Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 3218 |
| Work Detail | Eduardo Tobias, or “Eddie” to everyone at The Doctors Company, does not wear his personal story on his sleeve. He shares details sparingly, in a friendly, even tone, almost as if he’s leading an employee through a checklist of solutions to a computer problem. But in a recent conversation, he revealed his feelings—after talking about his 25-year journey at The Doctors Company, from his first day on the job as a janitor to less than a month ago when the native of Mexico City became a United States citizen. “Taking the oath was very emotional,” he said, describing the moment at the Paramount Theater in Oakland with more than 1,000 of his fellow new citizens. “You see the tears in the eyes of people standing next to you. We were all living our dreams.” Tobias achieved his own dream through hard work and determination, and also through a longtime commitment to serving his community. From janitor to engineer Tobias came to the company in 1992, when it was headquartered on First Street in Napa before moving to the Greenwood Road campus in south Napa. He was a day janitor employed by Service Master, a company that provided janitorial services on a contract basis. Two years later, Tobias was hired as a full-time maintenance technician at The Doctors Company. Tobias recalled how a few years later, he became “very interested” in computers. Using an education benefit provided by The Doctors Company, he took computer and English classes at the College of Marin. In 2001, he interviewed with IT and was hired. “I did the night cycle and took phone calls for five years, then moved to the help desk for a couple more years,” he said. “I took more classes and earned certification in security, networking and software. From there, I moved to engineering. I also worked on the hardware side, setting up desktops.” Tobias is now a senior infrastructure engineer reporting to Mike Ochoa, director of IT infrastructure. Ochoa recently explained that one of Tobias’s best qualities is that he can work effectively in both customer service and engineering roles. “The IT engineering group relies on his ability to assess a business problem and break it down technically,” Ochoa said. “Similarly, the business relies on Eddie to get the problem resolved as quickly as possible. This role can be stressful, and over the years one of Eddie’s best qualities is patience and a calm personality. That is a tremendous quality.” Service to the community According to Tobias, he has long volunteered in his community, including working with teens in a program for the Canal Ministry in San Rafael before he was with The Doctors Company. But his more recent involvement has made a difference to a local agency that provides mental health services for families in the Napa Valley. In 2012, he began volunteering for Family Service of Napa Valley (now Mentis), setting up and breaking down for the agency’s annual gala. Then he proposed using his own time to refurbish laptops no longer in use by The Doctors Company and got the company to agree to donate the reconditioned equipment to Family Service and to Puertas Abiertas in Napa. “The equipment was at the stage where we couldn’t use it anymore,” he said. “I asked if we could donate it. “He’s just amazing that way,” said Elizabeth Healy, a vice president of the Mentis board of directors. “He does all of this on his own time and initiates it himself.” Michele Farhat was deputy director of Family Service of Napa Valley when she met Tobias. “He had a fantastic attitude,” she remembered. “He gave a lot of his time with no restrictions, which is rare in the nonprofit world. He was like a godsend to us.” Farhat, who is now development director with Aldea Children and Family Services, called Tobias’ proposal to recondition and donate laptop computers “perfect timing.” “We were growing at a rate of 30 percent per year, but we did not have the budget to grow our computer equipment at the same rate. We had demand but few resources.” The agency quickly distributed the refurbished laptops to therapists who put them to use with clients at schools and family resource centers. Tobias also reconditioned and got the company to donate some conference room audio-visual equipment when the equipment was replaced earlier this year. The recipient was Lucky Penny Theater in Napa, and the equipment is available to other nonprofits who hold events there—Napa Emergency Women’s Services recently used it for their Men Making News Community Awards, an event sponsored by The Doctors Company. “Eddie is a humble guy,” said Farhat. “He does not want accolades or attention. People like Eddie are a gift—they show up and give willingly without any requirements.” The path to citizenship The Doctors Company participates in the One Napa Valley Initiative (ONVI) Fund, which supports legal permanent residents who wish to become citizens in Napa County. The organization’s website cites that citizenship correlates with higher family income, higher educational attainment for children of immigrants that naturalize, higher proficiency in English and more active engagement in community affairs. Tobias had long been a resident but was motivated to vote in the 2016 presidential election, so he started the process last November and completed it when he took the oath on July 13 in Oakland. Tobias was in the U.S. for six years before he started working at The Doctors Company. Four siblings and a niece live in the Bay Area, while his parents still live in Mexico City. “When I started working here, I had recently come from another country,” he said. “It took a lot of effort, but I knew this was my home. This is where I have my roots now. My life is here in the U.S.” Ochoa added: “American citizenship is easy for us to take for granted as we go about our daily lives. We value what it stands for, but we don’t know the full story of Eddie and others as they commit to achieve this goal. I am very happy that Eddie will have the rights to pursue his goals and dreams as a citizen of the country with the greatest liberty and opportunity on the planet. I am very proud that Eddie’s story represents how the American dream continues on.” On Wednesday, Tobias was honored at a ceremony at The Doctors Company attended by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, along with representatives of volunteer groups where he donates his time. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Information Technology |
| Entry Date | 03 Sep 2016 |
| Source | http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/napan-once-a-janitor-becomes-it-engineer-and-citizen/article_7f07e3a5-1975-5d81-8d7f-a0210195ee81.html |
