Partner Perspective: Fernando Galicia

To truly understand who I am and the proud Hispanic heritage roots that define me, we must start at the beginning on the bustling streets of my hometown of Mexico City.  

I didn’t grow up with my dad. He left our house when I was very young and my mom, raised  us. When I saw how hard she worked to make sure we got an education and to succeed in life, that made me appreciate it so much more.  

My mom was a nurse, and she worked exhausting night shifts to provide for our family. During the day, my brothers and sisters took care of me and helped me. My mom would work through the night, then came home at sunrise and made our breakfast and lunch before she went to sleep.  

That made such a big impact on me. Her sacrifice inspired me to show her that all her work was not in vain, it was for something good. I wanted her to be proud of what she did to impact my life, so she was my biggest motivation.  

Early Life – and a Trip to the U.S.  

I was the youngest in my family, but first to leave the house. I was 14 years old when my mother sent me to live with an aunt in the Los Angeles area.  

Imagine the challenge. I didn’t even know a single word of English when I came here, so it was tough. I also worked various jobs to support myself while in high school, including an auto body shop and a corner fruit stand. I worked the fruit stand before school, then again on my way home to put all the fruit back in the refrigerator.  

I was playing football in Mexico, so the dream was to continue playing. I was going to school and working at the same time, so not being able to play was a tough decision for me. I lived with my aunt for three years, then moved out on my own.  

One of my instructors at Canoga Park High School really made me think when he said, “Fernando, have you thought about what you’ll be doing after you finish high school?”  

He told me that in the U.S., if you learn a trade, you can grow. You can move. You can do better in life. That really opened my eyes.  

I enjoyed the vocational classes and tried a few, but when I discovered the wood shop class, I knew I had found my passion. This is what I needed to learn. Everybody was making little wooden objects, and I was making dressers with 10 drawers. It seemed to come easy to me.

My instructor really liked my work, and I was staying late and doing more than anyone in the class. When a company came to our school looking for an apprentice, my instructor spoke up for me.  

After high school, I began working and eventually joined the Carpenters Union Local 209. I wanted to start from the bottom to make sure I learned everything I needed.  

In our culture, people tend to work very hard to achieve what they want in life. That’s something that I’ve always had. I love to do my best in everything, because that’s something I saw a lot of Latino people doing — working hard to provide for their families. That motivated me because if they could do it, I could do it too.  

Hispanic Heritage Runs Deep  

My culture means so much — and the fact I was selected to represent our partners during Hispanic Heritage Month fills me with great pride.  

There’s a high percentage of Latinos working in the construction industry. It means a lot to take some time each year to recognize all the hard workers we have, especially at McCarthy. It makes me happy when I see my partners getting promoted and moving up, just like watching my son.  

My son, Jonathan Galicia, has been with McCarthy for four years and is an assistant superintendent in the renewable energy group.  

After he saw how much I loved McCarthy, he said, “Dad, I want to work for that company, too.”  

I told him that’s why I worked so hard, so you can do better than me in life. A lot of people may know me, but I told my son he needs to build his own brand. He’s hard-working it makes me very proud.  

What I saw in my mom, I can see it in my son. Now he’s doing the same for his family, so that helps me accomplish a goal in my life.  

My wife and I began dating as teenagers. While we were dating, she moved to New Mexico, and we’d write each other letters (no cell phones then). Finally, she decided to come back.  

We’ve been married for 38 years and have a son, a daughter, and three grandchildren. I love my grandkids and any time I get the opportunity to be with them, that’s time I truly enjoy.  

Along with family and construction safety work, my other passions are Mexican cooking and the Pittsburgh Steelers.  

My wife is from El Salvador and has learned to cook Mexican dishes. Among my favorites are the menudo and pozole soups — and I tell her all the time they are better than ones I’ve tried in Mexico.  

Among the things my mother would cook would be taquitos with sour cream and lettuce and atole, a warm masa-based dish that includes milk, water and flour-flavored with things like cinnamon or vanilla.  

I see the diversity we have at McCarthy. Latino people are growing up here, and I see how hard they’re working because they want to grow and do better in life. The opportunities are there for everyone.  

Preaching the Gospel of Safety  

I’ve been in the construction industry for nearly 38 years, the first 25 as a carpenter. That includes 15 years as an MBC carpenter before becoming a full-time safety professional as a coordinator and later regional manager.  

I was working for another contractor on the Staples Center in L.A. while McCarthy was building the Kodak Theater, then I joined up with McCarthy. One of my early mentors was McCarthy Superintendent John Moffatt. He told me don’t leave McCarthy, you’ve got a future with us. He helped me grow and supported my decisions.  

When John found out I was interested in safety, he supported me and made sure I got all the training I needed.  

Safety has become such a big part of my life. There is nothing I love more than what I’m doing right now.  When I was a foreman, my goal was to be a superintendent, but when I joined the safety department, everything changed.  

It was being able to make a difference by helping people go home safe to their families. That was a greater goal for me to accomplish. That’s my passion and what I love doing.  

I’m also a full-time instructor teaching OSHA courses. Cranes are one of my favorite topics, along with excavation and forklifts. I also teach classes as an OSHA outreach trainer at Cal State-Dominguez Hills.  

With all the growth we’ve had, I saw the big need to educate our people. It’s not really training because with a person, you cannot train them, you educate them. If you educate a person, you’re going to see better results.  

Every time I present a class now, I tell them “I’m here to educate you.” The more we educate our co-workers, the better we’re going to do, the fewer injuries we’re going to have.  

People saw how much I cared about them and would come to me and thank me. That helped motivate me to keep doing better at safety.  

In the Southern Pacific region, we started doing a first-day orientation for all new employees at the Yard, where we store all of our equipment. We’re growing so much, and this is one of the best classes we can provide. The first impression we want to make on them is to learn the high expectations and the way McCarthy works – and we’ve seen great results.  

When people leave that class, they are motivated and ready to do so much better for our company. They understand we care about them and about the great safety culture we have. We don’t want to be just the best company, we want to be one of the safest companies.  

When I talk to young Hispanic professionals, it starts with always trying to be the best you can be. Don’t be the average worker, because there’s a lot of average workers.  

There are thousands of carpenters. I never wanted to be the average carpenter, I wanted to be the best. I tell them be the best you can be in life, don’t be average. If you want to succeed in life, set your goals and work hard to achieve them.