Coming to a close.....

Well, my time here in Mexico is quickly coming to a close.  I can’t believe that 5 months has come and gone.  Seems like only yesterday we were arriving at Casa de la Condesa, getting acquainted with this wonderful country.  Everything was so new back then.  I felt like a little kid on Christmas.  Each turn brought something exciting and new.  It is a very bitter sweet feeling to be almost done.  I have had an amazing experience; learned a lot, met tons of cool people, saw some cool stuff, but it is time to get back to “real life”.  Which now kind of makes me think what life is really about.  Not to get all deep on everyone, but this experience has changed me for the better.  I have grown both professional and personally.  I have a new perspective on life, of Mexico, of the US, of the world.  I will never complain about traffic in Boston again…..  I want to continue to travel and experience everything the world has to offer; to go to new countries and emerce myself in the culture, to meet new people, learn new languages (let’s not get ahead of yourself Ramon, Spanish first….), discover new things and new things about myself.  I don’t want to be a tourist, but a traveler.  I was going to save some of these thoughts for my last entry but now I am kind of rambling.  Although I was here for work, this journey was not about work for me.  Granted we worked our asses off but it was really so much more.  I went back to re-read my blog entries and remembered the way I felt during each experience.  It was like a little trip back in time.  I initially started this blog for work but it turned into something different, something better.  It turned into a documentation on my thoughts and feelings.  It’s like an insight into what being in Mexico meant to me.  I really couldn’t be more grateful to have had this opportunity.  It is definitely something I will always remember.  I’d like to take a minute to thank anyone that has been following, thanks to Mike, Christine, and Brian for allowing me this adventure, also Michael Barger and Juan Muldoon, to Mr. Tom Scheafer for stepping up to the plate while I was gone, to Grupo Bimbo for really living what they preach; the person is the most important part of our company, to all the people I have met in Mexico and made my time here awesome, to mis compañeros; Lalo (you can’t dance, also, hold my coffee), Joe (eff your tacos brah), Chico (anything I want to write here is way too inappropriate, but I love ya big guy), Corrin (wish we got to spend more time together, you’re a great person and enjoyed the little time we did spend together).  In closing, I will leave you with this: Never be complacent.  Always continue to grow, to learn, to meet new people.  Don’t judge a book by its cover.  Everyone you meet is going through something and has a story.  Don’t be afraid to try new things.  Life begins where your comfort level ends.  Lastly, tell the people you love that you love them, and tell them often…….  Adios!             

Curso del Divisionales

So the last week and a half was probably the toughest I have had since arriving in Mexico.  We were shipped off to a new hotel to attend a course for Divisionals.  It started Thursday 6/21 and went until the following Friday.  8 days of 10 hour meetings......  There were associates from all other North, Central, and South America that attended.  We had people from Uruguay, Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, and the US.  Another one of those privileged opportunities I was able to be a part of.

The first three days weren't all that bad to be perfectly honest.  It started off with a personal development course (Desarrollo Potencial Personal).  In this course, our teacher, Jesus, taught us about work/life/family balance, motivation, being a leader, and the necessities pyramid, among other things.  It was a very personal course (hence the name).  Throughout the three days we did several activities that made you think about your life; past, present, and future.  We would brake off into small groups to discuss different aspects of our lives with our other co-workers and reflect.  We discussed the importance of personal and family growth, and making sure we made enough time for both.  I know this is probably true for a lot of you, but we spend  most of our time and energy at work.  This is because it provides us with our basic physiological needs; food, shelter, clothing, etc.  Beyond work however, we need to make sure we take care of our psychological and spiritual needs as well.  I learned about this stuff in my freshman Psychology class.  It was interesting to re-visit it to see where I am at in life.  One day for class we watched "Good Will Hunting" (which is a great movie btw.  If you have never seen it I highly recommend doing so) and another day watched "Patch Adams".  We discussed these movies and how they applied to the lecture.  Over all I enjoyed the DPP course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

Sunday was a free day so a bunch of us went back to the Pyramids in Teotihuacan.  They were just as amazing the second time around.  It is still tough to beleive that they built those giant structures with no modern technology.  Touche my Aztecan friends *soft golf clap*!!

 Some of the group out to dinner.

 Not sure what we are all looking at???

 Edward from Columbia.  I had to put this pic up!!  Cracks me up every time!

 Candid of yours truly.  This picture is sick.

 Templo de Sol behind me.

 On top of the Templo de Sol, Templo de la Lune behind me.

 Some of us at the top.

 

And the rest made it.

 Monday the real hard part started.  From 8am to 6pm we were in the same room listening to presenter after presenter after presenter.  We had people come in and chat with us about everything from the different distribution channels to the responsibilities of a divisional to Trade Marketing, and everything in between.  They were loooooonnnnnnggggg days.  To top it off, we had to complete a Sales Simulator and take a test in order to pass the course.  I was very stressed out to say the least.  Not that passing this course would make or break me for my job, but it is a personal pride thing.  I want to do my best in everything I do and this was no exception.

On Wednesday we were presented with the sales simulator.  The task is to simulate an entire year of sales, adjusting your orders, space, and man power each week.  In the end, you want your final sales above your forecasted goal.  Some weeks will pop up with information that you have a sale or that some of your vendors quit and you have to adjust accordingly.  This represented 40% of our grade.  The top 5 people got full points, the next 5 for two points off, next 5 got four off, and so on.  So we started this at 5pm on Wednesday and had to finish it before mid-night.  I set off and got the hang of it pretty quick.  I felt I was doing pretty well based on how others were doing around me.  Around 9pm I completed the entire year.  I wanted to make sure I had completed it correctly, so I asked the course organizer what to do next.  He told me I had to hit the simulate button once more, so I did....... this deleted the entire years data I had just spent 4 hours generating and started me back at week one.   I was beside myself.  I didn't even know what to do.  The instructor told me to go grab some food and a drink and to start over.  I seriously haven't been that mad in a long time.  I went back to my room to calm myself down for a bit.  Eventually I calmed down and started back at it.  Joe wanted to re-do his because his first go round didn't end so well.  We linked up, got some dinner, and finally finishing the simulator around 1am.  I guess it was a blessing in disguise because I did better than my first run and ended coming in second.  The top three performers all came from BBU associates; Joe was first, following in close second was me, then Jose.  We dominated the rest of the class.  It was a pretty proud moment, especially for how upset I was.

I was not out of the clear yet.  We still had a test coming up on Friday that I was pretty worried about.  All the information came out of an instruction book that we had not covered at all.  It was our job to go through the book on our own time.  Needless to say the entire book is in Spanish which makes learning the material twice as hard.  Not only do I have to learn the content of the book, but I have to translate a lot of it, and memorize the answers in Spanish.  I went through the entire 90 page book and took my notes.  Joe and I linked up once more for a serious study session.  We went through all our notes, put acronyms to the information and quizzed each other till about mid-night.  When we were handed the test the next day, we both looked at it, and agreed that we were going to kill it.  Coincidentally, we both scored 55/65 (we didn't cheat, we both got different questions wrong).  In the end, I passed the class with a 93% which was in the top 3!!  I was super pumped!!  I had worried and stressed myself out so much for that course.  All the hard work paid off and the outcome was well worth it!!     

  Divisional Class survives!!!

 

Diploma time with my BBU homies!!  Holla!!

 The second diploma I have received in Mexico!!  I went from a Vendor to Divisional in 4 months hahaha!!

It is always kind of sad at the end of a course like this to have to say your good byes.  Over the course of a week and half you get to know so many new people and share an experience with them.  Then, all of a sudden, it's over.  Beyond the grade and diploma, the most important part for me is meeting new people.  I hope someday we will be able to meet up again.

El Globo

We began our week with two days at Corporate, going to meetings, learning about distribution models, the compendium (which basically is a project to connect all parts of our business), and our plan to be "Ganando Todos los Dias en al Mercado" (winning everyday in the market).  Meetings all day are never fun but the time seemed to pass by pretty quickly on both days.

On Wednesday we started our two day rotation at El Globo.  El Globo is a pastry shop owned by Grupo Bimbo.  It was founded in 1885 by Italians in Mexico City.  Bimbo purchased Globo 7 years ago from Grupo Carso and has been operating it ever since.  There are 281 stores with 3 different formats; islands, cafeterias, and regular store fronts.  They offer several different types of products including cakes, gelatin, cookies, sweet breads, pastries, sandwiches, and ice cream.  These products are sold under 3 different brands; Globo, which is your standard quality items, La Balance, which are your high end pastries and cakes, and El Molino, which are your less expensive items.  They are pretty cool stores, kind of Panera esque.

Each morning, fresh product is delivered to the store but they also make product at the store.  The concept is a little foreign to me so it was interesting to see the operation.  The manager took me around and showed me her daily activities.  I also spent a little time with each of the workers learning what they do.  All the people at my store were super nice.  I really enjoyed the two days I spent there.
   

 EL GLOBO!

 Looking good in my hairnet!

 El Globo familia!

 La gerente y yo!!

Friday we got to take a tour of the El Globo factory.  Now I have been on several bakery tours but this one is something different.  I was expecting it to be similar to the other factories; lots of automated lines pumping out product on a mass scale.  This was not the case at all.  All of the 980 SKUs for El Globo are hand made!!  It was super impressive to see.  There are different sections of the plant, all that have their own function.  I saw where they make the cakes, chocolate, gelatins, pastries, sandwiches, and ice cream.  A lot of the processes work like an assemble line until the product is finished.  Some items have to pass through about 30 people before it is complete.  We even produce products for Burger King, McDonald's, and Starbucks.  Bimbo really does have their hand in a little bit of everything.  I wish I could have taken some pictures but they wouldn't let us.  At one point we went to the R&D department to see what new projects there are working on.  It was all TOP SECRET.  I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you....  At the end of the tour, we got to eat one of the danishes straight off the line.  WOW was it delicious!!  It is a good thing I don't work at the bakery because it would be detrimental to my health haha.  

We had to wear this outfit when we took the plant tour.  I look like I am about to work with hazardous materials.

This week we will be at corporate again for two days and then attend a sales course for the Divisionals.  We have to move hotels, which is a pain, but the location for the course isn't too far away so we can drive there.  I'll keep you posted.... 

Adios Guadalajara, Hola Corporativo

So it's been a while since my last entry.  My apologies for the long absence.  The last couple weeks in Guadalajara were pretty much the same and kind of uneventful.  We spent about 3 weeks in total with the Supervisors, shadowing them, learning their daily activities.  Typically, they spend 5 days on the market and 1 day in the office.  Currently in the autoservicio channel, we are running a promotion for cookies.  Customers buying cookies can enter for an opportunity to win a bike or a flat screen TV.  What prize they can win is determined by how many cookie pallets the store is willing to put up.  This was a big focus for the supervisors so we spent a decent amount of time trying to sell in cookie pallets.  Since my job in the US entails selling in displays, it was interesting to see this process.  Some stores are all about the promotion and will put up 4 pallets with no problems.  In other stores the sell-in was not so easy.  They face similar challenges that we face in the US when trying to sell-in a display.  Some times the manager doesn't want the display, or they don't have enough room, or they agree to a display but then change their mind .  It was good to see the successes as well as the failures.  My daily activities entail just that; some days, every store I hit will be a win, other days, not so much.  It's the nature of the business.  From what I learned (very quickly), you have to try not to get frustrated and just continue to work with the stores so you both benefit.      

Each week, the supervisors hold a meeting with their group of vendors/merchandisers to go over results and upcoming priorities.  In these meetings they play a neat "money grab" game.  They put fake money in a jar and the vendors/merchandisers that hit their sales/return goals get chances to grab money out.  The better your results were, the more chances you get to grab.  However much fake money you grab out goes into your next paycheck.  It provides a good incentive to hit your goals.  I thought it was a cool way to do so.

I really enjoyed being in Guadalajara.  It was a nice change of pace and scenery from being in Mexico City.  Let me tell you though, it is hot as hell!!  It easily reached 100 degrees everyday and when you are getting in and out of a car all day, it is not pleasant.  All the people that we met were awesome.  Very kind and fun to be around.  That is one problem with this program.  We go from place to place and meet all these great people.  We are with them everyday for a couple weeks, build relationships, and then, BOOM, off to another place.  I have exchanged information with many of the people down here and I hope to keep in touch with as many as possible.  Oh, on a side note: the women in Guadalajara are B-E-A-UTIFUL!!  I don't know, maybe it is something in the water (no joke intended).  Many of the vendors/merchandisers were women, unlike in the US where it is pretty much a man's world.  If I could only speak Spanish just a little better...... but that is neither here nor there.

Speaking of Spanish, in the last month my Spanish has improved significantly.  I had a new teacher in Guadalajara and she was awesome.  Her name is Paola, she is 26 and is a certified teacher at UNIVA (a university in Guadalajara).  In my first class we put together a list of things I wanted (and needed) to learn.  She came up with a great curriculum for me.  We covered several important subjects and she always kept class interested.  We played games to help me learn and sometimes just chatted about life.  I really enjoyed her classes.  So much so that I requested to continue classes with her via skype while I finish out my time in Mexico City.  Classes start back up tonight.  By the end of my program here I will definitely be speaking much better Spanish.  But I still have a long way to go.  I will not stop until I am completely fluent!!!  Believe that!!  JAJAJA (that's me laughing in Spanish).

Some of my peeps from Guadalajara. 


Now we are back in Mexico City for our final rotation in Corporate.   We are going to be learning about all the behind the scenes activities that allow Bimbo to operate.  There is time scheduled to learn about Trade Marketing, Key Accounts, Analysis, and pretty much everything in between.  We have a project to do as well but have no idea what it is on yet.  To complete the program, we will be presenting to upper management as well as our bosses and VPs from the states.  I have a feeling we are going to be plenty busy for the last month and a half.  I will do my best to keep you guys updated.  Until then...... Adios mis amigos!!

One Tequila, two tequila, three tequila.....MORE!

We spent last week with the supervisors of the Autoservicio channel.  These weeks always seem a little slower because we are really just shadowing them, learning what their daily activities are.  Sometimes I am just sitting around while they complete paper work but we do spend a good amount of time on the market and I have been learning a lot.

I was with two supervisors pretty much all week; Miguel and Armando (AKA Crusty, like from the Simpsons but pronounced with a thick Mexican accent).  Miguel's wife was due any day for his 4th child so Armando was taking over for him when he left on Wednesday.  Miguel has responsibility for 27 supermarkets and about 40 or so people.  Their job entails pretty much the same thing as our ASM/TSM: Check the market for POGs, out of codes, rotation, out of stocks, opportunities, and review orders, all this on top of making sure programs are executed.  Usually, they spend 5 days on the market and 1 day in the office per week.  

 Monday and Tuesday were spent on the market checking stores, doing the supervisor thing.  The way they look at their business is a little different from the way we do in the USA.  Each week they are given a goal they must meet.  This goal is given to them by the sales analysts and is based on sales.  It is based on 100%, you obviously want to hit your goal 100% or better (duh Ramon).  Returns are used to identify opportunities.  The top for returns in this channel is 5%.  If the returns are too high, they cut back on orders, too low, they increase orders.  We look at our business compared against the same period last year; are we up or down?  The lack of competition allows them to operate in ways we definitely can't. 

 On Tuesday, we were about to go into a store and Miguel saw a street vendor selling some sort of drink called Tejino.  It is a kind of thick, brown colored drink made from fermented corn mixed with salt, lime, and then they put some Italian ice type ice cream in it.  I gave it a try and thought it was awful.  They love it though.....

Thursday was Mothers Day in Mexico (Happy Belated Mothers Day to all the moms out there) so in the afternoon they had a party for the vendadoras and promotoras that were also mothers.  It was a very nice party.  All the moms sat around the outside of the room, there was food and music, and all the men were serving the moms.  I was out in the market when it started so I showed up about 45 minutes after it started.  Right when I walked in, Jose started to egg me on about dancing.  I quickly obliged.  You really don't have to ask me twice to dance for beautiful ladies.  I hopped in the middle of the room and started to "tare up a rug".  All the moms seemed to love it.  They all had their phones out recording it.  I am probably a star all over Mexican Facebook.  Of course I wasn't going to be the only one to dance so I had the ladies chant for the rest of my comrades to do a little dance as well.  Jose was quick to jump in but Chico and Joe took a little more convincing.  They eventually did a little jig, very reluctantly.  It was a lot of fun.

For our one day off we wanted to have a little fun and experience some Mexican culture so we went and toured the Jose Cuervo Tequila Factory.  First off, I love tequila.  It is Mexico's national drink so obviously we have drank our fare share of it down here.  We took an hour bus ride to "Tequila City" where all the magic happens.  It was extremely cool to see how tequila is made from start to finish.  It starts off in the agave fields where all the plants are hand planted and harvested.  Then, they take the plants inside to be cooked and grind-up.  Next, all the juice and sugar is extracted to be fermented and distilled.  At one point along the process, the tequila is at 55% alcohol, which is over 100 proof.  They don't sell this in stores but we were able to sample some.  Right when you take the shot, it warms up your insides.  It is extremely smooth too.  Very good stuff.  Once the tequila is distilled, they put it in charred barrels.  Depending on what kind of tequila you are going for determines the length of time it stays in the barrel.  Tequila Blanca (clear) is suppose to never be in the barrel.  However, Jose Cuervo Blanca is put in a barrel for a short amount of time which is why they call theirs Tequila Silver.  Next length of time (I can't remember all the exact lengths) is called Reposado.  This is my favorite kind, Jose Cuervo Traditional to be exact.  A little bit longer in the barrel and it becomes Anejo, and finally, the longest, Extra Anejo.  I wish I could remember all the little details and history about the tour but I would have had to be taking notes, which I clearly was not.  If you ever get a chance, and like tequila, I would recommend taking a plant tour.  It definitely gave me a new perspective on the drink I enjoy *takes a shot of tequila*.           

Jose Cuervo!!  Count it!!

Cuervo is Spanish for crow.  Who knew??

Ya boy with the giant Cuervo!!

Agave fields.  Before the tour of the plant we stopped in the field to see where the agave get harvested.  It takes 5-11 years for a plant to mature enough to be harvested for tequila.  I guess it is true what they say, patients is a virtue.

One of the workers out in the fields.  These guys work 6 hours a day; planting baby agave and harvesting mature agave for tequila.  My hero's!

 He showed us the process of planting and harvesting.

They put me to work cutting the pencas off the agave.  I was a natural. 

 Female agave plants.  They use both the male and female plants to make tequila.

 Old school way to cool the agave.  Those are volcanic rocks so they hold the heat of the sun very well to cook the agave.

Old school way to grind up the agave after it's cooked.  That big rock would be pulled by a donkey or horse.  

Old school distillers.

  Old school Jose Cuervo rides.

New school way to cook the agave.  I wanted to take pictures of the entire process but they told us that there way too much alcohol in the air and it could start a fire.  Personally I think that is a BS excuse they use.  Just like in our plants, they don't allow pictures because it is "top secret".

 The heart of the Agave plant that is used to make tequila.  Each plant can produce 5-7 liters of booze.

 HEAVEN!!!

 Pepe (which is a nick name for Jose) the Cuervo.  This bird is an absolute diva.  He literally slides over on his stoop and poses for you to take a picture. 

This bird is such a G!!

 Which bottle to choose???

Corrin and I with some very large bottles of Tequila!! 

Guadalajara - Autoservicio

When I last left you, we were getting ready to go to Guadalajara and learn the Autoservicio channel.  Guadalajara is about 300 miles Northwest of D.F.  We spent Monday traveling and getting settled in our new home, the Crown Plaza, which is your typical hotel.  Guadalajara is definitely a change of scenery.  It doesn't have the quaint, old school, neighborhood feeling that D.F. had (at least where we were staying in Roma Sur).  Where we are at now has more of a city feel; tall buildings, lots of hotels, no real residential places.  Also, it is hot as sin over here!!  Everyday has been close to 100 degrees!!  It is a good thing that I have been in stores all day.        

I need to retract a previous statement: I was under the impression that since it was Labor day in Mexico last Tuesday, that we had off.  This was not the case at all.  While most people in Mexico did have off on Tuesday, the Autoservicio Channel did not, and that just so happened to be the channel we were in.  I know right, lucky us.

The Autoservicio channel is more of what I am used to.  They are your typical Supermarkets that you can find in the states.  However, the process to service the stores are completely different.  In the states, we have one vendor that delivers the product, checks it in, merchandises it, and moves onto his next store.  In Mexico, all the jobs are specialized.  (Cliff note version of the process) There is a driver (chofer), that delivers the product, the vendor, who checks the product in and does the orders, and the promotor (merchandiser), who puts the product up.  Also, instead of the vendor going to a bunch of stores, they spend the entire day in just one store or possible have one other store.

I spent my week in a Wal-Mart, which was perfectly fitting since I spend a lot of time in Wal-Mart in the US.  The Wal-Mart that I was in does the most sales in Guadalajara.  It isn't a huge store, but it has a lot of foot traffic.  Plus, when you have close to 0 competition, it makes it pretty easy to sell product.  Bimbo seriously runs this store.  The bread/cake isle is 36 feet long and we have all but two feet of it.  Not to mention almost all of the 8 foot tortilla section, space in the cookie section, breakfast section, and candy and gum section, space at the front registers, strips that hang from the shelves with product on them, 21 wire rack displays that are set up all over the store, 2 pallet drops of cookies, and a partridge in a pear tree.  All this while the store is going through a re-model.  It is pretty incredible.  Even with all that space, the return percentage is only (if you work for BBU, you might want to sit down) less that 2%!!!  When the Supervisor told me that I almost fainted.

Since this store does so much volume and has so many displays, there are two promotores in the store all day.  They were both pretty young too; Marco, 19 and Anna, 20.  These guys are good though.  Our shelves and displays are full every moment of everyday.  Of course with three people in the store all day, our service is impeccable and unmatched.  Pretty much every major DSD company has vendors or merchandisers there all day.  It is quite the change up from the US where the vendor goes to a store and tries to get it done as quickly as possible because he has 7 other stores to go to.  Also, competition (and monopoly laws) has a major impact on what we are able to do in the states as apposed to Mexico.  Either way, I was pretty impressed with the whole thing.       

A 4 pallet display of Principe cookies right near the front of the store.  We were putting up more than 20 boxes that contain 14 little boxes of cookies a day.

The street vendor place we went for lunch on Tuesday.  Those are trays full of pigs hearts, stomachs, kidneys, tongues, and god knows what else.  Pretty appetizing huh??  I ordered a taco with just regular meat in it but they chop everything up in the same bowl.  I have eaten more things that I have been skeptical of down here than I have in my previous 26 years of life before this.  YOLO I guess.....  
One last thing BTW.  If you were going to see the movie "Apartment 143", do yourself a favor and save your money.  You're welcome....

El Jefe

This week continued pretty much the way it started; going on over night routes in the convenience channel.  I must say, working over nights is no fun.  It completely threw off my time schedule for sleeping, eating, etc.  I was getting to sleep around 5 or 6 and waking up between 12 -2.  I wonder how long it takes for your body to adjust fully to working that shift??  I hope I never have to find out.

So as I mentioned last time, on Friday we were to meet Daniel Servitje, CEO of Grupo Bimbo.  Little did I know that we were going to attend his Q1 meeting that is broadcasted to all our business divisions across the entire world...... and have to get up to present ourselves...... in Spanish!!  First off, what a production this meeting is.  There is a producer type person, a PR person, and tons of other people around helping out.  They have cameras set up in two locations; one filming the podium and one filming the crowd.  There are about 140 people in the room and over 1,000 people watching from the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and China.  Plus Daniel Servitje is sitting in the very front row.  To say I was a little bit nervous to present my self is an understatement.  Good thing it was only a 30 bit to say who I was, where I am from, my time/position in Bimbo, and how long I have been in Mexico.  Before the meeting, I jotted down what I was going to say and felt a little more confident.  However, once you get up there in front of all those people and realize how many other people are watching, it gets a little nerve racking.  I think I did well though.  I felt my voice was a bit shaky and I said I had been in Mexico for almost 2 years instead of 2 months but you can't win them all.  It was kind of an honor to be able to do that.  I mean, there were people on almost every continent in the word watching and now, they technically have heard of me.  I think that is pretty cool.

The meeting basically covers Q1 results and Q2 priorities.  Needless to say, Daniel is an excellent speaker.  He has a good command of the room and knows his business very well.  In closing, he spoke about a couple things I thought were interesting.  He talked about Grupo Bimbo as a company with over 65 years of operation and that a company with that many years might be mature and stagnant.  That is not how he feels about GB at all.  He showed a picture of a young boy holding a soccer ball and said that it represents our company.  We are future looking, eager to grow, learn, and make progress.  He talked about us as builders, not bakers.  Builders make things to last.  We are building a foundation for the future and will continue to develop as a company far into the future.  I thought this was important, especially being that I am young in this company.  There is so much opportunity in Grupo Bimbo for both business and personal growth.  At the center of our values are People and I think GB truly live by those values.  After the meeting we got to chat with Daniel for a little bit.  For a guy of his status, he is super down to earth.  You wouldn't even know that he is the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company.  I can add this to the list of experiences that I feel very honored and fortunate to have had.
       

 The podium.

 Future BBU CEO?!?!  Haha just kidding!!

 Shot from the podium.  My man Lalo holding it down.

After the meeting, we went back to the hotel, got a couple hours of sleep, and went right back to work on the night routes.  This time we were with the Supervisors so it was a bit more relaxed.  We go with them to stores and they show us what they do, which is basically the same thing the supervisors did in the other channels; Supervise. 

Funny story:
So we were in one 7/11, which on a Friday night, has a bunch of cute girls coming in and out, and this tall women walked in.  We were doing our bread thing and she kept looking over at us.  When we were getting ready to leave, she walked over and started talking to us in perfect English.  Her name is Shamila Cohen and come to find out she is a famous actress and Playmate here in Mexico.  She came over because she really liked Joe.  She was basically totally focused on him and being pretty forward.  "You have beautiful eyes" she told him.  She also asked him if he was married and to hang out.  I was dieing.  I thought it was the funniest thing.  Joe gave her one of his cards and they are now Facebook friends.  The whole situation seriously made my night.

Today, we went to Estadio Azteca to watch Club America take on Cruz Azul in the Torneo Clausura.  These two teams are huge rivals here in Mexico and Azul needed a victory in order to move on to the playoffs so this game was a big deal.  Bimbo sponsors America so we asked our supervisor if he could get us some tickets.  Well, he pulled through huge and got us seats literally almost on the sidelines. 

 Estadio Azteca is the largest stadium in Latin America and the 5th largest in the world.  It holds 105,064 fans.  It has hosted two World Cups and one Olympic final.  Today, the stadium was almost full.  With no traffic, it would probably take about 30 minutes to get to the stadium.  We left an hour and a half before the game and still missed half of the first half (and 3 of the 4 goals btw).  Just getting into the stadium was a chore in itself.  You are literally standing back-to-chest with the person in front and behind you. 

 Yeah, those were our seats.  Pretty baller huh?

The Cruz Azul fans (top) sit on one side and the Club America fans (bottom) sit on the other side.  They both chant back and forth the ENTIRE game.  Just jumping up and down, waving their flags, and singing their teams songs.  It is quite a spectacle in itself. 

 During halftime some of our mascots came out.  Can you spot Ocito??

 There he is!! 

The Club America mascot is an Eagle.  During halftime it comes out and flies around.  It is one bad a** bird!!

Us after the game.  The game ended in a 2-2 tie which means Azul is not moving on.  Jose is a huge Azul fan so we were routing for them to win.  It was an awesome game though.  One of the cooler sporting events I have ever been to.

Tomorrow morning, actually this morning since it's after midnight, Jose, Joe and I are leaving for Guadalajara for a month.  We will be learning the Autoservicio channel which is the supermarkets.  I have heard Guadalajara is beautiful so I am looking forward to the change in scenery.  Plus it should be a nice change of pace.  Corrin is already over there so it will be nice to hang out with her some too.  Shout out to Corrin (if you're reading)!!  Tuesday is Labor Day in Mexico so we have the day off which is nice.  Until next time people.....