Many of our Marriott employees are serving double duty, like Max Gomez. Let me tell you about Max. I met him a couple of weeks ago in Miami at the Miami Biscayne Bay Marriott hotel.
Max is an engineer at that hotel. He emigrated from Peru about 25 years ago and he joined our company a little more than a decade ago. He is very popular and routinely recognized as employee or manager of the month. He has a terrific attitude.
Before he began working for us, Max had been in the Army full time where he reached the rank of Specialist. Serving his adopted country is clearly in his blood because he re-enlisted, this time in the U.S. Air Force Reserves shortly after he began his career at Marriott. Max has now risen to the rank of Staff Sergeant.
In July of 2005, Max was deployed to Baghdad for 90 days and then two years later he returned again to Iraq. He was sorely missed, not only by his co-workers, but by his family. When anyone goes off to a war zone, there's apprehension and anxiety at home. Thankfully, Max returned home safely both times.
Whenever the subject of immigration is brought up in the States, the conversation sometimes devolves into very harsh language. I think you know my position already on the benefits of legal immigration. Max is a shining example of the contributions immigrants have made in the U.S. for many generations.
I salute you, Staff Sergeant Max Gomez.
I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Serving Our Guests Serving Our Country
This is a great article, and there are so many stories similar to this across the country, in all companies and walks of life. It is diversity like this that makes us successful, and should unite us further as a company and a country. As a Marriott leader, and a former U.S. Marine, I value this article. Ironically, while serving time during the first Gulf War, a good friend of mine was also a Peruvian immigrant. He laid his life on the line for me, as I did for him, regardless of where we came from. The contributions of immigrants, their devotion to us, and their plight for a better life in this great land of opportunity are invaluable to both our country, and our company. We should be inspired.
Posted by: Tom | 02/21/2008 at 12:29 AM
Max is a great example. I also do believe that the immigrants actually make the country stronger. In fact, the U.S.A is made up of immigrants! and many people seem to forget that fact due to ignorance and discrimination. I also thin qualified foreign nationals should also be able to apply for jobs and work in the U.S. If the U.S economy wants to improve, they should be able to support immigration and not stay static in their ignorance
Posted by: B | 02/20/2008 at 05:21 AM
I salute Max for his patriotic duty to the US. We need many more like him. My grandparents immigrated from Greece via Ellis Island to the US after WWI. They didn't serve but most of my uncles and my Dad served during WWII and my brother and I and some of my cousins served during the Vietnam era. Immigrants are needed to
help our country grow stronger and protect US interests throughout the World. It's great that Marriott hires veterans and reservists that have adopted the US. I plan to do more business with Marriott because of this.
Posted by: Manny Karos | 02/19/2008 at 11:15 AM