Meet Our Staff

Welcome

Vega’s has been a family business since 1939, and we would not have been as successful without our amazing staff throughout the years. Many of our long time employees have been with us since the early days when my parents operated this business in Nuevo Laredo, and while they are the heart and soul of this business, today I would like to give a special focus to our newest hires that are taking our business into a new direction.

From the Streets to the Executive Office

Little Buddy is your classic “rags to riches” success story. She was living on the streets running around with a pack of homeless dogs way too big for her tiny size. When she found us she was a little mess of raggedy hair, bright eyes, and all smiles. That good nature and wholesome spirit immediately “wowed” all of the staff despite her shabby appearance, and that made a real impression on upper management. After a brief makeover she showed her potential and value to this 85+ year old business.

Born a Shih Tzu, she informed us that she was one of the oldest dog breed in the world; originating in Tibet and possessing a genealogy going back thousands of years. The Monks there bred her kind as loyal companions and guardians; earning them the title of “Little Lion”. Considering our security positions have already been filled with some dogs with more rougher edges, we thought she would be an excellent Greeter and Personal Shopper. She took to the task with great interest and soon became a favorite among our regular customers; earning herself “Employee of the Month” for several months in a row and using that fame to negotiate a promotion to “Manager” by the end of the year.

While she still makes the rounds on the floor greeting customers when they come to visit, she spends most of her time in the back office working on the books and managing payroll. It is not as glamorous of a position that she thought it would be, but being so instrumental in running multiple aspects of the business is what managers do. Lucky for her she was able to hire and delegate some of those tedious tasks to her new employee.

Mr. Cat came from the neighborhood eager to make his mark. At first we informed him that there were no new positions to be filled, but he would not take “no” for an answer. He hung out in the courtyard patio looking to help out wherever help was needed. He was persistent and made a lasting impression on Little Buddy. She saw potential in him, and well who could argue with her new managerial title and instincts.

At first he was given light work to do in the courtyard, but quickly found that boring. Then he moved himself inside the store and began taking over the lagging duties of greeter that Little Buddy use to do. Unfortunately her current duties locked her away in the office in front of a computer doing accounting. Being an Orange Tabby, Mr. Cat was perfect for that position of Greeter, but Little Buddy wanted an assistant to help take some of the workload off her desk. Given a trial run he proved up to the challenge, at first, but then began showing his true colors. Had we gotten our lawyer to look over the “employment contract” he had us sign, we would have noticed that the 8 hour work day stipulation didn’t explicitly say those 8 hours need to be during regular business working hours. He had pulled a fast one on us, and now we were stuck with him.

The Odd Couple

Despite their different work ethics, Little Buddy and Mr. Cat are some of our customers’ favorite new hires (and in truth the only new hires). I wish I could say they compliment each other with their obvious difference, but in they are the way God made them: Perfect as is. They are kind and courteous, and are always happy to be at work. Working at Vega’s for them isn’t a chore, but a state of mind. When they are here they are at peace with the world around.