By Laney Devers The Sopris Sun is conducting a series of interviews with folks you may not have seen in the paper before – a sort of introduction to your neighbors. This week, we caught up with Heladio Sanchez, who runs things in the back warehouse at the Roaring Fork Co-Op.
Sopris Sun Student Intern
THE SOPRIS SUN: If someone recognizes you in the street where do they most likely know you from?
SANCHEZ: I played soccer for a while so maybe from there, but all kinds of people know me from the warehouse so probably from here.
Q: What exactly do you do at the COOP?
A: Right now my title is warehouse manager and I will be moving into outside sales as well.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: I was born in Mexico, I move to California just before my thirteenth birthday.
Q: When did you arrive in the area?
A: I came to Colorado in 1994 after I graduated high school. I moved there for two years to see how moving out of the house would go. After that I went back to California for a while and then came back to Colorado in 2008. In 2010 I started at the COOP and I’ve been here ever since.
Q: How do you spend your free time?
A: With my wife and two kids or fishing, sometimes shooting.
Q: How old are your kids?
A: My oldest is five and I have a four-month-old newborn.
Q: Who would you say has influenced you the most?
A: Roger Fosse, my old boss at the warehouse. He actually hired me when he was the warehouse manager and then around three years later, after he’d been promoted I was offered the warehouse manger position. So I told him I didn’t know much about how to run a place by myself, but he told me he’d be right there, that he’d be my teacher. So I’ve been in charge ever since.
Q: What would you say has been the most satisfying moment of your life so far?
A: I’m not going to say when I got promoted, because it was more like a headache, for a while I couldn’t sleep. Probably once I got the crew I have right now. Because I know no matter what this place will be okay and the job will get done even if I’m not here.
Q: Do you have any advice for others?
A: If you want it you have to work for it. No one will hand you anything. You have to leave your comfort zone if you want to make something out of your life.
Q: Is there anything you want to achieve but have yet to?
A: Right now I’m on top of the world like I said, I never thought I would be running a place on my own but here I am. But I know I can always walk the extra mile.
-
It takes community support to keep The Sopris Sun shining.
SUNscribe/Donate >
