Meet the Workers: Carlos

Carlos Del Angel is a self-proclaimed “city boy” who never had any intention of working on the farm. Intentioned or otherwise, Carlos has been with Southern Valley for over 20 years now, doing a myriad of different jobs and excelling in each of them.  While he will tell you that he prefers electronics, technology, and computers over field work, his role as field supervisor is far from that sphere and he is darn good at it.

Carlos began working at our shop at age 17. From there, he ventured on to other positions– grass cutting crew, truck driver, cooler operator, seeding and greenhouse supervisor, well and irrigation management – before settling into his current position last year.  His main responsibility now is to supervise all the crew leaders, in addition to helping oversee the seeding and greenhouses, along with the wells. “We work like a team,” he says, speaking of his role with the crew leaders.

And it’s a position he doesn’t take lightly saying that communication is key in making sure that information is passed from Kent and Austin down to the very newest worker hired. That chain of communication goes back up too, ensuring that any issues or concerns for workers in the field get reported back to those in leadership. Carlos thrives on helping find a solution to the problems that come to him from the field. “I have to help them,” he says. “They have left their home and families to come here and work in a different culture and language. When they have a problem, they don’t have family nearby, so I must help them.”  Whether personal or work related, he is committed to finding a solution.

Helping others is something Carlos makes look easy. He does it quietly and gently and most often with a dry-humored joke thrown in along with the assistance. I’ve witnessed it myself as he comes through the office slyly cracking jokes and making underhanded comments and yet always, always willing to stop what he is doing to help you. Juggling ten different areas at once, he seems to never miss a beat.

It’s hard to believe that this gentle servant was ever anything but kind and hard-working, but he says he used to be up to no good and didn’t apply himself in life. He even tells of a time that Kent himself had to get on to him at work – something no one around here ever wants to experience simply because of his commanding presence – only to laugh now at how far he has come.

Whether Carlos ever envisioned himself working on a farm or not, he has become a dependable leader whose care and concern for those under him we wouldn’t want to be without.