Roberto Juarez, second from left, poses with members of his Hardware crew. Juarez holds a number of positions of responsibility at Martin Door Manufacturing.

"When I meet with my guys I tell them, 'while you're here, you should give yourself 150 percent for what you do.' Whatever you are doing will reflect on your family and whatever you want to achieve in your life," Juarez said.

It's more than a rah-rah speech from Juarez, as reflected by his personal and professional life.

Juarez came to the U.S. with little education, but eager to pursue the American dream. At his sister's prodding he moved to Utah in 1988, where he took jobs washing dishes at a restaurant and cleaning local offices. He came to Martin Door as a temporary worker for two weeks and that stint led to another four weeks with the company, before he was hired on full-time.

He credits Larry Martin, vice president of MDM, for giving him a chance to excel and to grow in trust and responsibility at Martin Door. Larry describes Roberto as fiercely loyal to the company and its success. He said Roberto would work a 24-hour shift by himself, if necessary, to make sure the hardware department is not losing the company money. Juarez worked at Martin Door during the day, but pursued his education at night. He earned his high school equivalency and then moved onto to pursue a college degree, which he earned in 2005, from the Universidad de Espana in business and management. He hopes someday to get a teaching degree.
		Books and learning have always been important to Roberto Juarez. Juarez has worked hard to meet educational goals, since coming to the U.S.

"Learning has been a really important part of my life," Juarez said. "I don't feel like it's ever too late."

He still pushes a pursuit for excellence and learning among his peers. He said he is always bringing in books for his guys to read on a wide range of subjects.

One of seven children, Juarez draws inspiration to keep improving from his mother, who learned to read and write at the age of 50 and then finished her high school education. He said she still spends a lot of time in the library, when visiting.

Roberto also credits his wife, Fernanda, for being a big support in his effort to continually improve. They are the parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Odalys.