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SETTING THE PACE
Under the guidance of General Manager John Magana, AMS de Mexico has
acquired a reputation for high-quality serviceand honesty in providing
building materials for major Mexican developments, such as this mixed-use
office building/funeral home in Ensenada. |
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AMS
de Mexico General Manager JohnMagana is a man in love with
two countries. The beauty is he is completely unconflicted
about it. Magana speaks with great patriotism and pride of
the United States. It is his birthplace and has been homeland
to the Magana lineage since his great grandfather migrated
to Southern California from Mexico in the early 1890s. But
he also speaks with love, kindness and hope when conversation
turns to Mexico, where the commanding 6-foot, 210 pound former
U.S.Navy veteran now oversees AMS de Mexico’soperations
and its 42 employees.“ At AMS de Mexico, our employees
are ourgreatest strength,” Magana said.“ Contrary
to popular belief, Mexican people will not automatically believe
what they are told.
Due to a history of poor leadership in their country, with
many promises made and few kept, they are not inclined to
trust political or business leaders.“ But once you prove
you will follow through onyour word, they are steadfast and
loyal you can’t find a more energetic or hard working
culture.” From 1978 until 1994, Magana operated his
own building materials company in Orange County. He then “inherited”a
building materials company named Murosistema in Tijuana, when
its owners offered that company to him as payment for outstanding
debts.
In July 1994, Magana and former AMS Chief Executive Officer
Max Gondon entered into a business agreement under which AMS
USA would own the Mexican corporation, with Magana serving
as its head operations officer. That arrangement has continued
to this day andproved highly beneficial to both parties.
Being owned by AMS gives us great name and brand recognition,”Magana
said.“ It has increased public confidence in our company
and given us the ability to purchase direct and buy at prices
based on volume,”he said. “We pass these benefits
along to our customers.”
Magana’s close ties to Mexico are not just business-
related. They are personal. “After having two kids of
our own and vowing ‘enough was enough,’ my wife
and I adopted five children from an orphanage here in Mexico,”
Magana said. “They continue to be a great blessing and
inspiration to us every day.”
AMS de Mexico’s corporate headquarters are in Tijuana,with
branch offices in Mexicali and San Jose del Cabo. Under Magana’s
guidance, AMS has become an industry leader as a supplier
to major Mexican building contractors, aided by a steadily
growing outside sales force and predominantly bilingual employee
team.
“Along with AMS’ excellent reputation, having
bilingual employees gives us a competitive edge and enables
us to better deal with foreign investors,”Magana said.
The Mexican home market is booming at an annual growth rate
of 4.5%, with projections to expand to an estimated value
of $6.7 billion by year-end 2005 (based on an Aug. 8, 2004
San Diego Tribune article). Magana and AMS de Mexico are working
with contractors that are well-positioned with the Mexican
government, local builders and foreign investors in providing
affordable housing to nearly one million new Mexican homeowners
over the next three years.
“AMS is working with contractors and builders aligned
with the Mexican government to make affordable housing a reality,”Magana
said. “This will help fill important social and economic
voids.
For the past several years,AMS has worked with builders by
introducing single-family, steel-framed homes. We put a special
emphasis on energy-saving features such as foam-insulation
systems and drywall interiors with fiberglass insulation.
We presently are supplying materials for production tract
homes in Tijuana.
In 2005, AMS de Mexico will compete to supply materials to
builders of a 1,000-unit complex in San Felipe, comprised
of single-family units and town homes. In Tijuana,AMS will
compete to provision builders of a high-rise hospital and
a separate steel-framed housing project. A high-rise condo
project and high-rise Polo Club and Resort are slated in Rosarito.
A new marina is planned in San Jose del Cabo and production
of a steelframed home project is slated to be built this year
in Tijuana and Mexicali.
One former satisfied AMS customer, James McGorman of Armour
in Tijuana, related how he came to rely on AMS’ expertise.
“During the mid- to late-1980s,my wife and I rented
a winter home in Cuernavaca, Mexico,” McGorman recalled.
“We lived in Canada at the time, where I had developed
several retirement homes in smaller communities outside Toronto.
“With the economic downturn in Canada, I kept thinking
about Mexico with its strong demand for housing,”he
said. “A year or two later, I met a commercial real
estate broker from St. Louis who told me he was thinking of
developing housing in Mexico. He had partnered with a Mexican
developer and asked me to join in. I did and the rest is history.”
It was almost history. First, there were a few cultural roadblocks
and a sharp learning curve that McGorman and his partners
had to deal with.
They soon learned they were ill-equipped to compete with Mexican
developers who specialized in building concrete-block houses.
They opted to build pre-cut steel-frame houses instead. It
was a smart choice.
“Using steel-framed materials with pre-cut lengths resulted
in a faster build time,a more accurate structure and lower
costs,”McGorman said.
“The only initial problem, which we soon over came,was
training crews to build in steel instead of concrete.”
McGorman and his associates imported needed steel from Canada
for their first 17-unit test project. But when they started
work on a 41-unit project, they began having trouble getting
needed steel in a timely fashion.
“First, we began using AMS de Mexico to fill in the
short shipments our original supplier wasn’t filling,”
he said. “AMS was very helpful. They brought technical
specialists out to our job sites to demonstrate the best application
techniques for the materials they were supplying.
“And when we had trouble getting paid by the Mexican
government, AMS helped accommodate us through our cash crunch
by granting us extra credit terms. Without John Magana and
AMS, we simply wouldn’t have made it.”
The relationship and trust grew. So much that by the time
the Canadian developer began his third development, a 225-unit
project, AMS was its sole steel supplier,as well as the supplier
of other building materials.
“We continued with AMS for our fourth development -
a 300-unit project,” McGorman said. “All of these
Mexicali projects were developed through the auspices of the
Mexican government program Infonavit. By the time we had started
our first Tijuana project, a 68-unit housing project, AMS
de Mexico was our largest supplier. And in the process, I
made a friend in John Magana that I expect to keep for a long
time to come, even though I’ve since sold my (Mexican
development) business.”
Besides these projects, AMS recently supplied structural metal
studs, insulation, gypsum board, ceiling tile, doors, frames,
toilet partitions, various accessories and engineering suggestions
on a major funeral home.
“We also provisioned a department store chain (DORIANS)
in La Paz, Tijuana, Esenada, San Luis rio Colorado and Mexicali,”
Managa said.
“And,we supplied materials for two 15-story condos in
Rosarito,Baja California,Mexico.” All of which seems
to indicate that with John Magana at the helm, AMS de Mexico
is indeed under fine leadership, with prospects for an even
brighter future.
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SITTING
ON INVENTORY
U.S. Navy Petty Officer Manny Alvarado, on the job in Kuwait, unloading
fighting equipment headed for the front line in the war against terrorism
in Iraq. |
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FOR
MANY U.S. soldiers seeing combat in America’s ongoing
war against terrorism in the Middle East, the threat of death
remains as constant and close as their water canteens and
M-16 carbines.
But those military personnel who support America’s fighting
forces behind the scenes–bringing in clothing, munitions,
trucks, jeeps, tanks and other materials wage a different
kind of war on at least two different fronts.
One is fight against an ever-present fear of separation from
family and loved ones. The other is an ongoing battle against
loneliness, depression and anger.
After returning from nine months of active duty, including
seven months in Kuwait, Manny Alvarado, 37, inside salesperson
in AMS’ Van Nuys branch office, and U.S. Navy Petty
Officer and 2nd-Class Boatswain knows these perils first-hand.
“When my parents first heard my Navy Reserve unit was
shipping out to the Middle East, they were terrorized –
even though they soon learned I would be doing my tour of
duty in Kuwait miles away from the fighting,” he said.
“They worried and prayed each day that God would watch
over me,” he said. “And they kept worrying and
praying until I returned safely home. “I’m proud
to have served my country,” Alvarado said of his tour
of duty. “Besides learning the value of teamwork and
patience I really learned something about myself. I learned
the importance of friends and family. And I learned that I
hate being alone.”
DURING HIS seven-month tour of duty in Kuwait, Alvarado said
loneliness was a constant unwanted companion. Looking back,
he said that each day he battled an overwhelming sense of
loneliness, borne out of isolation, as well as frequent bouts
of depression and anger.
Loneliness came from being a stranger in a strange land, segregated
from the Kuwaiti populace inside a huge military compound,
surrounded
by armed guards. Inside, U.S. support personnel lived, ate
and slept in makeshift desert homes (40-foot by 60-foot tents),
with only the tedium of extended workdays to break the monotony
– and with only day-old and militaryscreened news reports
and sporadic communications from home.
“There were 10 men to a tent,” Alvarado said.
“We usually worked long hours each day at the pier loading
and unloading ships’ cargo. There were four square meals
a day and plenty of water to clean up in ‘bladder’
tents with shower stalls.
But there was no R&R (rest and recuperation) leave, no
alcohol or other distractions and we weren’t allowed
to go into town to talk or visit with the locals.”
Depression came from isolation, hard work and a relentless
desert heat. “I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and
thought I knew what heat was,” Alvarado said. “But
that was before I spent time in Kuwait. The temperatures ranged
from 125 to a high of 142 degrees.”
Anger came from being unable to control one’s daily
regimen, and an uncertainty of one’s personal safety.
“Even though we were miles from the fighting, we never
felt entirely safe – we had several threats made against
our unit,” he said.
Alvarado and other sailors sought refuge by working out at
the gym and found fellowship through Bible-study groups. “I
hit the gym as often as I could to work out my frustrations,”
he
said.
HE SAID HE TOOK special consolation in reading passages from
Psalms and Proverbs, as well as the first four books of the
New Testament. “My mother raised me as a Christian and
I enjoyed the Bible studies,” he said. “And the
guitar playing and singing of some of the guys really helped.”
Alvarado shipped out of Port Hueneme, Calif. on Jan. 7, 2004,
before spending one month at a Navy base in Norfolk, Va. “There,
we went through indoctrination and a crash-course in weaponry,”
he said. “I learned how to hit a target pretty good
with my M-16, but I never used it once in Kuwait.”
Alvarado shipped out of the U.S. with an uncomfortable secret.
“I slipped on a block of ice in Virginia and broke my
right ankle,” he said. “I was embarrassed about
it and didn’t want to miss active duty – so I
didn’t tell anyone about it until I landed in Kuwait
and the pain became too much to handle. It took six months
to heal and I’m still having some problems with it.”
HIS NEXT STOP and home for the next seven months would be
a port in Kuwait, where Alvarado was assigned to a 360-person
unit of U.S. Navy Reserve Cargo Handling Battalion No. 14.
“There were 3,000 troops in that camp,” he said.
“There were four U.S. Navy Reserve units, soldiers from
the U.S. Marines, Army and Air Force, as well as troops from
Holland,Korea, Spain, Italy and other countries. We all got
along pretty well.”
Thirteen years of Navy Reserve training had prepared Alvarado
well for his Kuwait assignment. “I was trained to operate
a heavy-duty, 60-ton-capacity crane and perform a variety
of cargo handling and other longshoreman-like tasks,”
Alvarado said.
In Kuwait, he soon was named “hatch captain” and
put in charge of reconciling each giant supply ship’s
manifest.
Over the next seven months, Alvarado’s and other Navy
supply teams were responsible for loading or unloading 90
ships. “These ships were monstrosities,” he said.“Some
were five stories high, about the length of a football field,with
20-foot ceilings on each deck. It was a lot of work.
“We operated in teams of nine to 12 guys,” he
said. Aided by short-wave radio communication, the teams would
load and unload cargo stashed in the hulls of five-deck ships.
There’s an old Navy term called a ‘Plankowner,’”
Alvarado said.
“That means you’re the first guy or group to do
a particular task. “We literally were Plankowners in
developing the best procedures for loading and unloading these
big ships. We unloaded tanks, jeeps, generators, clothing
and all kinds of equipment that was picked up or sent on to
the fighting troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.
“We even taught an Army unit how to load and unload
ships,” Alvarado said. “They were supposed to
be in charge, but we wound up training them. I guess it made
sense; sailors are supposed to know about ships, not soldiers.”
FOR HIS FINE WORK IN KUWAIT, Alvarado earned a Navy and Marine
Corps Achievement Medal (NMCAM).
Alvarado said he has become closer to his father, Manuel Alvarado,
Sr., his mother, Lorenza, as well as his own 18-year-old daughter
and 11-year-old son.
“I’m proud to have served my country, but am glad
to be back at AMS and in civilian life,” he said. He
said his career at AMS taught him “teamwork and to be
on time,” both of which served him well in the military.
He said, besides his continuing career at AMS, he has enrolled
in night school at a nearby junior college and plans to earn
his degree in accounting.
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| NAME |
DAYS |
LOCATION |
| CAMACHO-SANCHEZ,
JULIO |
01 |
SJ |
| CASE,
MIKE A. |
04 |
MTB |
| MORENO
V., ALFREDO |
04 |
MTB |
| LUCIO,
RAUL R CARRASCO |
04 |
SD |
| FROST,
JACK CHESTER |
04 |
RENO |
| BARRAGAN,
JOSE ALONSO |
05 |
SD |
| IKEHARA,
DWIGHT S |
05 |
HAWAI |
| SANTOS,
DANNY |
06 |
MTB |
| SHAFFER,
JOSEPH C |
06 |
SD |
| CAMACHO,
JULIO CESAR |
06 |
BAKE |
| KENLEY,
BRIAN WILLIAM |
07 |
MTB |
| ALVAREZ,
FLAVIO ENRIQUE |
07 |
VN |
| SALAZAR,
JOSE LUIS |
08 |
MTB |
| MARIN,
EZEQUIEL |
08 |
ARIZ |
| LEVY,
RANDALL |
09 |
MTB |
| CUEVAS,
GONZALO |
10 |
SJ |
| MOLINA,
ANTONIO |
11 |
OC |
| VARGAS,
DANIEL LOPEZ |
11 |
MTB |
| RAMIREZ,
HECTOR |
15 |
ESCO |
| HERRERA,
GLORIA CRISTINA |
15 |
MTB |
| DEMERON,
SHERRIL M. |
15 |
ESCO |
| GUTIERREZ,
CHRISTIAN |
16 |
MTB |
| GUILLEN,
JAVIER G |
16 |
ESCO |
| CROWSON,
BARBARA JEAN |
17 |
MTB |
| GOREY,
JOHN J |
17 |
MTB |
| CERVANTES-MENDEZ,
CARLOS |
17 |
SJ |
| VALENZUELA,
FIDEL GARIBAY |
18 |
MTB |
| ROMERO,
JOSE |
19 |
MTB |
| CORTEZ,
MARIANO |
20 |
SD |
| GALINDO,
RICARDO |
20 |
MTB |
| MACIAS,
RAYMUNDO |
20 |
MTB |
| MEJIA,
MARCELO |
20 |
SBO |
| MANGAN,
RICHARD |
20 |
ARIZ |
| BENAVENTE,
SANDRA E. |
21 |
OC |
| FLORES-MARTINEZ,
ELMER |
22 |
MTB |
| MURTISHAW,
GERALD E |
22 |
NV |
| GUTIERREZ,
HERIBERTO R |
22 |
ARIZ |
| HARPER,
JOHN ANDREW |
23 |
SLN |
| STARK,
PAULETTE |
24 |
MTB |
| GUEVARA,
JOSE AVELARDO |
24 |
NV |
| MARTINEZ,
CARMEL K. |
25 |
OC |
| WICK,
BILL |
26 |
SD |
| OCHOA,
EDWARD G. |
26 |
MTB |
| SEGURA,
JAVIER |
26 |
MTB |
| MENDEZ,
JOSE OCTAVIO |
27 |
MTB |
| WILBER,
GEORGE |
27 |
MTB |
| DELATORRE,
JULIO |
27 |
SBO |
| SEYLER,
CHRISTY C |
27 |
SJ |
| UNDERWOOD,
JON M |
27 |
NV |
| MORENO,
JULIO |
28 |
NV |
| GUZMAN,
MARTIN GARCIA |
30 |
SD |
......................................................................................................................................................
| NAME |
DAYS |
LOCATION |
| DE
LA CRUZ, ISMAEL |
01 |
MTB |
| ALVAREZ,
NATHAN WILLIAM |
01 |
NV |
| OREILLY,
BRIAN P. |
02 |
MTB |
| ROSAS,
CANDIDO |
02 |
OC |
| CAVANAUGH,
RICHARD W. |
02 |
HAWAI |
| PORTER,
ROBERT E |
02 |
ARIZ |
| GUTIERREZ,
BEN |
03 |
ARIZ |
| THURMOND,
RICHARD |
04 |
MTB |
| FLYNN,
JENIFER RAE |
04 |
OC |
| TROTTER,
STEVE |
04 |
NV |
| GRIFFIN,
JERRY LOUIS |
04 |
NV |
| KORIA
JR, ANESI NOKISE |
05 |
SD |
| ESPINOZA-LOPEZ,
ALBERTO |
05 |
OC |
| PERRY,
JACK |
05 |
SACR |
| BOYD,
WILLIAM |
06 |
SJ |
| DUNGAN,
JEFF |
08 |
SD |
| LOPEZ,
MAURICIO |
08 |
MTB |
| SOUZA,
RICHARD A |
09 |
SLN |
| SHIMAMOTO,
ALAN |
09 |
HAWAI |
| BROCK,
FRANK R. |
09 |
SACR |
| DELGADO,
HECTOR B |
10 |
MTB |
| PALOMINO,
JOSE A JARA |
10 |
NV |
| MUNOZ,
ALFREDO |
12 |
MTB |
| HATCH,
GALE J. |
12 |
OC |
| CONWAY,
ANGELA |
13 |
SACR |
| GEORGE,
SHAUN FREDRICK |
14 |
SLN |
| ZAMBRANO,
PEDRO |
15 |
SACR |
| CASTELLENOS,
JULIO |
16 |
MTB |
| PEDRAZA,
CARLOS |
16 |
SJ |
| REDLANDS,
GAYLE Y |
16 |
ARIZ |
| MONTALVO,
GUSTAVO |
17 |
MTB |
| MOSSER,
SHARON L. |
18 |
MTB |
| ESQUIBEL,
RUDY |
19 |
MTB |
| SANCHEZ,
OSCAR ROSENDO |
20 |
VN |
| KRUMMER,
MARTIN A |
21 |
SJ |
| KUZAK,
MICHAEL CASEY |
21 |
SACR |
| HICKMAN,
MAURICE |
21 |
NV |
| FERREYRA-CEJA,
LAZARO F |
22 |
MTB |
| NORTON,
KEVIN G |
23 |
NV |
| BEAVER
JR, BENNY R |
23 |
NV |
| PEDROZA,
ROBERTO |
24 |
MTB |
| AIRADA,
MICHEALANN |
24 |
SD |
| ENLOE,
WILLIAM CRAIG |
24 |
OC |
| PASQUINELLI,
RON A |
24 |
SJ |
| WILLEY,
COLEMAN ANTHONY |
25 |
NV |
| PAVON
HERRERA, JESUS ANTONIO |
26 |
MTB |
| HUNTER,
EDWARD E |
27 |
NV |
| CAMPOS,
EMMANUELLE |
28 |
MTB |
| ILSTRUP,
GREGORY M |
28 |
SD |
| NAVA,
DAVID CONCEPCION |
29 |
MTB |
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| January
Anniversaries |
TOP |
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| NAME |
YEARS |
LOCATION |
| GOREY,
JOHN J |
18
years |
MTB |
| AMOE,
EVONNE |
17
years |
HAWAI |
| DESSAINTS,
TAMERA MARGRETT |
16
years |
NV |
| DESSAINTS,
DONALD |
14
years |
NV |
| PINA,
RAMON R |
9
years |
NV |
| VARNEY,
RICHARD JAMES |
7
years |
NV |
| SCHOLL
III, ARTHUR H |
7
years |
NV |
| GARCIA,
ELIGIO |
7
years |
OC |
| ALFARO
PEREZ, JOSE |
5
years |
MTB |
| AVINA,
ESEQUIEL |
3
years |
BAKE |
| KNOTTS,
BRIAN |
5
years |
SACR |
| VAZQUEZ,
JOSE A. |
5
years |
SACR |
| NUNEZ,
EDWARD |
5
years |
SACR |
| GARCIA,
ARMANDO |
5
years |
SJ |
......................................................................................................................................................
| February
Anniversaries |
TOP |
| NAME |
YEARS |
LOCATION |
| SHIMAMOTO,
ALAN |
23
years |
HAWAI |
| GUTIERREZ,
RIGOBERTO F |
18
years |
SD |
| CLARKE,
JOSEFINA |
10
years |
ESCO |
| THROCKMORTON,
JILL A. |
10
years |
SD |
| POWELL,
THOMAS F. |
7
years |
SBO |
| MARTINEZ,
CLEMENTE |
6
years |
MTB |
| BARRIENTOS,
FLORIVERTO |
6
years |
NV |
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