s scholarship program, a healthy Latin recipe to celebrate National Nutrition Month, and advice on how to save money. We’ve also included information on Mi Pueblo’s community events and the Adopt a Church program. Please feel free to share your comments and suggestions for content and photos you’d like to see featured in next month’s issue to MiPueblo@formulatin.com. Also, don’t forget to submit your Visionary Award entries with your ideas on how to improve our stores and increase store traffic. We have two separate $500 gift card prizes for the best ideas! The deadline is March 31. Sincerely, Javier Ramirez President and CEO of Mi Pueblo March 2015 Employee Scholarship Reminder 6th Edition Our scholarship program has officially launched. If you can demonstrate excellence at work, community involvement and a true commitment to advancing your education, apply for a chance to receive a $2,000 or $5,000 scholarship. This program is ideal for those who are about to start college, are already in college or seeking a higher degree. Additional requirements include submitting letters of recommendation, showing recent transcripts and writing two to three open-ended essay questions. Mi Pueblo will award (2) $2,000 colaborador scholarships per each store, corporate and distribution center location and (1) $5,000 scholarship to the best colaborador application across the company. We are also offering this program to our local communities. If you know of a student who might be interested please share the link. The application period is open now until April 30. To apply please visit: https://mipueblo.awardspring.com/ or www.mipueblofoods.com EL NUEVO MENSAJERO FROM CORPORATE From the Desk of Javier SCHOLARSHIP Mi Pueblo 2015
- 2. International Women’s Day, commemorated on March 8, provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater gender equality. In honor of this day, Mi Pueblo spoke with Gretel Tortolani, Controller from our corporate office. From the start of her career, Gretel had the courage and skills to thrive in an industry dominated by men and has made a pathway for other women to follow. We asked her a few questions regarding her experience. Here’s what she had to say: What are some of the advantages faced by Latinas in the workplace today? People are starting to realize that women, in general, have a lot to offer as professionals. The barriers are starting to come down and companies understand and appreciate our value as women in the workplace. Latinas are known for being hard working, strong-willed, multitaskers, having great leadership skills and at the same time possessing greatpersonalvaluesthatmakethemwellrounded professionals. This is a great time to go out there, work hard and accomplish your dreams! What is the most important thing women need to remember when it comes to balancing their career and personal life? Balancing work and home is based on what you need to do as an individual to provide for your family. Personally I have been blessed to have a great husband and in-laws who have allowed me to be a hard working executive at different companies and not made me feel guilty for not being that wife and mother that society makes you believe you need to be. I think the most important thing women need to remember is balancing their career and personal life is going to depend on who they are and their own personal circumstances. Life is too short to have regrets, so whatever that balance is, accept it, learn to live with it and know in your heart that it’s the right balance for you, regardless of how other women balance their own lives. Why did you choose to work at Mi Pueblo? It is important for me to be involved in a workplace where I can use my Spanish-language skills and collaborate with the Hispanic community. When I was told that there was an opening for a Corporate Controller, I thought it would be interesting and a great challenge since it was an industry I had never worked in before. My expectations were right, it’s been a great challenge that I enjoy more and more as each day goes by. We are grateful to have hard working and caring colaboradores at Mi Pueblo. It is because of your dedication and commitment that we are able to thrive every day. To celebrate Employee Appreciation Day we asked two of our store direc- tors what they admired most about their employees. Salvador Ahumada, Store Director #12: “We have so many talented and hardworking individuals that have helped move the store in the right direction. I would like to thank each and every one of the colaboradores that are part of Mi Pueblo #12 for their hard work and dedication. That being said, I want to thank my ASD, department managers, assistant man- agers and every single team member that works at store #12, our goal is to make this the #1 store in the company and with hard work and a positive mindset we will reach our goal. THANK YOU ALL!” Ruben Hernandez, Store Director #6: “With hard work, our team has been able to grow together as a family. My team at Store # 6 took on the challenge and earned the highest customer service scores in November and December. We have been able to promote employees to the store management team from the deli to the produce department. We work hard every day and I just wanted to say how proud I am as a leader of our company that I have the best job ever because I am able to work with such a great group of up-and-coming team members. I appreciate all my past, present and future employees for all they do.” Employee Appreciation Day MP 6- Colaboradores in Watsonville store Rubén Hernández Salvador AhumadaMP 12- Colaboradores in Capitol, San Jose Alberto Gonzalez, Mi Pueblo’s VP of Marketing, has been very busy making on-air appearances in radio and television shows to talk about all the positive initiatives happening at Mi Pueblo and inviting the community to visit our stores. Alberto recently stopped by local radio station KIQI-1010 for the Ventana de la Comunidad show, La Buena 103.5 at Aristeo Gonzalez’s show and with DJ Paco Pacorro at La Zeta 105.7. Additionally, he made a TV appearance at MundoFOX and Estrella TV to share information on the scholarship program. Stay tuned for any other on- air appearances by Mi Pueblo and make sure to support us by tuning in and encouraging your family to do the same! International Women’s Day Mi Pueblo Making Air Waves STORE NEWS MARKETING 8 March
- 3. With March being National Nutrition Month, it’s the perfect time to create awareness of what we eat and its direct correlation to our health. Some ideas to improve your nutrition and health include reducing salt consumption and adding more vegetables to your meal. Here is a healthy and delicious recipe easy to prepare at home. Turkey and Cactus Paddle Salad Ingredients • 6 cups chopped cactus paddles • 1pkg. (9oz.)DeliFreshOvenRoastedTurkeyBreast,chopped • 1/2 small red onion, chopped • 1 serrano chile, stemmed, finely chopped • 1 plum tomato, seeded, chopped • 2 tomatillos, cut into wedges • 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped • 1/2 cup Italian dressing Preparation 1. In medium saucepan, bring cactus to boil in 6 cups salted water. 2. Simmer on medium heat 15 minutes or until tender. 3. Drain well and allow to cool 5 minutes. According to studies, saving mon- ey can increase happiness, help you achieveyourdreamsandprepareyou foranemergency.Butweknowmany times it’s easier said than done. Here are five tips to help you get started on puttingsomecoinsinthepiggybank! 1. Have clear goals: Know what you’re saving for. Having clearlydefinedgoalswillhelpyoustay motivated with your savings plan. Whetheryouaresavingforyournextvacationorahouse,youneed tofigureouthowmuchyouneedtosaveeverymonthandbywhen in order to reach that goal. 2. Think before you buy: When you are about to make a pur- chase, ask yourself: Is it a need or a want? If you answer honestly, you will only buy the essentials and be able to save the money spent on a “want”. 3. Prep your meals for the week: Dining out and entertainment are two of the biggest money pitfalls, but with a little bit of planning, you can hit Mi Pueblo before the week starts and have your meals mapped out for the rest of the week. Use our weekly Ad! 4. Go on a Spending Diet: Designate two days a week as a no- spend. Pay only for essentials, like bus fare or tolls for work, and skip using money on nonessentials. 5. Get your colaboradores to motivate you: Saving is a group ac- tivity. By being vocal about your savings goals you can save more money. We always need a friend to keep us in check when we have a purchase impulse. On Saturday March 7, Mi Pueblo attended the first East Palo Alto Family Health Fair & Festival at Stanford University. The event was organized by Stanford University and the East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring Organization, an academic, non-prof- it youth development program for K-12th grade students from East Palo Alto and surrounding communities, with the goal of educating consumers on how to lead healthier and active lifestyles. The event provided useful, health-related resources and promoted healthy lifestyle among more than 300 attendees. Mi Pueblo participated in this community-building event by having a company representative share information on our ser- vices and ongoing community initiatives including our schol- arship program, El Mero Mero, in-store Western Union service and more. Mi Pueblo also sup- ported by donating fruits and healthy snacks to the attendees. National Nutrition Month: Healthy Latin Dishes Five Ways to Save Money Mi Pueblo in the Community Adopt-a-Church Program Mi Pueblo has launched its Adopt a Church program to support local organizations. So far, we have partnered with St. Edward Church in Newark, St. Francis of Assisi in East Palo Alto, Holy Cross Parish in San Jose, and St. Peter’s Church in Pittsburg, just to name a few. A major component of this community outreach program is Mi Pueblo’s commitment to give back 1% of the total amount churchgoers spend at their local Mi Pueblo store each month. Members of each parish who would like to support their local church are encouraged to submit their Mi Pueblo sales receipts to the priest. At the end of the month Mi Pueblo will collect all receipts received by adopted churches and donate 1% of the total added amount spent to the organization. If you know of any church that would be interested in participating in the Adopt a Church program, please let us know. St Francis Assisi Church, E. Palo AltoSt. Edward en Newark