He came here for a better life and it’s easy to see why Luiz has been so successful.
Chatting to him, it soon becomes clear that he loves his job as site manager at Garcia Contracting Services, a position he’s achieved by sheer determination and taking up every opportunity that has come before him.
“I started from the bottom like everyone else,” he says, recalling his decision to come to New Zealand from Brazil in search of a better life.
“[…] Today after four years at the company I’m Operations Manager.”
By the time he joined Garcia, Luiz already had two years’ experience in the kiwifruit industry. “I worked very hard and tried to do the most perfect job possible and faster than everyone else to stand out from the others,” says the 40-year-old. His capabilities were soon recognised, leading to a swift promotion.
“Within a month I started working as a junior supervisor. After a year I went to senior supervisor, and within three years at Garcia I was already assistant manager. Today after four years at the company, I have become Operations Manager, responsible for about 44.3 hectares and managing a team of five supervisors and expecting to manage about 100 orchard workers during our peak seasons.”
Luciano Garcia, Managing Director at Garcia Contracting, couldn’t be more pleased with the work Luiz has been providing to the company over the past years.
“Since day one, Luiz has shown great amounts of dedication and commitment to the company goals. Luiz is really obsessed with results, and he is not happy if those results are not met. This is the one of the main goals at Garcia, and having people with this mindset is exactly what we look for.” Says Luciano.
He’s rightly proud of how far he’s come in the industry. “My biggest achievement was to be able to overcome the language barrier. I arrived here without knowing any English and I had to show my superiors that I am a reliable guy and that they can count on me for everything.”
Luiz feels proud of working at Garcia and says he feels a strong sense of being valued. Being part of a team is satisfying and brings job satisfaction. “Knowing that everyone is focused on helping the company grow and that everyone cares and only wants the best for the company.”
Before joining Garcia, Luiz says he had a rough ride with no certainty of lasting work.
“The lack of stability due to not having a permanent work contract and never knowing in advance when and where I would work the next day was stressful. What kept me going was knowing that one day I’d find a good company to work for.”
Luiz has some sage advice for anyone thinking of working in kiwifruit. “Study and learn as much as you can about the industry and always show that you are passionate about what you do.”
You Inspire Us!
“You inspire us!” is an internal campaign promoted by Garcia Contracting to highlight all the successful stories from our key staff within the company.
Operating for over 11 years, most of the permanent staff at Garcia Contracting have started from the lowest positions within the Kiwifruit industry and have shown great skills, commitment and success in their careers.
Aligned with upskilling programs and support offered by Garcia, these people have found not only a hidden passion about kiwifruit, but a true vocation for their roles.
We, at Garcia Contracting, are proud of having them as part of our team, and stories such as this one are what inspire us to keep moving forward and providing a great workplace for our people.
