Employee engagement strategies in grocery retail with Enid Barillas

00:06 – Audrey Hogan:
Would you introduce yourself briefly? Name, title?

00:09 – Enid Barillas:
Sure! I’m Enid Barillas. I go by Enid here. I’m a second-generation grocer. My parents started before I was born with one store. I saw all the sacrifice they went through, especially over the holidays.

00:26 – Enid Barillas:
So I decided to go into engineering, then moved to Chicago. I worked in engineering, construction, telecom. Then, 20 years ago, my parents knocked on my door. I made the transition, moved back to Puerto Rico, and we expanded. That’s where we are today.

00:46 – Audrey Hogan:
I didn’t know all of that. Your engineering background makes me understand you more. Your perspective has always been different.

00:56 – Enid Barillas:
Yes. I didn’t know it at the time, but it really prepared me for this.

01:01 – Audrey Hogan:
What was your first job?

01:04 – Enid Barillas:
Pipeline construction at Amoco, now BP. I was on the pipeline division, starting projects in Texas and Oklahoma. I was the smallest person on the team — just flown into Texas City the day after I started. Great experience.

01:53 – Audrey Hogan:
You’ve had quite a career journey. What advice would you give someone trying to grow in their own career?

02:09 – Enid Barillas:
Live in the moment. I used to say “I’ll never live here,” but I’ve learned to embrace each stage. In Chicago, I launched a safety newsletter. In telecom, I was the only mechanical engineer among programmers. I worked hard to understand enough to lead. It paid off — I was offered a role as technical manager for Central America while eight months pregnant.

04:31 – Enid Barillas:
I addressed it head-on in the interview. They gave me time and trusted me. That role became a turning point in my career. It showed me that leading people and making a difference matters — no matter the industry.

05:51 – Audrey Hogan:
You and I are both in WGA. Have you volunteered?

06:02 – Enid Barillas:
Yes! I did last year. This year I couldn’t — I’m leaving early tomorrow. I always try to visit booths and support.

06:24 – Enid Barillas:
WGA is a great mix. Sometimes it’s technical, sometimes it’s HR or best practices. There’s so much you can apply.

07:11 – Audrey Hogan:
I’ve found it incredibly valuable — just having open, honest conversations with other women.

07:25 – Enid Barillas:
Yes. And balancing everything as women in the industry adds pressure. But when we share those experiences, it helps.

07:55 – Enid Barillas:
This year I helped select the Woman of the Year. Reviewing the resumes was humbling. There are so many incredible women out there. It was hard to pick just one!

08:57 – Audrey Hogan:
What’s happening in your business right now? Challenges? Exciting new things?

09:05 – Enid Barillas:
Competition has changed. When I started, we were the only store in three towns. Now we have five competitors nearby. Also, the aging population in Puerto Rico is shifting our service needs. And eCommerce is costly but necessary — we’ve launched it in one store so far.

10:42 – Enid Barillas:
It’s challenging but opens room for innovation. A few years ago, we launched a loyalty program. Now we have 50,000 members in small towns. That data gives us real opportunity — we’re now partnering with tech vendors to use it smarter.

11:43 – Enid Barillas:
We also started the Healthy Path Market — a wellness program with curated products and a retail dietitian. It’s been seven years, and now even suppliers visit our stores to scout what’s trending.

13:15 – Enid Barillas:
Our dietitian selects items, negotiates pricing, and works on promos. She even consults with brands — some have reformulated products based on our feedback.

13:45 – Enid Barillas:
This year, we ran our fifth Healthy You challenge — ending with a 5K! We had weekly weigh-ins and people reducing medication, losing weight, improving their lives.

14:54 – Audrey Hogan:
That must be amazing for employee engagement.

15:08 – Enid Barillas:
It is. Even longtime employees get involved. It comes up in recruiting now. We also added internal audits with iAuditor to improve safety. Our stores have earned top-quality recognitions in our co-op for the last three years.

17:24 – Enid Barillas:
I loved engineering, but I’m not surprised that I love this too. With COVID, it became clear: we’re essential. We need to take care of our people and communities.

18:13 – Audrey Hogan:
We’ve failed to communicate that grocery is a great career. It’s not a last resort.

18:40 – Enid Barillas:
Totally agree. When I started recruiting at my university, they didn’t take us seriously. Now, I run internship programs for food science, HR, accounting, nutrition. It took time and persistence, but it worked.

21:17 – Audrey Hogan:
You’ve built something students want to be a part of.

21:41 – Enid Barillas:
Yes — and now our central office is involved too. I also pushed to certify retail dietitians in Puerto Rico. If it’s not exciting, make it exciting.

23:17 – Enid Barillas:
We recently did an employee engagement survey. It helped us develop our annual theme. We even made T-shirts to go with it — small gesture, big message.

24:50 – Enid Barillas:
It’s about small, consistent steps. Do one thing once a month. Then build on it. Over time, it becomes part of your culture.

25:34 – Audrey Hogan:
Thank you so much for your time.

25:35 – Enid Barillas:
Thanks for having me. Great show.