“We come from very humble beginnings. My mother’s parents were migrant workers. They came to the United States, like many immigrants, looking for a better life, for themselves and their family. She would always remind us that no matter how much or a little an individual has, they should always be able to share a little bit of it with the less fortunate.” —Willie Tamayo
Willie Tamayo, this year’s Best Business Community Leader, is a model of the “American Dream”—not just as a son of immigrant parents who’s worked his way to success, but, in creating at La Tortilla Factory, his third-generation family-run business, a culture of sharing that benefits the whole community. His values, and those of the company he runs with his brother, Carlos, son and nephews, he attributes to his parents, who instilled in him the importance of education and generosity.
To the Tamayos, this means not just giving cash, but giving attention to people, caring and showing interest and support. “They worked hard at making sure we understood the value of education,” Tamayo says, “even though neither one of them graduated from high school.” Tamayo, the third eldest of the five boys and now executive vice president of La Tortilla Factory, came to work at his parents’ company in 1978 after he graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in business. Since that time, the business has evolved to accommodate its customers’ changing and “healthy for you” eating patterns. The company distributes its products in all 50 states and internationally; sales exceeded $50 million in 2011.
His success, like all success, isn’t static. “We recognize the difference between short-term profit and long-term sustainability,” he says. “If we’re to be a sustainable company, we need to surround ourselves with people who bring strength to the organization.” This means bringing in people who can grow with the organization and letting them innovate. Back in the late ’90s and early 2000s, prior to the formal USDA requirements, for example, the company was working toward a line of organic products.
“We had folks in our organization who wanted to develop their skill sets and help us become certified as an organic supplier and producer. They came to us with their ideas of what the company would need to do to get prepared.” The company leadership set the plans in motion, and by the time the USDA guidelines were released, it was ready. “Many customers recognized how important this was,” says Tamayo. “So by being proactive, we were able to go to our customers when the time came and say, ‘The products we’re producing will pass inspection, because we’ve been preparing for this for the past three or four years!’”
As business leaders, Tamayo and his brothers begin with their own employees, instilling their strong mission, which is about more than products and profit. Their values include product excellence, people with “outstanding values,” innovation, exceeding customers’ needs and community involvement and sustainability.
Their community involvement is extensive. The family gives money—usually in the form of cash donations to education such as scholarships or children’s programs—but also, as their mother taught them, they give time and opportunity as well. “We contribute annually to the local YMCA,” says Tamayo. “So just last week, we had the development team from the YMCA meet with our human resources people to discuss how to connect our giving in the community with our employees. We also talked about programs the YMCA offers and how our employees and their children can use them.”
They came up with the idea to incorporate their support of the Health Action Committee (an initiative put forward by the Board of Supervisors to help make Sonoma County one of the healthiest counties in America) and are working on a way for the YMCA to do an exercise “boot camp” on Saturdays at La Tortilla Factory.
It’s also started working to support Bayer Farm, a piece of land owned by the city of Santa Rosa, so that some La Tortilla Factory employees can have access to a small plot of land to grow their own vegetables. “It’s a way for our employees to be engaged with the community,” he says. La Tortilla Factory also provides tortillas to Cooking with Kids, an educational program featuring celebrity chef Guy Fieri. Tamayo says the feedback from these and other activities is very positive for all the employees.
“I think everyone who gets engaged in the community and finds a particular niche can contribute back,” says Tamayo. “I don’t think there’s any greater feeling a person can have than that they’ve given a little time or attention to an individual or organization that needs it. That’s one of the best feelings you can have, knowing you’ve made a little bit of a difference.”
