Behind the birth of a family business
What started out as a need for a job 50 years ago, became the springboard that launched the origins of Gator Bearing. Family patriarch Rodolfo Garcia Vazquez was 17 when an uncle recommended him for a job with a big bearing distributor in Mexico City. He began working in accounts payable and soon volunteered for all aspects of administration.
“I found that the bearing industry was a kind of school for me,” he said during an interview recently. “I worked hard to get ahead and didn’t have anyone to protect me.”
His constancy and drive catapulted him to the sales manager position and provided him a viewfinder to the guts of the bearing world. Dealing with clients from industries including agro-industrial, mining and the military, he became fascinated with the diverse ways in which these products could impact the world.
“I understood that just like bread is indispensable to people, bearings are indispensable to industry,” Garcia said.
Learning that bearing products were not just a “fad,” Garcia continued to expand his knowledge in the business. His boss retired and the company folded, but Garcia forged on with his own venture in 1988. He began a family business and took seriously the idea of providing “good quality and fast turnaround of merchandise at ideal prices."
“I wanted clients to feel this isn’t a publicity slogan,” he said. “I wanted to be involved in our clients’ process of searching for bearings. I even feel like the client is a part of me.”
Garcia brought his son on board eventually and the two expanded their purchasing database by collaborating with other companies who put the bottom line aside in order to move quality products at competitive prices. The personal care in industry that became the centerpiece of Garcia’s success was something he learned from the crib, he said.
“My mother always told me to show solidarity with my family and generally with everyone,” he stated. “She told me it was important to participate and do things with others so that everyone can benefit; and I lived these values since I was a child.”
This philosophy has been the core of his company and he hopes to continue for many years to come. With the release of Gator Bearing, his son (Rodolfo García Jr.) and his daughter-in-law (Jennifer Miller) keep his legacy alive.
The North American market is considered by the Garcia family as a great opportunity and a challenge in which it can transfer this knowledge, values, philosophy and added value. The company also has high hopes of being able to offer its services and other companies in the rest of the world.
The North American market is considered by the Garcia family as a great opportunity and a challenge in which it can transfer this knowledge, values, philosophy and added value. The company also has high hopes of being able to offer its services and other companies in the rest of the world.
The beginning presents its difficulties. "Many say that in the most difficult moments, faith and constancy will sustain you. For me, staying on my toes is a permanent idea. Difficulties always arise but I expect that work, order and discipline will make it possible for our success to last," Garcia said.