Getting fit just became easier for Camp Hope Veterans! A brand new on-site 1,200 square foot state-of-the-art gym is now open. On October 15, 2016, a Ribbon Cutting and BBQ cook-off were held to celebrate the grand opening of The Jonathan Kim Gym located at the Camp Hope facility. Jonathan is our Senior Vice President of Operations and a known fitness guru. His passions for working out, being fit, and striving for good health has been an inspiration to others and they have followed his lead.
Russell had a vision to construct the gym and, once again, showed his support and generosity to our veterans. It was through the patronage of guests like you that Gringo’s and Jimmy Changas were able to fund the fitness center. A plaque is proudly placed at the entrance of gym with the inscription, “Helping heal the mind, body and soul of our American Heroes.” Here is a copy of Russell’s speech:
“Good afternoon everyone and thank you for being here. As a board member of Camp Hope, I am absolutely honored to have all of you joining us today helping raise money for our heroes. Our company, Gringo’s & Jimmy Changas, got involved with Camp Hope because of one person, Michael Berry. And also because of the great things Camp Hope is doing for our veterans.
I have stayed involved with Camp Hope because of folks like Gene Birdwell, David Maulsby, Doug Brown, and because of the passion and love they have shown for our vets dealing with PTSD. Our company, Gringo’s & Jimmy Changas, a company that sells tacos & enchiladas for a living, was founded in 1993 on a simple philosophy — to serve the highest quality Tex-Mex at the absolute lowest price possible.
This coming January 11th will mark our 24th year in business. Today, along with my two franchisees, Joel Perkins & Kevin Carroll, one partner Mr. Joe Ivey, and over 2,000 fellow team members, our company operates 14 Tex-Mex restaurants and a couple of fast casual concepts around the Houston area.
Right about the time we opened our 4th location in 2000, which also happens to be the very first location I franchised to Joel Perkins, and, BTW, today he now owns 4 Gringo’s, I realized that in order for our company to continue growing I needed to create a vision for the company. I wanted Gringo’s to be a special place, not just a place that served Mexican food. I wanted it to have heart & soul. So, one day I wrote down on a piece of paper our 5 company Core Values:
- Developing guest relationships one meal at a time.
- Fostering honesty & respect amongst our team members.
- Reinvesting in our team members and local community.
- Developing a relationship of trust with our vendors.
- Never being satisfied.
These 35 words are not just a bunch of words printed on some piece of paper that we had framed and hung on a wall to merely collect dust. But rather, these five simple phrases are what guides our company today and hopefully will continue to guide our company long after I leave this earth. Each Core Value has an important meaning for how we operate. The third core value – “Reinvesting in our team members & local community.” is the one that I want to speak to you about today. It is the cornerstone of who we are and it is the single point of difference that separates us from most, if not all, of our competition.
What exactly does (reinvesting in our team members & local community) mean? Well, what it means to me is simply this, meaning & purpose beyond just making money. I like to call it Conscious Capitalism. Conscious Capitalism is a movement. I did not come up with the term, but I believe if more and more companies practiced Conscious Capitalism, our country and the world would be better for it.
It is OBVIOUS that in order for a company to survive it must make a profit, BUT making a profit should not be a business’ only focus. It should be about more than just about money. A business should impact in a positive way everyone who comes in contact with it, from the people who work there, to the community who supports it. I’m sure if you were to ask any one of our many team members whose life has been impacted by this core value or a community organization that has benefitted from it, it might have completely different meanings. For example, a couple of years ago our company decided to purchase a new prosthetic leg for Melinda Johnson, a hostess who’s been with our company for over 10 years. The one Melinda was using squeaked when she walked and had to be held together by duct tape because it was basically falling apart. Melinda received a proposal from her doctor which included a base model prosthetic cost $40K. The middle of line cost $70K, and the top of line model, the OttoBock X3, cost over $100 thousand dollars.
When my operations manager, John Fernandez, sat down with Melinda to inform her that we were in fact going to provide her with at least the base model prosthetic, I sent with him special instructions. I wanted John to ask Melinda, “If money were no object, which one of the three options would you pick?” Well, she thought about it for a few seconds and said, “I’d have to pick the top of the line model, because it would allow me to do things in my life that I haven’t been able to do in years.” And that is when John told her that I said if that was the one she picked, then that would be the one Gringo’s would purchase for her. What does Core Value #3 mean to Melinda? It means freedom. The freedom to ride a bike with her daughter. The freedom to go to the beach and not have to worry about the sand or the salt water. The freedom for the first time in years to take a shower without having to first remove her prosthetic. Basically, for Melinda, Core Value #3 was life changing. She can now do things she was once unable to do.
In April of 2013, Pasadena police officer Mike Huffman and his longtime friend, Larry Candelari, were returning home from a hunting trip when they pulled over to assist a jackknifed U-haul trailer near Kerville, Texas. Suddenly, they were hit by an 18-wheeler, killing Officer Candelari and severely injuring Mike Huffman, causing him to lose his leg. Gringo’s and Jimmy Changas stepped up and donated 50% of our sales, not profits – sales, from one day at all of our locations so that we could purchase a new prosthetic leg for Officer Mike Huffman. If you were to ask Officer Mike Huffman what our company Core Value #3 means to him, he would tell you that it allowed him to get back on his feet (literally) so he could continue working at the Pasadena Police academy where he is a firearms instructor.
I can also tell you what Core Value #3 means to Pearland Little League. It means completely stocking their concession stand for the last 16 years with a full inventory of product, from ketchup to hot dogs. I believe the dollar amount Gringo’s has donated to date is over $100 thousand dollars.
Allow me to share one more example. I was in Las Vegas this past July 7th along with a few of my colleagues having a wonderful dinner when we heard the news about the sniper who killed 5 Dallas police officers and wounded 9 others. I don’t know about you, but it is so difficult for me to continue enjoying my life as though everything is normal when I hear about such an awful tragic event like this one. It compels me to want to do something positive. I believe the best way to respond to such a hateful act, is to respond back with a loving one.
The following Tuesday our company invited all police officers and first responders along with spouses and children to come have dinner on us at any one of our locations. No questions asked. Just show your I.D. It turned out to be one of the most incredible days of bringing people together as a show of solidarity for our men in blue. We ended up comping over $135 thousand dollars that day.
Our core value #3 has a deep, purposeful meaning to our company. When we recognize a NEED with a team member or a NEED within the community we serve – we act on it.
Several years ago Gene Birdwell & David Maulsby recognized a need with our veterans who are suffering with PTSD, and they acted on it. America is losing 22 veterans a day to suicide. That is 22 too many. This is a serious, serious crisis. When I hear the number 22, I see a much larger number. Because as you all know, NO MAN IS AN ISLAND. When I hear the number 22 – I see parents, spouses, children who will now, for years to come, have to live with and endure the consequences of this terrible epidemic. And that is why we’re here today at Camp Hope, to bring awareness and hope to the very men & woman who have served this great country. And now it is our time to serve them.
Please get involved with Camp Hope at whatever level you feel comfortable. Money is important, but volunteers are equally as important to this organization. If you want to give your life meaning & purpose beyond the world of stuff, if you want to find a place in your life where you will discover the only thing that can give you true inner peace, then find a cause, like the PTSD Foundation of America and Camp Hope, that enriches the lives of your fellow man. Enriching the lives of others is the most noble & worthy journey a human being can be on.
When I look out and see all the volunteers who put together this incredible BBQ cook-off for the residences of Camp Hope, I see nothing but agape love, the absolute highest form of love.
Giving for the sake of giving, expecting absolutely nothing back in return. That is the true measure of a person.
I want to thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you today. It was an absolute honor.”
