John Gatley, Leidy’s, Inc.; Logan Bower, Inc. share ideas on promoting Hispanic worl
Perry County dairy producer; and Jorge Es- ers to management positions,
trada of Leadership Coaching International,
Relating To Hispanic Workers Is ‘Basic’
Workforce Management Conference Draws Diverse Crowd
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) “Si se puede.”
In Spanish, the phrase means “Yes you can.”
For Angelo Mino, “Si se puede” is an attitude
that can be applied in any situation, especially
where people of different cultures work side by side.
Mino is a native of Ecuador whose first job in the
U.S. involved working for $4.25 an hour as a park
ing lot security guard. He is now the head of
Summit, a Kansas firm that connects Hispanic
workers with U.S. employers. Mino was one of sev
eral speakers at a “Managing the Hispanic Work
force” conference recently offered to dairy and
other ag managers by Penn State and Cornell Uni
versities. About 100 people attended.
“It’s so basic,” Mino said of the lessons to be
learned about bringing Hispanic employees into a
farm operation. “A third-grader could teach this.”
Mino outlined four key areas in which an em
ployer can generate loyalty and respect from
Spanish-speaking employees. First and foremost is
the role of the family in Hispanic life. That is not
such a strange concept to dairy producers.
“For us, family is a really, really strong thing,”
Mino said. “But so is it to farmers.”
Ways that farm managers can create employee
loyalty include welcoming their kids, celebrating
birthdays, inviting family members to work, and of
fering rewards that bolster family unity such as
calling cards or help with immigration and natural
ization hassles.
Managers should welcome and embrace the
workers along with their families, Mino said. In
doing so, bosses also become members of workers’
extended family or what one farm manager re
ferred to as a network of seemingly “unlimited rela
tives.”
Angelo Mino urges farm managers to wel
come and respect Hispanic employees.
(Turn to Page A 32)