Norwest’s Featured Employee: Mauricio Real
“His enthusiasm is contagious. Every meeting he is in, he infuses it with laughter and positivity."
At Norwest, we are extremely fortunate to have an amazing team. With the relaunching of our website, we have created a program to regularly feature one member of our staff. We are capping off the year of 2020 with a dose of positivity by featuring the very talented, Mauricio Real, one of our electrical engineers.
If you ask Norwest employees about Mauricio’s differentiating quality, they will all probably agree with his manager, Andrew Steiner. “Mauricio very much embodies our value of Passion. He is often very eager to dig into a project and to get the whole team involved. His enthusiasm is contagious. Every meeting he is in, no matter how mundane it may be, he infuses it with laughter and positivity.” Mauricio attributes much of his attitude and positive outlook to the journey that brought him from Ecuador to the Pacific Northwest, a path shaped by national tragedies, personal development, and family bonds. It was a pleasure getting to know Mauricio a little better through this exercise, and I cannot understate how lucky Norwest is to have such a passionate, dedicated, and fun-loving employee. The man we all know and love has a fascinating story to tell. Join me in learning more about Mauricio Real.
Chelsea (C): "Mauricio thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me today. I want to start off by getting a better understanding of your background in the industry and what brought you to Norwest. I know that you also aren’t originally from The States so I’m curious what brought you to the US, and more specifically, Portland."
Mauricio (M): "Well I came to the US in 2001. Literally right before 9/11 and I was living in New Jersey right by the Hudson River at the time and sadly witnessed the falling of the towers. It was so crazy. But to answer your question, my grandma had immigrated to The States back in 1981 and had become a US citizen sometime after that. She had been petitioning to bring the rest of the family into The States for years and we finally got approved when I was 20. Which is actually very lucky because the cut off is 21 and I got to The States four weeks before my 21st birthday. But we got to New Jersey in March and it was so cold. I hated it."
C: "Oh wow, you just made it."
M: “Yeah. And it was crazy because we just didn’t have any time to really plan because we had to get here before I was 21. And I was halfway through my bachelor’s in electrical engineering at Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Ecuador. In Ecuador it takes six years to get an engineering degree and I was in year three at one of the top programs. And you know, coming to The States was wonderful but I was in a different place geographically, but not mentally. I needed to go back and finish my degree.
So I stayed in The States for about a year to work and help support my family, and then I went back to Ecuador to finish my degree in electrical engineering.”
C: "So what led you to eventually move back to the US permanently?"
M: “Well after I finished my degree in Ecuador, I decided I wanted to come back to The States. Fortunately, my university had a program that allowed students to transfer to other universities in their network to continue their education. I decided to pursue my master’s in electrical engineering and it just so happened that there was a university in my network in New Orleans. I signed up and was all set to go with my transfer for my master's and then Katrina hit. It was crazy and I didn’t know what I was going to do. Because of the hurricane and the chaos it caused, I couldn’t travel as planned to New Orleans and so my transfer got put on hold.
I was talking to my brother, who was in Portland at the time, about all the trouble I was having with my transfer and getting back to the US. He suggested I come up to Oregon, but I was like, ‘Nah.’ At that time, I had only been to the East Coast and according to them Portland was the worst place ever and I had gotten trapped in the idea of just surviving so I wasn’t in a place to go and try something totally new.
So he went, mind you without my permission, and talked to Oregon State (Go Beavers). He told them all about what had happened with my transfer and how I was kind of stuck. So they started calling me and trying to get me to join their program. I said yes eventually and came out here to Oregon.”
“I feel at Norwest that my opinion really counts, and people are listening. Norwest works hard to make you feel like you belong."
C: "Were the folks on the East Coast right? Did you think it was the worst place?"
M: “I hated (the Pacific Northwest) at first. Probably for the first 3 months it was wet and cold, plus my professors were from all over the US and I couldn’t understand any of their accents. Not to mention because this university wasn’t a part of the transfer program, a lot of my previous coursework didn’t transfer over. I had to retake some of my undergrad courses before I could even start my master's. It was really, a very hard time for me. I started to get into some trouble and making some poor decisions, but at the end of the day I was able to snap out of it and focus on finishing my degree. And after barely graduating from college in 2008, I was conditionally accepted into the master’s degree program in electrical engineering at Portland State (Go Vikings), which I successfully finished in 2010.
So at the end of it, I had been studying electrical engineering for close to 10 years. Because in Ecuador you start to specialize in high school and then six years with the university and now even more time in The States.”
C: "Oh my! That is a lot of electrical engineering. Would you say all the education made you an expert?"
M: "Ah nah. I think it speaks to my passion for engineering and specifically electrical engineering."
C: "That’s amazing. Okay, so you finally finish school, what brings you to Norwest"
M: “Well I applied literally everywhere. And I actually ended up taking a job with a company out in Phoenix. And honestly, I really liked it there, but Christine, my then fiancé and now wife, told me she was coming back from Spain and she ended up moving in with me. Christine is originally from The Pacific Northwest and she really wanted to come back home. So after about a year, I got a job in pulp and paper and moved back up here.
After being there for a few years I got contacted by a recruiter about a job with Norwest. I originally wasn’t that interested because I went online and really didn’t love the website, but I noticed Andy, a friend from church, working there. So, I gave him a call and he really encouraged me to give Norwest a chance and the rest is history.”
“Integrity is the foundation of being able to succeed. If you’re not integrous, then you can’t really be passionate or successful.”
C: “Now I know you left Norwest for a little while and then recently came back. Why did you leave and what brought you back?”
M: “You know, I was looking for more growth and an opportunity arrived for me to build my own electrical department and be closer to home, so I had to jump at it. But I never really clicked with the people there. I mean I was coming from Norwest, which is a pretty unique place, and that office just wasn’t the same. I’m still connected with several of the folks there, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t for me. I would say ultimately the people at Norwest are what brought me back.
You know, even when I originally left Norwest, I kept in touch with most of the folks here. I would grab a beer from time to time with John (Gangl) and kept in touch through email with Marcy (McCoy) and Danielle (Springer). It was actually coffee with Marcy that brought me back."
C: "Oh Really? How so?"
M: “Well I met Marcy one afternoon for some coffee, and she mentioned that there was an opening again at Norwest and I jumped at it. She said, “At Norwest the doors will always be open for you.” The next thing you know, I was talking to Brian (Kaiser) that same week and back in the office a week after that!”
C: “That’s incredible. So, would you say that the people are your favorite part of Norwest and your job?”
M: “The people are definitely part of it, but I think my favorite part of Norwest is feeling heard. I feel at Norwest that my opinion really counts, and people are listening. Norwest works hard to make you feel like you belong. I mean, look at what we are doing with these committees. It’s really exciting to be a part of something that creates change and improvements, and helps make personal connections even in the current situation of working remotely.”
C: “I admire how much you appreciate Norwest and how passionate you are about the company. You know, Passion is the value Andrew (Steiner) said you personify the most. But I’m curious, what value do you feel you embody the most and why?”
M: “You know I would have to say integrity. Integrity is the foundation of being able to succeed. If you’re not integrous, then you can’t really be passionate or successful.”
C: “How do you mean?”
M: "If you’re not integrous, nothing else is real. Nothing else is true. Yes, people know I am passionate because that’s what you can see. But integrity is at the core of me and is the foundation of everything."
C: "Wow, I have never thought about it that way, but it’s true. Okay, so speaking of working remotely, I saw your post about Norwest helping you get set up with your home office. I’m curious, how is the new office working out for you?”
M: “It’s funny you mention that because after I got it all set up and made it perfect, Christine stole my office!”
C: "She stole it?"
M: “Yeah! Right after I took that picture and she saw how awesome it was, she took it over. She is a web designer and has always worked from home, so while we were getting that office all set up, I moved into her office and she moved her set up to the kitchen table. When it was all said and done, she took over
my new office and I just stayed in hers. And I’m ‘letting her have it right now’ (uses air quotes), because I get it. After she was on the kitchen table for those months, she deserves the awesome office. But yeah, she stole it. (laughs)”
C: “That’s too funny! Okay so I always like to end with something fun. What is something most folks don’t know or wouldn’t guess about you?”
M: “Hmm…I thought about this one for a while to be honest. Most people don’t know that I was a competitive swimmer in middle school. I competed in tournaments for my city and it really helped me get over my asthma as a kid. You know because you have to control your breathing.
I also was in a band in high school."
C: "What instrument did you play?"
M: “Oh I didn’t (play an instrument). I was the front man. I was probably like 14 and we played at school parties and some bars. We played mostly love songs and ballads. You know the, ‘why don’t you love me/why did you leave me/please come back’ stuff.”
C: "Wait you were playing in bars at 14?"
M: “Yeah it was Ecuador! It doesn’t matter there. And I was really living a Rockstar lifestyle and I saw it going in a not great direction. I wanted a more normal life and so I put it aside for my education.”
C: "No Rockstar life for you?"
M: "Naw. Engineering all the way! When I go back we still get together and play though."
C: "Maybe I’ll get to see ya guys! Mauricio, thank you again for taking the time to chat with me today. I always enjoy our conversations. Is there anything you would like to add?"
M: "Not really. Just that I’m very happy that I’m here. My family and I are very happy to be part of the Norwest Engineering family. #letsmakeNWEgreater #NWElistens"
Interview by
Chelsea Bracken
Business Development - Southwest
For work inquiries:
Norwest Engineering, Inc.
P: 909.702.0976
E: cbracken@norwestengineering.com
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