When a company is said to have been named National Vanguard for several consecutive years, beyond indicators and statistics, there are always many personal stories interwoven to achieve this. This time, we decided to tell ENCOMIL's feat through three women: Milena, Caridad, and Évora.

Milena, a guerrilla fighter

Good morning. What’s your name? Milena Corrales Rapado responded with the same kindness she bestows upon every visitor who arrives at the company's front desk, but with a certain degree of nervousness in front of the indiscreet recorder:

"I started at Suchel Trans in 2009, on vacation, taking care of the children of working mothers. I did that for two consecutive years. In 2011, I became the receptionist in charge of the telephone board," she tells me, gaining confidence:

"I am a very active woman, practically a guerrilla fighter, in the Cuban sense. I get up very early in the morning and take several public transportation options to get to the company." Indeed, Milena crosses several municipalities to get from Arroyo Naranjo to the offices in Cerro, and she does it with as much pride as effort:

"One feels proud to say that, in the most remote part of our country where, for example, cleaning supplies arrive, whether transported, sold, to all our stores, there's our support. I've been with this company for more than 15 years, and every worker is a friend; we're like family. We get along well, we share our personal experiences, we help each other, and then you become connected, you feel supported. And the situation we're facing in the country is no secret to anyone, but we always offer our support, our compassion. To be a worker in this company, you have to feel proud; one of our most important values is harmony, a sense of belonging..."

Beyond her specific duties, Milena can describe each of the company's activities, speaking of them as if none of them were foreign to her, with total involvement and commitment:

"In addition to everything I've explained to you, our Commander left us a good legacy, so every Cuban, every worker, has to contribute their grain of sand to society."

Milena Corrales Rapado

Caridad, present from day one

She doesn't like photos or interviews, she made that clear from the beginning, but her love for ENCOMIL has been with her for many years. She saw the birth of this company, and no stage fright can overcome that feeling. So she can't help but tell us:

"In this company, there has always been a strong sense of belonging, since its inception, we have served the UEBs in all regions of the country. Over time, we have achieved greater development, and our vision and corporate purpose have expanded."

Without praising too much, Caridad insists on thanking the current director, Jorge Luis de la Rosa Hilario, "because he was the driving force behind us becoming what ENCOMIL is today, because Suchel Trans was going to disappear as an entity and completely merge with Suchel, but with his guidance, we were born as a company."

When she joined the then Suchel trans, she lived in Berroa, close to this Alamar resident, but now she's looking for alternative ways to travel to the Cerro daily, because even though she's moved, this is still her home:

"It's a family. It's a sense of belonging that has always been there; it was born when I started in this company as Suchel Trans. Here you find that not everyone thinks the same way, and there are some adversities between people, but deep down, we're a family, and we've defended it with hard work, unity, and a lot of dedication."

Évora, forever young

Évora Carbonel Lora is the Senior Human Resources Specialist. She's been with the company for six years and can't believe how quickly time has passed. Why? "Look, we're 325 employees, 110 of them women nationwide. To say it's a family is to repeat the same thing; it's an amalgam of feelings one experiences. We've already celebrated our 12th birthday and the fourth national vanguard, which sounds easy to say, but it isn't; it represents a lot of effort, a lot of work, and under difficult conditions..."

Even after retiring, Évora preferred to return: "I benefited from one of the latest measures for the improvement of the socialist state-owned company, which is the rehiring of retired colleagues in their current positions. I've been retired for three years, which simply allowed me to continue being a senior specialist in such a difficult, complex activity as human capital." And when I come to work at this age, I don't feel tired, I don't feel pain, I feel useful...

"And we don't just have the task of Encomil; we've gone out into the neighborhood. We just did a survey in Old Havana, a census of pregnant women, going up and down stairs, and that motivates you, keeps you alive, that keeps you young."

She speaks vehemently and thinks of each of her colleagues: "Today, in Havana, we have the privilege of having electricity. In the provinces, where so much work is done, where that sense of belonging is formed, where those feelings are turned into tangible results, into income and economic contributions, we are experiencing very, very difficult conditions, with constant blackouts... And when you see them accomplish these feats, we have no choice but to keep forward with the same energy.

"Precisely my 325 colleagues, who are serving their country in extremely difficult conditions and without giving up, without complaint, giving more in e-commerce, in transportation, in warehousing, are the ones who should be congratulated, because their efforts are materialized in fulfilling sales, in achieving higher profits, and that allows us to have better salaries, payment for results..."

"We are 325 workers, in their imperfection as human beings, but with the commitment to move forward and to make Encomil a stronger socialist state-owned enterprise every day. That is the commitment to Encomil and, through Encomil, which is the small homeland, with that homeland that needs us so much, with or without a blockade, be credible, to be strong for the people that we represent."

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSi Translation Staff