Second Chances & Greater Heights

When you meet Daniel, you instantly know that you’re meeting someone who has transformed. There’s more than meets the eye, evidenced by how he approaches his job, his family, and his coworkers.

And that transformation and change is something worth celebrating.

With 11 years celebrating sobriety, with a drug addiction that dominated most of his life, it’s no small feat to say that when he decided to become sober it was extraordinary and a testament to his character.

But the battle wasn’t easy and wasn’t fought without help along the way.

After some legal issues, Daniel decided he wanted to take a step in the right direction and use his skills as a welder and work for PESCO. And while he proved to do well at this job, six months later, he tested positive again and was right back where he started.

Not entirely surprised at the setback, the PESCO Human Resources Department told Daniel that despite his serious error, they wanted him to get treatment and the help he needed. And what’s more, his position was still available if he ever wanted to return to the company. HR believed in Daniel and cared more about him as a person than an employee.

While Daniel struggled to stay committed to his recovery programs, many of his previous friends continued with the same lifestyle. When Daniel lost a friend to overdose, he finally hit rock bottom. With no job, no future, and family and friends he had wounded for years, he was ready to make a change.

With just a small amount of drugs left in his possession, Daniel contemplated indulging one last time before calling it quits. Thoughts rushed his head, “Who would know? One last time would be fine. It would be a waste to throw them away.”

And that’s when it hit him - if I don’t start walking in integrity now, I never will.

And with that, Daniel flushed them all away. “That’s the day I won my battle with drugs.”

After calling PESCO to see if his job was still available, Daniel returned in June of 2012. PESCO was happy to have Daniel return - and more enthralled that he had beaten the demon that had haunted him for 20 years.

Now, Daniel's life has a much different description, transformed from addiction to thriving. When asked to describe Daniel now, his supervisor, Watson Benally, describes him as “a man of God; a great leader; full of energy, humble; compassionate, great heart who loves to work with the youth in our community and the people here at PESCO.”

That’s just a glimpse of the transformation done in Daniel’s life. While Daniel made many bold and difficult decisions on his own, his opportunity to come back to PESCO helped provide him the support, encouragement, and stability to turn his life around and provide for his family.

“PESCO has a history of helping people,” said Chief Financial Officer, Linda Rodgers. “God has blessed PESCO and during its 50+ years of business, has helped countless people through tough times. PESCO doesn’t just want its employees to be successful at work but in life.”

And no story could be more reflective of this than Daniel’s. With a recent promotion to North Plant Manager, he is flourishing in his role, always reflecting on where he has been and where he wants to go.

“I’m grateful God led me here, to PESCO. They gave me a second chance and God’s timing was perfect. They changed my life and the person I was. I hope I am always helping and speaking to those God puts in my path.”

For a company committed to building better lives and better communities, Daniel is an example of PESCO’s commitment to helping their employees, even if that means a second chance. For PESCO, integrity is what they strive for with their employees across the board. However, integrity can sometimes take time to build. It can take a few mistakes, some growing pains, some trust before it takes root. But once it does, the fruit of an integrity-driven life flourishes and gives to those around it. And PESCO is here doing just that. Investing in its employees, pushing for integrity, giving second chances, and waiting in anticipation for the abundance that is sure to follow.