Winter 2002 Vol. 11 No. 1

Our People

Jaime Garmendia, research associate for Nylon Flooring, comes from a family of Mexican engineers and scientists. His father is a chemical engineer; his mother, a biochemist. Born in Mexico City, Garmendia grew up in a small, nearby town and earned his degree in chemical engineering at the National University of Mexico. When he realized that he needed an advanced degree to teach, he enrolled at the University of Delaware. He returned to Mexico before the discovery of oil in the gulf. Salaries were low, and he had married a young woman he met at the University. He applied to a number of companies and received a number of job offers. To compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of each, he created a spreadsheet that helped him reach a decision: DuPont was number one. Garmendia says, "DuPont has given me great opportunities. I started in Automotive Paints and transferred many times. When I accepted an assignment in Argentina, I learned how challenging it is to be a minority in a homogeneous community. The population in Argentina is about 48% Italian, 30% Spanish and Eastern European. There are very few blacks, in contrast to the U.S. "My response was to get in touch with other minorities at DuPont to begin exchanging views and ideas."

Sharlene Johnson Ross is a Six Sigma Black Belt at DuPont. She and other Black Belts use the talents of their colleagues to reach Six Sigma goals in all company businesses and services: produce high quality results at lower costs and become more responsive to customers at the same time. "Our goal is to apply Six Sigma to everything we do at DuPont," says Ross. "When we've thoroughly embedded Six Sigma in our culture, we'll automatically think about savings and improvements in everything we do every day because we're grounded in awareness of costs and continually streamlining the work we do. While technically Six Sigma stands for fewer than 3.4 defects per million opportunities, at DuPont, we use Six Sigma in a much broader sense. We see it as a way to improve every business idea and process." The intensity of global competition led DuPont to Six Sigma solutions. Applying a system of statistical tools to measuring performance involves culture changes at every level, in every activity from making copies to manufacturing critical products and components, from production to marketing and other company services.

As young man, Richard Otero, Jr., director of Top Line Growth for DuPont Nylon, was attracted to DuPont for two reasons: he found a welcome respect for diversity, and he was offered a position that let him use his mechanical engineering knowledge from his first day on the job. His career has transitioned from engineering into management and has moved his family from Texas to Delaware and Europe. "I started at DuPont in a job where I was treated as a competent engineer," Otero says. "On that first assignment, I was lucky to share office space with Luis Lopez who served as my mentor and role model." Now he mentors others. More than ten years ago, Otero joined two DuPont colleagues to form a network for Hispanic employees. He continues in a leadership role today. Through the Hispanic Network, he is not only a role model of success but also a counselor and advisor to others. When it comes to supporting WorkLife initiatives, Otero's team sees his commitment to balance career and family put into practice every day. He adjusts his office hours, starting later than most of his colleagues so he can put his two young sons on their school bus every morning. "DuPont core values make me proud to work here," he says. "Business can be a force for good in the world."

The career path of Sandra Graves, DuPont Staffing consultant, illustrates career planning from her first job in the steno pool through high visibility opportunities. Graves has progressed on her chosen career path, taking on additional responsibility and identifying further opportunities to stretch her capability and increase her knowledge. In one assignment, Graves created the recruitment campaign to staff the newly formed Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at DuPont. She then focused on student employment, college relations and diversity. She is working with interviewers, training them in the skills they need. Her training experience helped her contribute to the company Targeted Selection® program that gives employees the tools they need to make decisions about future assignments and acquiring the qualifications for those opportunities. She is now working on making Targeted Development an offering to the strategic business units in DuPont. Her advice to new-and not so new-employees: "Learning to work in teams takes a lot of effort. You learn that interpersonal skills don't require friendship; it takes an environment conducive to everyone's ability to contribute."

Two years ago, Juan Francisco Suárez accepted a transfer from Asturias, Spain, to a position at corporate headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. He is spending three years participating in core company activities. He is applying his communications and computer technology skills to development of an internet strategy focused on creating an on-line expression of the DuPont brand. "Because a corporate web site is often the portal of introducing a potential customer, investor or employee to the company, the internet site can be used to position the company and its reputation," Suárez says. "In just five years, the company internet site grew so big so quickly and with so many contributors that it became inconsistent in design and content. We redesigned it to reflect 'The miracles of science.' DuPont is focusing on being a caring, responsive and responsible company; the web site can help us communicate that to potential employees, customers and suppliers. "At DuPont, we are people who use science to solve problems. The internet is a great forum for communicating that message. With 1.5 million unique visitors to our site each year, we have a major branding opportunity. I never thought such a communication revolution would occur. When I put things in perspective, I already have a really cool career!"

Yamaira Gonzalez has participated in the DuPont Student Program for four of the last five years as an undergraduate at the University of Puerto Rico and graduate student at the University of Delaware. Her internship at the DuPont Experimental Station gives Yamaira hands-on experience in experiments in carbohydrate chemistry, a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative. "I plan to go back to Puerto Rico when I complete my doctorate," Gonzalez says. "I'm interested in teaching and consulting as well as community service. I also want to continue participating in sports. Volleyball, karate and running keep me conditioned to balance work and fitness. I think I'm more productive when I maintain that balance." One benefit of serving as an intern at DuPont for three summers is the advantage that it gives participants in their job searches according to Gonzalez. "When you can demonstrate that you can work in a business environment you have a competitive edge over many other candidates for the same job opening."