My name is Fernando Mateo Jr. I grew up in New York, New York. I have been an entrepreneur from an early age. When I was in high school, my father and I created a program that sought to reduce illegal gun ownership in New York. My program encouraged owners of illegal guns to exchange them for gift vouchers to purchase toys for children. The program was a success and gained worldwide media attention. I was invited to speak at a Congressional subcommittee on gun control and John Jay College of Criminal Justice offered me a scholarship.

Ultimately, I chose to attend the University at Albany SUNY. I played college football and graduated with a degree in Communications and a minor in Psychology.

After earning my degree, I pursued an entrepreneurial path, and joined my family-owned construction business. I started at the entry level and learned to manage operations effectively. The business focused on sidewalk restoration contracts and expanded to utility installation and then traffic control or “flagging”. Over several years, I worked my way up to a leadership position, managing over 150 employees. I oversaw all aspects of business operations including administrative tasks, job procurement, payroll, billing, union relations, job coordination and dump truck operations.

While it seemed like we had great momentum, a change in the utility contract negatively impacted the company. We lost our contracts and were unable to continue operating the company. While this was a setback, I stayed positive and kept my entrepreneurial spirit. Using my communications and media skills, I launched a content production company, helping clients with video and photo creation and editing.

While this was a great interim step, I needed a stable way to support myself and family. I found a great opportunity to pivot into a whole new industry and joined the City of New York as a diesel mechanic in the Department of Sanitation. I started in the parts department conducting audits and managing inventory. During winter labor shortages, I was selected to join the city snow melter crew. My efforts repairing and maintaining snow equipment were recognized and I was promoted to an Auditor for snow equipment upgrades, a role typically reserved for experienced mechanics with more years of experience. Most recently, I’ve been promoted into my current role, a senior position as a hydraulic mechanic. This role is reserved for the few that have the utmost understanding of how to maintain and repair the city’s specialized mechanical brooms. I have helped my team achieve a top ranking amongst the city’s infrastructure department, with the lowest downtime.