Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at Canoe

Featuring Eliana Alvarez, People Resources Coordinator, and Eric Lesner, Asset Data Specialist

At Canoe, we believe diversity is the cornerstone of our innovation and success. Our employees live and work in vibrant communities throughout the US and beyond, bringing a wealth of perspectives to our team. This month, we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the invaluable contributions of our Hispanic employees and the rich tapestry of their cultures. 

We had the opportunity to connect with two such employees, Eliana Alvarez, a People Resources Coordinator, and Eric Lesner, an Asset Data Specialist. We’re excited to share their perspectives on their career paths, their words of wisdom, and the profound impact their Hispanic heritage has had on their lives.

What sparked your interest in your career, and what aspects of the field are most fulfilling to you?

Eliana Alvarez: It started in my junior year of college. After holding various administrative internships as a student, I wanted to find a way to use my 5+ years of experience to fulfill my desire to help people. How could I combine what I’m good at with what I enjoy? After lots of research and pondering what’s next after graduating, it suddenly became clear to me: Human/People Resources! What I find most fulfilling is helping the employees get what they need to have a positive employee experience: answering their questions and implementing initiatives and processes that enhance their workday. 

Eric Lesner: I was drawn to Data Ops because of the overlap of two things I enjoy, data and breaking down complex problems. Given our position as a market leader, we often take on challenges no one has solved effectively in the past. I love taking a big problem and chopping it into manageable pieces and solving each piece, then putting it all back together and making sure it still makes sense.

What Canoe project has been the most fun or challenging for you since your start? 

Eliana Alvarez: Currently, the People team is working towards implementing new benefits and switching from our PEO, TriNet, over to ADP. I’m particularly proud of this journey because not only is this my first time being involved in a project of this magnitude, but my team has given me the opportunity to be involved from beginning to end and see the ins and outs of what goes into implementing benefits while always keeping in mind what’s in the best interest of our employees. It’s a great milestone to achieve!

Eric Lesner: I’ve really enjoyed working to get our team integrated with Snowflake. Before this, it was very difficult for us to understand work queues, team performance, and user activity. Now, we just run a couple reports and have everything we need. I also really enjoyed the internal rollout and teaching people about our data structure and how to write queries. 

What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received throughout your career journey?

Eliana Alvarez: Always ask questions and always be curious. The day you stop doing both is the day you limit yourself.

Eric Lesner: “Be quick, don’t hurry” (originally a John Wooden quote). I find this useful when responding to issues or challenges in the workplace. It’s important to make sure your stakeholders understand that you’re taking the matter seriously, but also give yourself enough time to develop an airtight solution.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re reflecting on the diverse values that enrich our team. Are there any specific values or traditions from your cultural background that guide your approach or perspective?

Eliana Alvarez: My family migrated from the Dominican Republic and having a community was vital in getting by. Being a first-generation American, I saw first-hand just how important it is to have community, to have a home away from home. In my role on the People Resources team, it’s important for me to make sure that Canoe employees feel included and that they belong at their place of work. Whether it’s highlighting heritage months or holding events to bring awareness to different cultures and histories, I know I’ve done my job right when Paddlers look forward to coming to work every day and interacting with each other.

Eric Lesner: Throughout most of my early life, I was frequently in situations where I’d need to translate English to Spanish, Spanish to English, or code switch between the two. I think this has helped me throughout my career when needing to “translate” information to different stakeholders. For example, I would explain a challenge differently to a sales person than I would to an engineer.

What’s one of your favorite memories or traditions from your culture? How does it impact your approach to work and life?

Eliana Alvarez: Every birthday and holiday is a big celebration—large gatherings and tons of food! This has shown me it’s important to take time to celebrate your achievements and milestones. I’m happy to see that Canoe actively works on celebrating our Paddlers and recognizing our hard work with awards and shoutouts. Canoe definitely embodies “work hard, play hard,” and it goes a long way in boosting employee morale.

Eric Lesner: One of my favorite memories is making tamales in my Tia’s kitchen. We would always be cooking for an army, and everyone was invited. As a kid, my task was peeling what felt like thousands of tomatillos. If you didn’t know better, you’d think a tornado hit that kitchen, but everything had a place, and we knew exactly what needed to be done. All of our families are dispersed now, but I always think about that while cooking.

FEATURING

• Eliana Alvarez, People Resources Coordinator at Canoe Intelligence
• Eric Lesner, Asset Data Specialist at Canoe Intelligence