This year the family was met with excitement as the youngest Saucedo, Maury Saucedo, decided to bring his management expertise and warm hospitality to The Saucedo Company.  Maury’s passion is to bring comfort to the needs of his customers.

We all are inundated with problems, Maury wants to make sure a lock problem isn’t one of them.

The Saucedo Company is the official locksmith of Santa Claus ;-)

I prefer receiving practical gifts, i.e., socks, underwear, t-shirts, cologne. I also really enjoy being the recipient of the latest electronics. I began thinking about what I could give that would encompass practicality AND that electronic fix.

Well lo and behold the perfect gift was staring me in the face!

A personal safe!

Owning a household safe is becoming the standard and is no longer considered a luxury. So why not give your loved ones the most practical gift this year? Perhaps sneak an iPad in there too ;)

Stay safe,

The Brothers Saucedo

David Saucedo, a chairman of the Empire Builders -- Jovenes Empresarios Program, is a business developer for his father's locksmith business, The Saucedo Co. (Victor Calzada / El Paso Times)

Vincent Castro and David Saucedo want to help El Paso’s young entrepreneurs and young executives build their businesses and at the same time help build El Paso and its next generation of leaders.

They are the chairmen of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s new Empire Builders — Jovenes Empresarios Program, aimed at cultivating a new generation of business owners and business professionals. Participants must be younger than 40.

“I think El Paso has a lot of work to do to be friendly to young professionals. We need to foster the attitude that they are here to stay and will be the next community leaders. Let’s try to engage them now,” said Saucedo, 26, business developer for his father’s locksmith business, The Saucedo Co.

“We want to give them (people in the program) a quasi mandate to go out and build this community and make it how they want it to be,” Saucedo said.

Castro, 35, who operates two of his father’s 22 El Paso McDonald’s franchises, said the main idea is to have a pool of young leaders who can “help develop the community and take it to the next level, and beyond. Sometimes young people just need a little encouragement or know-how to go to the next level.”

El Paso Hispanic Chamber CEO Cindy Ramos-Davidson said the program will be entrepreneurial focused and will “teach young adults about the school of business from real world business people.”

The program will provide support, resources and networking for people younger than 40 who own a business, who are running a business or who are key executives in a business, Ramos-Davidson said.

The chamber has received applications from 15 people and wants to have 25 people in the program, Ramos-Davidson said. The application deadline is Nov. 4. It costs $400, which can be paid during the program’s nine-month term.

It will revolve around monthly three-hour sessions featuring successful business operators talking about their experiences and experts who will speak on various business topics, such as financial systems and technology strategies, Castro said. It also will have sessions on serving on boards and volunteerism, he said.

Program participants also will have to attend the chamber’s monthly board meetings, Ramos-Davidson said.

Castro said that when the program begins in January, the first guest speaker is likely to be be his father, Richard Castro, who has built a McDonald’s empire in El Paso as well as a commitment to help the community.

“My father has been everything with my development,” Vincent Castro said. “He keeps me on my toes, but he also keeps me grounded. He makes sure I don’t lose sight of what we are trying to achieve: To just keep the business rolling, always give the best value to customers, and in business, you always want to keep making money — keep the bottom line as healthy as possible.”

Vincent Castro said he’s wanted to run his own McDonald’s ever since his father bought his first franchise in 1983 at Hawkins Boulevard and Interstate 10 and moved his family from Del Rio, Texas.

“My father has always encouraged us to make our own choices and do what we love,” Castro said. But he also said it’d be nice to have his sons involved in the business, Castro said.

Vincent, who has two brothers, is the only one who’s elected to stay in the business, and he hopes to take over the franchises one day, he said. His older brother, Richard, is a basketball coach and teacher at Eastwood High School, and his younger brother, D.J., is in college.

Castro grew up working at his father’s McDonald’s franchises and now has the business flowing in his veins, he said.

Saucedo graduated from Notre Dame University with an accounting degree in 2007, and was headed on a road toward a job with a big corporation in Chicago.

“I was at Notre Dame, going to school, and all of a sudden I was at a career fair selling myself, and I thought there’s more to life than this. I have a family business, and I love El Paso. So, I decided to bring my talents back to El Paso. I’m here to stay.”

Saucedo said he and his brother, Mauricio, who has a degree in hotel management from Cornell University, had to convince their father that it was a good idea for them to come back and help run the business.

He thought that once we finished college, we would go out and do our own thing, Saucedo said.

“He didn’t want us in the locksmith business. I think now he appreciates our contribution,” Saucedo said.

His father, David Saucedo Sr., is the third generation of the Saucedo family to operate the business started in 1917. He took ownership when the young Saucedo’s grandfather died in 2008.

“I think eventually me and my brother will take it over,” Saucedo said. But his 51-year-old father is not leaving soon, he said.

“We Saucedos don’t understand the word retirement. My grandfather was at work the day before he died,” Saucedo said.

Both Saucedo and Castro said that even though they went into established, family businesses, they still have to face many of the hurdles that any entrepreneur faces.

“We have our core business. But I have been charged with going into new avenues,” Saucedo said. “I’m experiencing the struggles of bringing new ideas to El Paso.”

Castro said, “Even though I didn’t have to build a business, I still have to maintain the business, I still have to keep it going. There are just as many challenges in keeping a business as starting a business.”

Beginning in January, the two entrepreneurs will take some of their lessons to the Empire Builders program.

“I think they will get a lot out of other people’s experiences,” Castro said. “For me personally, learning and meeting and interacting with other (young) people will be awesome.”

Vic Kolenc / El Paso Times may be reached at vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; 546-6421.

Program details

• Empire Builders — Jovenes Empresarios Program is a new El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce program to cultivate the next generation of business operators and business executives.
• It’s open to people younger than 40 who own a business, are running a business or are key executives in a business.
• The nine-month program costs $400.
• To apply for the program, contact Rebeca Rodriguez at the Hispanic Chamber, 566-4066 or email rrodriguez@ephcc.org .

Scary movies showcase and induce a feeling of fear to the
audience – that’s the best part of the movie! All the fear stays on screen.
However, off-screen threats are real and dangerous, and let’s face it: you’re probably
not going to outsmart a bad guy in the nick of time.

Check your security system, as you would check the candy
your children bring home from Trick or Treating. Sure, it seems like a myth
that you’ll find danger in your children’s candy, but why take that chance?

With the economy getting tighter and more people taking desperate
measures to acquire valuables, why not make sure that your assets aren’t the
object of the criminal’s eyes?

Making entry into your home more difficult will decrease the
likelihood that your home will be a target. We will say this, however, if a
criminal is determined to break into your house, they will.

The security system is based on “breachable time”. (The
amount of time that it takes a professional burglar to make entry into your
home.) Your home security is as secure as the most vulnerable part of your
system.

Stay safe,

The Brothers Saucedo

Knowing your budget and what (whom) you are protecting is the first step in identifying the perfect solution.

Ask yourself these questions:

What and who am I trying to protect?

What am I protecting them from?

What system(s) do I currently have in place for their protection?

How did I acquire this system?

Is my current system out-of-date / obsolete?

How many people have access to my system?

Do I trust everyone that has access to my system?

What is the worth of my assets?

How much am I willing to spend to protect them?

After answering these questions, you should have an idea of what your appropriate protective measures should be. You can now present your plan to a reputable locksmith so that they, in turn, can present you viable options that fit your budget. Request the cheapest option to fulfill your needs and have the locksmith or security professional answer why certain upgrades might be important to you. Remember, they will want to sell you a golden castle. I mean, do you really need a bank grade vault door to your master bedroom? Think about what makes sense to your needs and make the
locksmith work around your budget, ultimately a great locksmith will only sell you what you need.

At the very least, ask yourself these questions and think about it. Understand your own protection better than anyone else. Give yourself peace of mind in this uncertain world.

-The Brothers Saucedo

Ask your friends if they have recently used a locksmith and what kind of work they got done. This will be your best source because you can ask your friend questions about their whole experience with the locksmith and they’ll give you an honest answer.

2. Findalocksmith.com

This search is powered by the Associated Locksmiths of America (ALOA). ALOA holds their members accountable to the industry standards and is a great benchmark to rate your local locksmith’s reputation among the entire nation.

3. Angie’s List

You’ve asked your friend, they’ve given you their honest recommendation and you’ve double checked that they are listed as registered locksmiths on findalocksmith.com. But are they consistent? Angie’s List (www.angieslist.com) will give you honest testimonials of other people who have encountered the locksmith in question.

4. Google Search

Type in your city + “locksmith” in the search and see what comes up! Which websites are listed first in the organic search under the advertisements? Do they look professional? Is their local contact information easy to find and on the homepage? Are the services that you need listed on their website? Is their state sanctioned license number clearly located on the homepage? Be wary of locksmiths with 800- numbers, they usually aren’t local and will most likely subcontract an unlicensed locksmith to do your work.

5. Cold Call Using the Yellowpages or Website Info

Not convinced by the various locksmith websites? Not a problem. Go “old school” and search the Yellowpages. Don’t get distracted by flashy, full-color page advertisements. Make sure they have a local phone number and their state sanctioned license number clearly located on their advertisement. Call them – they should be more than willing to answer ALL of your questions and/or concerns that you may have in finding the right locksmith service.

Keys for Kids: Cutting keys – Making smiles.

Don’t just get a home insurance policy and be done with it, invest in a gun safe and really be sure that your most precious of items will be kept safe from harm. Here are three reasons you should own a gun safe even if you don’t own a gun.

1 – They protect valuables against Fire:
Fire damage is a real pain. If your home goes up in flames you can lose everything and all of your stuff might not be covered by your insurance policy. If you have family heirlooms or old photo albums that you want to be absolutely sure are protected from fire damage you can stick them in a nice fireproof gun safe and never worry about them again. These safes are designed to protect firearms; they are possibly the best quality safes out there.

2 – They protect valuables against Water:
Yeah, I could go on and on listing the elements of nature that will damage your property but water, just like fire, is in a league of its own. If you live in a flood zone or if you happen to be unlucky enough to fall victim to massive flooding like those New Orleans residents during Katrina, a gun safe is the only thing you need to keep your most precious items safe from water damage. They are air tight and water tight.

3 – No thief will take what you own:
If you buy a large enough gun safe, no thief is going to be able to get into it or walk out the door with it. Store all of your jewelry and other valuables in there and never worry about them being stolen.

Article by Matt Proctor, buzzle.com