Herbie Diaz Receives Con Edison's Highest Honor

Herbie Diaz of Port Chester has received Con Edison's "Living Our Values" award, the company's highest honor. The recognition is presented annually to company employees who exemplify the values of service, teamwork and excellence, and who demonstrate an overall concern for the quality of life in their communities.

The Con Edison operating supervisor is beloved by all, whether it's the Bronx Electric Construction crew putting up utility poles that works for him, his bosses, or his neighbors or fellow parishioners at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Port Chester.

And that's not to mention legions in Guatemala who remain grateful to him for all the charitable work he's done between here and there. He assisted in the response to Hurricane Stan in 2005, and has continued to help individuals with medical or emergency needs, and given his time for many who have traversed the border and find themselves in distress. Whether organizing toy drives, care packages, aid drives, literacy workshops, nutrition programs, or otherwise helping those in need, Herbie's done it.Quite simply, Herbie Diaz has never forgotten where he came from, and he has always continued to do things for others because of it.

Diaz was befriended within ten days of coming across the Texas border after traveling from Guatemala 25 years ago, a trip he made with only the clothes on his back. Initially, he did migrant farm work, and managed to parlay that experience into other opportunities in both the Lone Star state and California, always with the objective of finding a better path forward and remembering those at home.He met his future wife Ivonne two weeks before he left Guatemala. She wanted him to stay, but he was committed to finding his future in the States. Later, when circumstances brought her to Port Chester, he moved east to join her. He worked in the Rye Town Hilton and as a flagger with traffic crews before getting a foothold as a general utility worker at Con Edison fourteen years ago.  He subsequently became a chief line constructor on high voltage equipment before ascending to his current position.

"Herbie is a leader among his peers, very knowledgeable about the job, very caring about the people that work for him," said Patrick Reilly, a section manager for the company's Bronx and Westchester Electric Construction unit. "No matter who we put with Herbie, he works hard with them, he cares about their safety, and cares about the quality of the work that they do. He does a great job of developing them.

"Today, he and Ivonne have two sons, Bryan, 24, and Alonzo, 15. Both of them are active with their parents, and the Rev. Hilario Albert at St. Peter's Episcopal, in the hemisphere-spanning and local charitable endeavors Herbie's involved in spearheading.Like their parents, both of the boys realize how lucky they are.

was this information helpful?