Foremost, Coca-Cola honor staff for 45, 35 yrs. of service

Manuel Alvarez, left, business development and vending supervisor, and John Panaguiton, distribution specialist, both of Foremost Foods, Inc. and Coca-Cola Beverage Co. (Guam), Inc. receive their respective service awards for 45 years and 35 years of employment with the leading non-alcoholic beverage companies in Guam, Northern Marianas, and Micronesia during the 2023 Service Awards ceremony for longtime employees held recently the Foremost and Coca-Cola corporate headquarters in Barrigada Heights. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Foremost Foods, Inc. and Coca-Cola Beverage Co. (Guam), Inc. continue this year their time-honored tradition of recognizing longtime employees at the annual service awards presentation recently held at the corporate headquarters and distribution facility.

Manuel “Manny” Alvarez, the business development/vending supervisor of Foremost and Coca-Cola, was recognized for 45 years of service, making him the longest serving employee of the leading non-alcoholic beverage companies in Guam, the Northern Marianas, and Micronesia.

John Panaguiton, a distribution specialist of Foremost and Coca-Cola and the third employee who has reached the 35-year milestone with the companies, also received a plaque of recognition.

“I just hope that this would continue on. It’s rare for employees to stay with you that long. I want to commend Manny and John for their dedication and loyalty,” Janice Castro, distribution and facilities manager of Foremost and Coca-Cola, said of Alvarez and Panaguiton.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median employee tenure of wage and salary employees as of January 2022 was 4.1 years.

Alvarez has surpassed nearly elevenfold and Panaguiton by more than eight and a half times the national average number of years workers had been with their current employer.

For someone who started on the job as a replacement for his brother who “could not stand the cold” of the frozen food and cold storage facility at the Foremost plant, Alvarez has set the record for longevity of tenure.

When he started working for Foremost on Dec. 10, 1977, as an ice bagger when he was in his 20s, Alvarez said he applied to replace his brother. “Actually, I was not the one that was hired by Foremost; it was my younger brother, but he could not handle the cold inside the freezer. So, I decided to apply for the job. I submitted my application and started that day.”

Over the years, Alvarez learned the many facets of beverage manufacturing from production to product distribution. He stayed the longest in the latter. His job knowledge grew in lockstep with opportunities for advancement. He moved up the corporate ladder from route supervisor to sales supervisor to sales manager for the water distribution business.

At first, Alvarez felt that he was out of depth to run the water business and he came clean with his employer about his inchoate management skills. In response to his candor, not only was Alvarez provided with training in the U.S. to prepare him for the management job, but he was also empowered by the company leadership with a nugget of wisdom that he would carry to this day.

“The president of the company said to me, ‘Manny, when you make a mistake, correct it and that’s how you’ll learn.’ He let me make my own decisions and so I learned by trial and error,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez notes his hands-on management style with characteristic self-directed humor.

“I treat my guys the same way I want to be treated. Nobody can say I’m bossy, but I’m straightforward. I don’t put myself above them—I work with them, I sweat with them, and we finish the work together. When a member of my team is out, I would cover their route. That’s why I didn’t grow up because it’s heavy,” he said

Having been married for 40 years to the love of his life, Pacita Calimlim-Alvarez, whom he met in Guam and with whom he has raised two generations of their family—two daughters and seven grandchildren on whom he dotes—and being with the same company for 45 years this far, Alvarez says he’s in a happy place in life.

Although Alvarez says he stays active both on the job and at home and does not plan on retiring anytime soon, it’s not all work for the native of Baguio, in the northern Philippines. When he’s not puttering in the yard on weekends, the 5-handicap golfer is putting on the fairways with his golf buddies from work. He learned his way around the golf course early by caddying part-time at Camp John Hay.

When asked what his secret to longevity at work is, Alvarez says it’s his love of work and the people in it.

“Love your work. Enjoy your job. Treat people right and you’ll be happy. If you like what you’re doing, you’ll stay a long time,” Alvarez said.

Panaguiton shares in the belief that happiness in his job is key to his tenure of 35 years running.

Seven years after he moved to Guam from his native Iloilo, in Western Visayas in the the Philippines, Panaguiton was 28 years old when he started working for Foremost as a dairy driver in November 1987. Back then, he would be up earlier than the cock crowed to complete the milk delivery to southern schools before 6 in the morning.

“We used to wake up very early at 3 o’clock in the morning because we had to be at the schools before 6 o’clock. My route was mostly south starting from Yona, Talofofo, Merizo all the way to Umatac,” Panaguiton recollected.

He credits his mental and physical discipline for his tenacity at work.

“Even when you have to wake up early or when there’s bad weather you can do the job as long as you can handle your mind and body,” Panaguiton said. “I started in dairy and drove the Chammorita ice cream truck for six or seven years. Then I transferred to ice delivery. When I was on the ice route for 12 years, I would load 50 bags of ice and each bag of ice weighed 10 lbs. So that’s 500 lbs. or a quarter of a ton. Sometimes I would drop 250 bags to Agat Kimchee or Big Navy.”

Panaguiton dedicates his 35-year service award to his family—his wife, their two daughters and three grandchildren, and to the company.

To the new generation of employees he said, “Always be devoted to your family, stay focused on the job and be nice to everyone. When you feel that you cannot handle the job alone, stop and get help.”

Foremost and Coca-Cola are the leading dairy and non-alcoholic beverage distributors serving Guam, the Northern Marianas, and Micronesia since 1950. For career opportunities, visit https://glimpsesofguam.com/careers/ or email allhr@coke- foremost.com. (PR)