1. Career Path & Transition.
I was recruited to Timex by the new CEO specifically to drive organizational change and development in
this mature business. With the goal of broadening the market reach and appeal of the Timex brand, I led
the HR effort to break down the existing (and quite rigid) “silo structure,” which made it difficult to shift
resources quickly and pursue a truly integrated, multi-segment business strategy. I moved on after two
changes of CEO.
At Goya Foods, I was recruited to play key leadership role in spearheading the company’s strategic
positioning from direct regional distributor to national Big Box Marketer in order to intensify Goya’s mass
channel sales with key focus upon Wal*Mart food distribution network. Wal*Mart 2004 - 06 sales were
projected to reach $100MM under this new strategic platform. Two family Board Members, strongly
opposing new mass channel/Wal*Mart initiative, wrestled control of the company from the CEO & COO
(Joseph and Andrew Unanue) and ousted them from the organization – which subsequently brought
about my departure and that of other senior team members. Please refer to Wall Street Journal article
dated March 24, 2004, A Family fights over the future of Goya Foods (included in this presentation).
At Sara Lee International in London from 1995 to 2000, I built and led a team of 12 professionals located
in-country across the globe in a complex marketing and multi-level sales and distribution organization with
multi-layer sales teams focused directly on the consumer (i.e. the Avon model). After completing a 5 year
expatriate assignment, in 2000 I was promoted to return to the USA to integrate and build a new
management team for several newly acquired companies (Chock Full of Nuts and Nestle coffee brands).
Despite considerable success in capturing market share, Corporate eventually decided to exit the roasted
coffee business in the US, and that led to my decision to seek other opportunities outside the company.
At Marriott, I transitioned after the In–flight food service business was acquired by CaterAir/ Lufthansa in
1995 and was offered a position as the head of HR for the Varig food customer service in Sao Paolo. I
preferred to move to London with Sara Lee International. After my expatriate assignment in 1992 with
Chiquita Bananas Operations in San Jose, Costa Rica was terminated due to budgetary reasons, I
returned to the US and joined Marriott. Previously I had an 8 year career path in the pharmaceutical
industry with Merck and Beecham and previously to returning to the USA after university, I was a Director
of Human Resources for General Foods plant in Caracas, Venezuela.
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, educated in the American schools in the oilfield of Venezuela (father was
petroleum engineer) – fluent in Spanish and English, coming to Miami, Florida at age 17 for secondary
education. After graduating from The George Washington University from the School of Public &
International Affairs and completing a year of graduate work in personnel management, became a US
Citizen before returning to manage my family business in Caracas, my wife Isabel, was born in Costa
Rica, father was a Coronel in US Intelligence stationed in Panama Canal Zone; Isabel is bilingual and we
have grown children (Ciristina and Marisable). I am 6’1’ – 220 lbs. cyclist, jogger and avid photographer (
I have demonstrated superb interpersonal skills and a highest degree of energy, focused and intensively
driven HR professional with eyes upon the totality of business, aware of cultural diversity, employee and

2. supervision inclusion with vision and values transformation – not merely viewing the HR function as a
transactional discipline but a business and strategic partner. I am proven seasoned professional that has
experience in several industry sectors, including grocery retail at Goya Foods, Chiquita Bananas and
Sara Lee as well as business situations through consolidations and growth, mergers and divestments,
turnarounds and especially know the grocery supply chain. I am equally as effective and comfortable in
the work floor as I am in corporate offices. I have worked extensive in the Hispanic market and I am
extremely familiar with culture differences and custom.
I support the management agenda with impact and focus on company values and brands. I can identify
and develop the best and brightest. I provide diverse thinking which makes an organization stronger and I
do this by being a fully-faceted HR Manager with abilities to influence people ideas and business
strategies. I have experience in both tactical and strategic multicultural arenas and in matrix and
entrepreneurial organizations and in private and public as well as union and non-union environments. I
possess strong expertise in change management, cultural infusion, and horizontal and vertical
communication and a continual electric charge of sense of urgency and accountability.
As examples and accomplishments relevant to the Houston / grocery retail opportunity, I have led the
following HR initiatives which further illustrate the depth and breathe of my HR management experience.
.
HR transactional service – developed best in class HR systems and programs including learning
and development.
Organization design - addressed business structure and organizational needs in rapid growth
business transformation environments in order to repositioning brands as a competitive
advantage.
Process Improvement - facilitated open dialogue between managers and subordinates that
fostered an environment of team performance as well as organizational improvement. All parties
to this process assume ownership and commitment to drive results. The process improvement
was linked to core team values and company/business unit plans.
Business integration – consolidated newly-acquired teams with vast cultural and business
interests. Actively sought and partnered with all groups resulting in the development of critical
success factor. Acted as the company spokesperson for community relations with both municipal
and state officials.
Single-minded project management and development adherence with key performance indicators
resulting in HR programming driven by corporate mandate (i.e. Business Practices and
Compliance management) or by defining in-country HR needs.
Strong “hands-on” relationship / consulting partnering experience, trained production staff by
setting challenging objectives and proliferation of people techniques with specific development
models. Standardized - as much as culturally possible business performance processes and
people management programs to support growth. Implemented leadership development and
supervisory training platforms to meet complex and diverse needs with bottom-line impact. I
resolved difficult associate/employee relations with Legal by understanding employee trends,
issues and motivation as well as translating the impact on what is most important to mutual
desired business results.
For more detailed information on my background and experience please access my website on:
www.getmyprofile.com/mcalcano