General foreman recruits entire crew from the Samoan Islands
Born and raised in Western Samoa, Nepukanesa Iele came to the United States for a better future. Iele, better known as "T" on the job site, was looking for more opportunities—both economic and professional.
We only have 230,000 people on the whole island of Samoa," said Iele. "The best opportunity we had was to join the military."
About eight years ago, Iele was dropping off his brother-in-law at an IEA job site in Texas. He decided to stop in the office and fill out an application; little did he know he’d be hired on-the-spot.
That’s how this Samoan crew began.
As the business grew, IEA needed more workers. Luckily, Iele had connections in Samoa—people who were excited about the work. Little by little, Iele recruited people from the island. Now, he leads a full Samoan crew. They travel to each site together to maintain their work-family at every job.
“We’re coming over here for a better future,” he said. “To be able to help people from home economically, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
It’s clear Iele is a proven leader in this group. His colleagues look up to and respect him, making their crew dynamic and effective.
“T pretty much runs everything with the Samoan crew,” said Project Manager Roderick Cossman. "He continues to keep bringing people from the Samoan islands. Everyone that’s here in the States is working for IEA.”
The Samoan community's recruitment efforts are undeniably impressive. But their reputation when it comes to work is even more so. In fact, superintendents will specifically request this crew for their efficiency and precision on the job.
“The crew did such an outstanding job,” said Cossman. “They had no accidents, no incidents, they didn’t complain. They just came out and did their job, getting faster and faster along the way.”
IEA is fortunate to have such a hardworking crew. And at every turn, Iele is quick to show his appreciation for the opportunity.
"Growing up on a little island, I never thought I’d end up here,” said Iele. “IEA has given us every opportunity to provide for our families. They’ve been taking care of us. There’s a place for everybody with opportunity at IEA.”
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