SteelMaster’s “Stories of Service” series continues to highlight members of our team who have either served in the U.S. military or are a part of a military family. Part 4 of SteelMaster’s 11-part series of American stories features Emma Granada, international business development manager…

“America is not merely a nation but a nation of nations.”

Lyndon B. Johnson—36th President of the U.S.

 

The collage of stamps imprinted on Emma Granada’s passport is as vast as the places she has traveled, but it was her brother’s 10-month trip to Iraq in 2009 that has made the most indelible mark on her heart. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Jose Pehovaz-Diez helped fight the war in Iraq as a Navy helicopter pilot before returning home two months ago to Virginia Beach. “His return was bittersweet because although it was great to have him home safe, a lot of things had changed while he had been away…my daughter had grown up so much since he last saw her, and it was the first time he met my son who is now four months old,” says Emma.  “I was so proud of him, though, our whole family was.  I know it was hard for him to be away all that time, but I know that in his heart, he knew that this is what he was meant to do.  I admire him greatly, I really do.”

Jose’s decision to join the Navy was influenced by their stepfather Robert Pinto, who fought in the Vietnam War and served 23 years in the Navy. “He always told us about how great military life is and how proud he was to have been a part of it,” remembers Emma. “He and my mother raised us with a respect and appreciation for the military’s core values of loyalty, responsibility, and sense of urgency. I carry these values with me in my work here at SteelMaster as well as in my personal life.”

Emma is the international business development manager for SteelMaster Buildings where she has worked for three years. Her ability to connect and communicate with SteelMaster’s international customers is due in part to having traveled extensively. Born in Peru, Emma’s family moved to Virginia Beach when she was 8 years old, but the family often traveled back to Peru to visit family and friends. After marrying her husband, Emma moved with him to his birth country of Honduras, where they lived for six years before returning to Virginia Beach.

Fluent in English, Spanish, and French, Emma instills an appreciation and respect for other cultures in her 7-year-old daughter, who is fluent in Spanish and English and travels to Honduras for two months each summer.  “It is important to me that my children are proud of being Americans as well as to know and respect their heritage,” says Emma. “I enjoy working for SteelMaster because we do a great deal of business with international clients. I think we can all learn from the example SteelMaster sets—we embrace diversity and recognize that building relationships with other countries can only make us better at what we do. It’s the same with the military—my brother fought in Iraq with people from many different countries, and they all worked together toward a common goal.”

Part 3: Desiree Lapid-Guiaman, accounting specialist

Part 5: Daniel Howard, project specialist

For more information about SteelMaster Buildings, click below.

Enter your email address below to subscribe to our blog:

Delivered by FeedBurner