1. We are not just EquipNetter’s we are far beyond that.......
2. During October 2009, I was requested to go to Costa Rica for the completion of a project to manage the sales and or disposal of MSD assets. How far off I was in my thoughts of the encounters and personal satisfaction this project would bring to my life and the life of many other people. It started being a challenge in some ways, these are past experiences that are not important to mention . So lets continue with the reason for this story.....
3. First day, I met with the Plant Manager Livia Cruz and other staff members to discuss project goals. The project became far from what was discussed that day. Good thing God made one day after another and change is what makes evolution possible. The next day was the first day meeting with many of the MSD employees that were interested in purchasing assets with so many reasons in their minds and some of them with very long lists. Now, lets make a STOP here and analyze this one....
4. MSD Costa Rica gave the employees the benefit to purchase assets that were in $0 value in their books, at such a low cost that they were motivated to move into what I called personal PLAN B’s because some of them did not have a Plan A; that was a job in MSD or any other company. MSD had not realized the benefit and the GOOD name they were keeping among their ex-employees; their family and friends; by allowing them to purchase these items. Now you will know why.....
5. We started with a list of over 100 employees. Some of them just wanted to have something they had used for the past years, even decades that they had been working at MSD and wanted to keep it after they left MSD. Let’s start with the Technician that wanted his tool box, this is the way he talked about it, showing me a very old hand tool, "Sra. Boria, do you know how many years I had these tools in my hands, how many things I fixed here with it, I took care of it, always making sure it was clean and ready for the next job, I need to buy it, because no one else will take care of it, the way I have taken care of it all these years" Gosh, he almost made me cry.... It was like if he was talking about a loved one.
6. Then came the nurse, she started working in the packaging area floor and later completed additional studies and became the nurse at MSD. Worked hard to raised her kids and paid for one of them to become a Doctor. Now she was not going to have a job but she was ready to have her daughter open her own doctors clinic and she was going to be able to help her as a nurse, but she needed to purchase the assets in the infirmary room to give her the lift they both needed so bad. Then came many others....
7. The one that was buying lab equipment to open a business with his brother to improve quality in gold jewelery. Here I learned something new, because I did not know that 14 karat gold can become 18 karat. He also helped another friend that later gave him a consulting contract so he could help her purchase items from us for her new Lab business. Then met with a supervisor, he is opening his new "rancho" that for us is like a conference area for activities and was able to purchase tables and chairs. He also purchased conveyors for another side business to package vegetables because his family had big farms.
8. The technician that always wanted to become a butcher because his brothers had farms with cows and pigs but he worked in MSD and never thought about pursuing his dreams. He was in his comfort zone. Now after he bought several SS tables and other items for his meat business he wonders why he did not do it before. Today he is grateful that MSD "took him out of his comfort zone". Also grateful that MSD gave this opportunity to their employees and he was able to purchase the items he needed. He is asking “why I did not do this before”?.....
9. Oh yes, but at the end all the technicians were able to purchase their tools and many others bought other itesms to complete their new entrepreneurial businesses. Such as Electricians, calibrations, tool and die makers, logistics services for packing and crating, etc. Then we started with office personnel and office furniture. How many got their home office furniture that they always wanted? Oh, I lost count, but there were many that were happy because they had a home based office and were going to work from home, others were starting marketing business, one of them is starting her own nutrition consulting business, another recycling, so many other PLAN B’s .... thanks to MSD and to.......
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11. Also part of her closets. She was also able to purchase small lifters to carry inflatable's, her other side business for birthdays and kids party’s that she also started as PLAN B. Did I mentioned the one that purchased the communication radios to form a security business with her brother and now offers security services? Now they own their own business.
12. Another ex-employee, one sitting in her balcony looking forward and thinking what was she going to do next, suddenly she realized she had a small elementary school in front of her house and there was no school supply around, not even a place where kids could come and buy snacks. So she visited the plant to see what she could purchase to help her form this little store in her garage that she would convert in a small school supply and candy store for the kids. Now she also had a PLAN B and her eyes were shining when she talked about it. She found several items in MSD for her start up.
13. I could keep on going mentioning all these great stories of many PLAN B's, but we need to be grateful for not being just an EquipNetter, but for having the opportunities to be able to be part of these and to work with EquipNet that offers and provide the re-sources and services to Companies like MSD, that has directors like Mrs. Livia Cruz, that made the decision to offer this benefit to her employees and coordinated the beginning of something that maybe she did not even know the impact that was taking place in other peoples life.
14. Some rules are made to be followed, others are made to be changed and others are made where you just work around them but not breaking them. We could not "donate", even if it was a dollar it had to be sold. But some of us still donated..... Items were purchase to be donated.
15. Kenneth, another ex employee that had been of support to us, invited me to see this organization and visit their church on a Sunday morning. They make a lot of furniture and wood items out of recycling wood and Kenneth was able to buy things for this center that takes care of children that are abandoned or are orphaned.
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17. Dra. Patricia Salazar bought several items to take to a couple that later I found out who they were and why they needed her donation. Let me tell you how it started.....
18. The pressure was on...I needed to work 18 hours, 7 days if possible to reach the EquipNet goals. But, Dra. Patricia Salazar, had this great idea of taking me out of that vicious cycle and one Sunday afternoon called me and invited me to her house, "Elba, you need to get out of there, I am picking you up", she said. There she was, she opened the doors of her house and invited her beautiful family over for dinner. There was her gorgeous mother and aunt, her sisters, cousins, husband, her son, niece and nephews. We had a great dinner made by her and a perfect cake for dessert that she did not let anyone touch until it was time.
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20. Here, I met this couple and it was when "Grecia" is mentioned again. I paid attention because it was quite interesting. Patricias' cousin was asking if she went to this place called Grecia again. This is when I knew where the items Patricia had bought for a donation went to.
21. After listening to the story, I thought I was called to go there, I just had to go and do something. This is the story, of this couple, they are in their mid- 50's, they take care of people that had been diagnosed with terminal health conditions; that are homeless or do not have some one to take care of them. Their only fund to support them is the donations of other people. No government, no agency, no nothing. Just people that God some way touched to do something and share part of what they are given.
22. Thank's to this visit to Patricia's home and this blessed family I was also able to donate on my name and EquipNet's behalf that took me there. We had been blessed in many ways. EquipNet had been blessed in many ways, so in both names, mine and EquipNet, I choose to give our part of donation.
23. Even the guard helped me carry things to the car, that I had bought for the donations.
24. Besides items bought at MSD, I also took vegetables, pastries, food and a little money. It was a celebration day, because of many reasons.
25. It was also a birthday of one of the persons. Just by coincidence I had also brought a cake.
26. Jeannette and her husband here in the picture have been doing this for 15 years. During this period of time they had seen 11 persons go with God, as they said. They say, they do it because if they do not do it, it would had been terrible for those persons to die alone and who knows under what conditions…
27. But after going down that hill it was time to go back to town. It was sad to say goodbye.
29. We are not just EquipNetter's we are more than that. We should give thanks for having customers like MSD that give us the business to make money to be able to pay EquipNetter's, that are able to share and give thanks for what we have and is given. Today I had to share this story because we should not only work, we should love what we do and what we work for. Say thanks every single day for what is given and be able to share, that is what life is all about. Not just being an EquipNetter......... But trying to be more than that, by sharing how blessed we are.
