Director Profile — Mario Perez

For our latest Director Profile, we journey down to Costa Rica to spend time with Mario Perez, ModSquad’s Director of People Operations. Mario comes to us with a quarter-century of human resources experience at such companies as Sara Lee, Hanesbrands Inc., and Kimberly-Clark. Mario has proven a natural fit to help ModSquad further expand our presence in Latin America.

Mario resides with his family in Santa Ana, Costa Rica, about 10 minutes away from ModSquad’s Operations Center. An avid traveler for most of his life, Mario is excited to be working close to home as a leader at ModSquad. We caught up with Mario to find out more about what he’s doing in his new role.

Tell us about yourself. What was your background before coming to ModSquad?

I’m a citizen of Costa Rica, but I’ve lived in many different places — from when I was growing up, doing my studies, or in professional positions. Aside from Costa Rica, I’ve lived in El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Dominican Republic, Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Minnesota. I’ve worked as both an HR generalist and specialist in local, regional, and global roles. The industries I’ve worked in are a diverse group, including manufacturing, consumer goods, financial services, construction, technology, and hospitality.

What are your primary responsibilities here?

I’m leading ModSquad’s Latin America and Caribbean efforts, working to ensure the connectivity between our People Ops group and the Finance, Sales, and Services departments. We’re also working on fine-tuning our job architecture and job titling process and enhancing our project management efforts.

What is an average day like for you?

Right now we’re concentrating on growing our awesome team and this endeavor is where I’m spending a lot of my time right now. As part of my responsibilities, I’ve recently overseen the opening of our Costa Rica Operations Center and have been putting the finishing touches on the offices. Never a dull day for sure, and a lot of interesting work ahead in the next few months. Exciting times!

Tell us more about how you spend your free time.

I’ve been married for 20 years, and my lovely wife and I have three kids and two dogs. I enjoy running, having done six half marathons already (it’s the distance I most enjoy). I’ve also played golf all my life and still manage to break 80 when I play well. As a junior player a long time ago, I represented my country several times in the Junior World Golf Championship at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California. During one tournament, I played a practice round with Phil Mickelson and played in the group behind Tiger Woods. That was an amazing experience.

What sets ModSquad apart, in your opinion?

ModSquad’s culture sets us apart, specifically in the ways in which it’s tied to the values of respect and integrity. Our people genuinely want to be here and want to help this company grow, but they want to do it responsibly and ethically, without ever losing the vibe that makes us unique. Many of our people have amazing experiences and backgrounds at big companies and joined ModSquad for a chance to innovate and implement initiatives to contribute to the company’s incredible growth.

Please help us congratulate Mario by leaving your good wishes in the comments section below.