For my final gratitude post of 2019, I want to take this opportunity to thank several people who have been instrumental in the growth and success of our company. All of them are an important piece of the puzzle that has helped make Gringo’s and Jimmy Changas what it is today. I could not have done any of it without them.

But, I would first like to begin by thanking the most important and influential person in my life, my wife Monica. Monica was born in Bogota, Colombia in 1964 to Jaime and Leonor Moscoso. Shortly after Monica was born, her father made the decision to immigrate to the United States and with only a few dollars in his pocket ends up in Queens, New York. The plan was that he would arrive first and get settled in Queens and then have Leonor and Monica join him. Jimmy, as we like to call him, begins immediately working at a White Castle restaurant while still looking for work in his profession as a Tool and Die Maker. Once Jimmy got situated with a job and an apartment, Monica’s mother and her make the journey to join him.

After living through several very cold winters in New York, Jimmy got tired of digging his car out of the snow before going to work every day so he decides to move to Texas. Dallas seemed like a good choice but once there he was unable to find a job that satisfied his skillset. After 3 months of struggling he was ready to head back to New York when he remembered a family friend that lived in Deer Park, TX. One call was all it took for the friend to encourage Jimmy that there would be plenty of work for him in Houston. The family ends up moving to Deer Park and settled at Casa Maria apartments on Spencer Highway. A few years later they purchase a new home in the nearby Brooklyn subdivision.

I first met on Monica on December 3, 1977, at a birthday party. I went there with my cousin Steve Rodriguez and best friend Mark Traxler. I’m very thankful that God gave me a good set of eyeballs back then for a 16-year-old. I can still remember the very moment I first laid eyes on Monica as I walked into the living room, turned to my left and saw what I thought was the most beautiful girl in the world sitting on the couch. I had the exact same reaction Forrest Gump had when he first saw Jenny on the school bus.

Monica is a very private person, so I have to respect her wishes and limit what I’m able to share about her, publicly. But what I can say about her is this, she is the kindest person I’ve ever met. Monica brings automatic calmness to anyone she meets. I always tell her that she’s the best daughter, sister, mother, sister-in-law, wife, and nana any person could ever hope to have. Her inward beauty matches her outward beauty. So, as Forrest Gump would say, “That’s all I have to say about that.”

I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have attracted some of the best talent to come work with me. My senior leadership team consists of Jonathan Kim (See November Gratitude Post to read about Jonathan Kim), John Fernandez, Danny Hanks, and Heather McKeon. They have been with the company for an average of 20 years. Each one of them could easily run the company with the same passion and commitment to excellence as I do.

I first met John Fernandez shortly after we opened the very first Gringo’s in 1993. He lived a couple of streets over and would often visit the restaurant along with his younger brother, Rick. The moment I met John I immediately knew that his personality was exactly the kind that I needed to help me run the restaurant. Since John was already a huge fan of Gringo’s, I asked him to consider coming to work for me. It was obviously a huge gamble for him since at the time we were only a single unit operation. When John finally agreed to join Gringo’s he only had one request, he wanted to finish college at the University of Houston. John joined us in June of ‘95. John’s positivity and compassion has been very instrumental in helping build the unique culture at Gringo’s. As the general manager of this location from 1995 to 2005, John’s enthusiasm to motivate the staff to excellence is something to witness. I appreciate John more than he will ever know. I’ve told him on several occasions that had he never joined me 24 years ago, Gringo’s might still be around, but it would not be the same company that it is today. Thank you, John.

John Fernandez & Jonathan Kim at Pull-Ups For A Purpose

Danny Hanks joined Gringo’s in La Porte as a very young server in February of 1998. Because of Danny’s incredible work ethic, he moved up quickly to become an assistant manager, then general manager at the Gringo’s in Texas City. Danny was then put in charge of our flagship location, The Original Gringo’s, in Pearland in 2005 where he was the GM until 2017 when Matt Bussa is in charge today. Today Danny is our senior vice president of operations. With purchasing being one of many of his responsibilities. He is extremely competitive and welcomes a challenge. Danny possesses a special kind of energy and commitment that every employer wishes their entire team had. His work ethic is second to none. I wish I could clone Danny. Thank you, Danny, for all you do to help make all of us successful.

Danny & Dana Hanks in Playa Del Carmen attending a nice company getaway

The next person I would like to acknowledge in this gratitude post is Heather McKeon, our chief marketing officer for the company. Heather joined us shortly after we opened the Gringo’s in La Porte in November 1996 as a hostess. In 2000, I was looking for someone to head up marketing at our new corporate offices in La Porte when Joel Perkins, my franchise partner who’d just opened the Fuqua location, mentioned to me that Heather had finished her marketing degree and would be excellent for this new position. I asked Heather to consider the position and she accepted. This move created a new level of talent and momentum for our corporate team. Heather eats, sleeps and breathes the Gringo’s and Jimmy Changas brands. Our company is extremely fortunate to have Heather in this role. She is one of the best multitaskers I have ever witnessed. She is so passionate about our brands that I’m sure a lot of people probably see her face before mine whenever Gringo’s Tex Mex comes up in a conversation. I rely on Heather tremendously and she always delivers excellence. Heather is constantly educating herself; always trying to be a student of business. She is not shy about being candid and leads her marketing team by example. Thank you, Heather, for everything.

Heather and I along with our executive team having dinner at Carbone in Las Vegas

I am so proud of John, Danny, and Heather. I could not have the peace of mind that I do if it were not for them by my side. We truly are greater as a whole than the sum of our parts when it comes to the success of our company. I am eternally grateful that all of them have given the company what I call the prime years of their life. It does not go unnoticed by me. Thank you, John. Thank you, Danny. And thank you, Heather. I appreciate each one of you more than you will ever know.