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Disclaimer number one based on Circana fifty two week multi outlet unit sales ending eleven thirty twenty five. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Uh This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories. And we tell stories about everything here on this show, from the arts to sports and from business to history.
And everything in between, including your stories, send them to ouramericanstories.com. And now we continue with our Do the Right Thing series, a series based upon ethical dilemmas that's sponsored by the folks at the Daniels Fund. Joey Cortez brings us the story of Aaron Marquez. Here's Aaron. In our industry, and in most industries, your reputation is everything.
You know, I think Warren Buffett said it takes 20-25 years to build a great reputation in five minutes to ruin it. And it's so true. Aaron Marquez immigrated from Mexico to America in the second grade, and he is now the founder and CEO of Wildcat Oil Tools, based out of the Permian Basin in Texas, the largest petroleum-producing basin in the world. They provide oil field services, specializing in cutting-edge technology and a world-class workforce. The company has 150 employees and generates over $100 million in annual revenue.
Aaron has lived the American dream. which, according to him, has a key ingredient. You have to make sure that your ethics are in place, that things that are not They're non-negotiable and it's your integrity and your ethics and the way to do business. It's just the most, fundamentally in business, there's nothing more important than your integrity. And the way you operate.
You're at business ethics, the cornerstone of any business. But at a time when his industry was hemorrhaging, Would he hold fast to these principles? Yeah. The year was 2016, and the world had seen one of the largest declines of oil prices in modern history. Folks didn't know if or when the prices would plateau.
350,000 people have been laid off in the industry worldwide. including some of Aaron's employees. You feel like you get punched in the stomach whenever you have to let go of people. Um Like, whenever you have to terminate somebody for cause, I don't even blink twice. You know, I'm upset about the situation, but if somebody gets terminated for cause, it's unfortunate, but you move on.
But whenever you have to terminate or release someone, That's giving you their all, that has worked safe, that has showed up on time, that has done everything right, and you have to let them go. you know, you personally feel like the failure and I take all those personally. Because you know, these people give you their all and they trust their life, their families, livelihood on you, you know, with you. And when you let them go because of the industry being down, it's just... It's such a sad feeling.
So, one of the things that we would do is, I would go up and down through our financials and try to cut out. everything possible. besides wages and personnel. Any promotional items that we were buying, any any events that we were doing, cutting expense reports, cutting sponsorships, and just cutting everything possible that we could do that would help retain as many people as possible. Your employees are your greatest assets.
And you can have this incredible. Technology Incredible everything, but if you're able to keep your talent, and if your employees know that you're fighting every tooth and nail to try to keep everyone employed. The level of respect that they have for you and appreciation is something that That stays with them and it stays with me too. Nevertheless, in twenty sixteen There were some layoffs. In need of more opportunity.
one would walk through Aaron's door. but would present. An ethical dilemma. We've been working with an operator, one of the largest operators here in the world, actually, and in the Permian. and we're in the final stages of getting a service agreement.
A master's service agreement, also known as an MSA. Which is essentially a contract between the oil operator and vendors to do work together. And then 2016 came. and they stopped taking new vendors. curtailed adding any master service agreements.
So I was very disappointed because that was, I was like, if we can get this master service agreement with this group. I said, we're going to be on the other side of this. I mean, we're going to be, we'll weather the storm better than everyone else.
So I was very pleased with that.
Well, 2016 came and we got a notification saying, hey, we're going to have to revisit this. and the next when things when the activity increases because we're not going to be able to add vendors.
So I was very disappointed with that. But a couple weeks later, I get a call from The supply chain manager that we were working with, and said, Hey, I just realized you're Hispanic. And he asked me if I owned the majority of our company. I said, yeah, I'm the majority owner. He's like, well, perfect.
I said, you're Hispanic and you're a majority. owner I said, I can get you an MSA tomorrow because you're a minority.
So I can expedite this and you can get. Being a A business owner, a minority business owner. You're um And we'll get Trinema Se tomorrow. Uh At that point, I was like, man, how great would it be to get a master service agreement at this time? And you start thinking of, oh man, if I get this account, I may be able to retain more people or be able to weather the storm a little bit better.
But I just did not want to get any advantage whatsoever because I've never felt. that I've been a minority.
So I told him, I said, you know what, I appreciate the opportunity. and for for you doing this, but I do not want to get any special treatment. Because I'm a minority. Because I don't feel like I'm a minority. I have one of the.
uh most respected oil and uh fish and rental companies here in the permian and And in the lower 48, I'm not a minority. I'm young. Thirty four years old, 33 years old back then. I said whenever your company feels that we can contribute. on the evil playing field.
Not because I'm Hispanic. I would love to get a master service agreement with you. And when we come back, we're going to continue with Aaron Marquez's story and this ethical dilemma that he has that actually, and this is the thing about ethics, people who have them actually have dilemmas, people without them don't.
Some people would just say, give me the money. Let me take the advantage. Aaron said no. More of this remarkable story, Aaron Marquez's story. here on Our American Story.
Lee Habib here, and I'm inviting you to help Our American Stories celebrate this country's 250th birthday, only a short time away. If you want to help inspire countless others to love America like we do, and want to help us bring the inspiring and important stories told here to millions for years to come, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Our American Stories. Go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Any amount helps.
Go to OurAmericanStories.com and give. Jesus. And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show. Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?
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Go to danielsfund.org to learn about all they do. Let's return to Aaron Marquez. for the rest of his story. You know, and I didn't want to get any special treatment, even though we needed the work, we needed. We needed that opportunity.
because working for them is like a stamp of approval in what we do.
So a million dollar account. that we could have sure used that. But I just wouldn't be able to feel right to look at colleagues and other competitors and say, hey, I got an advantage because I'm Hispanic. I don't like that. There's certain situations for other people that that may not apply to, to them, where they think looks Things are different to them and that's them.
I don't judge them. We all come from different backgrounds. Don't judge anyone unless you're walking their shoes. And for me, I just, I never want any advantages for that. I don't want people to think that I'm a minority because I'm not.
Uh and uh And I don't like that label.
So we walked away from that.
So the way I look at it is: what we're trying to create is a world class. class company. And I just feel that. We need appeal. to a global perspective.
and I just didn't feel like I was a minority or my company was a minority at all. Um Because I think that It just creates, it makes you become better when we just You're measured against the masses. and you're measured against you know your peers on the same level playing field.
So, to me, I told the guys: hey, let's just be better because if. Let's improve the way we do things, let's improve our safety record, let's come up with a new tool. New technology, let's market ourselves better, let's find a way. For this operator to contact us sooner than we think. Based that they need us, that they want us, that they want an association with us.
Not because Yeah. I could we could get that through being a considered a minority. The response that I got was honestly very, very. Pleasant there was a long pause on the phone when I'm telling him after I finished speaking I could just go dead silence And he said Wow. He s he said I've I tell you what, he's like, now it makes me want to work with your company.
more than ever before. Um Because I mean, this program is in place to help all businesses to make everything more inclusive. And everyone's in different situations. that approach that you take that you just don't want to have then an advantage against your competitors for that small reason. It's something that What an incredible way to look at things.
He's like, I'm. I commend you for that. I commend you for that. And like six, seven months after that I saw him at a restaurant here in Midland. And um He walked up to me and he said, hey, I just want to tell you.
He's like, That was that was pretty neat what you said and and and how you did it and uh I'm pretty sure you guys will be getting a a MSA with us soon, but I tell you, like, that was just a classy way of handling things. And he's like, I just commend you for that. I'm going to be rooting for you, and I'm going to be rooting for your company for sure. And he called me, yeah, he he called me um And it took about two years after that. And um We got the uh We got the service agreement with them.
And he called me and said, Hey, I have good news for you. And I said, You're going to be getting a master service agreement with us, and we're getting a lot of requests from the field. And we're going to be able to get you a master service agreement.
So, we were one of the first companies that they added. when things started picking back up. It was um I I looking back, you know, It was the right decision to take. As you've heard, Aaron doesn't really consider himself a minority. because he doesn't really feel disadvantaged.
In his eyes, his background is an edge. in his industry. I don't consider myself a minority at all, and the reason for that is: how am I going to be a minority? I'm going to speak two languages, and I'm. That's going to give me in the corporate world, in the business world.
It's going to give me, create more opportunities. And also I have, I come from another country. I wasn't born in the US.
So, I mean, it was the decision that our family made to come here. It's not a minority. I'm not a minority in Mexico, nor do I feel like I'm a minority in the United States. I think that this country Gives the opportunities to everyone, regardless of sex, skin. Anything gives everyone the opportunity to be successful if they apply themselves to whatever they want to accomplish.
Everyone. I mean, think about it. I'm proof of that. Um You know, first one to graduate from college, you know Successful life. I've, I mean, there's, was there a minority about me?
Nothing. you know nothing at all now that just applies to me and what i the way i like to look at things I don't see a minority. Uh you know and The industry, I mean not the industry, but the world in general, especially like even in Texas, the most population is are Hispanics.
So it's not a minority and I just don't like those labels because I think it regresses us as a country. When people get special advantages for certain things, because I think it waters down what the principles of our country. I just want to make sure that people don't get Um overlooked Because They're they're not a minority, which is I think that's unfair Two people. To me, ethics are everything. You know, skills can get you to the top, but ethics and integrity are going to keep you there.
We will never do anything. That's not unethical. And also in a best practice too. Um Like, I don't like to even bowmouth any of our competition or do anything unethical or whatever. I just want a good.
Strong. playing field. Because uh and and that that makes that makes things very You know, achievable and desirable when you can go to work and bet on contracts, knowing that the playing field is equal. To me, it's just important to have the right principles, especially when you're dealing with investors or you're dealing with publicly traded companies or you're dealing with different business. leaders throughout the world, you have to make sure that your ethics are in place.
People want to do business with reputable people, with people that you know that are going to be straightforward and honest and good values and manage things correctly.
Now that I'm a father, you know, that I want to relate to my son that. you know, your integrity and your commitment to to The person that you are to the things that we do do not fluctuate based on demand or need or situations. There's things that are non-negotiable in your integrity, your You know, being a good person, just things like that. You know, that doesn't fluctuate. You have to be the same way, even if the outcome.
Then um than what than what You know, it's just part of it. And a special thanks to Aaron Marquez. By the way, he tells his life story on our American stories. Go to our website, Aaron Marquez is his name, and you will hear one heck of an immigration story, a family story, a love letter to the country that adopted him and the family that adopted this country, because the family adopted America, too. It goes two ways, that adoption.
And my goodness, a special thanks to the folks at the Daniels Fund, our Do the Right Thing series about ethical dilemmas that's sponsored by this great organization. To learn about bringing their ethics programs to your school, business, or police departments or churches too, go to thedanielsfund.org. That's danielsfund.org and think about the ethical dilemma here. And that is this, at least as it relates to Aaron's perspective, is whether to take advantage of his ethnic heritage. And he didn't think this was good for his company or himself.
And this was at a tough time. And integrity is a word he used again and again and again. And for him, there was no integrity. To taking a contract. And this was not some little company he was not taking a contract from.
Aaron didn't want the public to know what company it was. But let's just say it was one of the big, big, big energy companies, one of the big oil companies. And integrity means sometimes paying a price for it. And in the end, well, Aaron paid a short-term price, but got the contract because of his integrity. And that's what we learn here so often in these stories.
It doesn't fluctuate. It doesn't wander from moment to moment, this principle. And this is one of the core principles at the Daniels Fund is integrity. Aaron Marquez's story. Here on Our American Story.
This is Chelsea Handler from Dear Chelsea. After the big game, like most people, I kept thinking about the commercials, and there was one that stayed with me. It was from the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, and it wasn't loud or flashy. It showed a Jewish kid being targeted at school and another student who chose not to ignore it. As someone who is Jewish, that moment felt very real to me.
Not dramatic, just familiar. And what struck me was how clearly it showed that hate doesn't always announce itself, but the impact is still huge. If you saw the blue square spot during the big game, it's worth thinking about. And if you want to show support, sharing the blue square is one small way to do that. Time for a sofa upgrade?
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