What Moving to the US From Spain Taught Me About Work, Culture, Family

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eduardo Cosentino, executive vice president of Cosentino Group. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I’ve worked alongside my father basically since I was born. Some of my earliest memories are driving with him through the quarries that our family owned in Spain. Later, as my father and his brothers pivoted the family business from natural stone to manmade materials for countertops, I was in the factories alongside them.

I always knew I wanted to work for the family business, but I didn’t realize just how much it would shape my life, down to where I live and the language I speak.

My grandparents started Cosentino as a small manufacturing company in 1945. In the 1970s, when my father and his three brothers took over, the business had only 14 employees. My dad and uncles grew the company quickly, and today, we have more than 6,000 employees around the globe. That expansion has shaped my life.

I accepted that I would make mistakes learning English

About 15 years ago, my father asked me, “Are you ready for a challenge?” Cosentino had recently acquired another company in the US, and someone from the family needed to move to the US to oversee our expansion in North America.

I’m the middle child, and my brother and sister are both involved in the business. At the time, I was single and overseeing global sales, so it made sense for me to be the one to move.

My biggest concern was the language barrier. My English then was horrible. Today it’s still not that good, but at the time it was awful.

When I arrived in Houston, I started working with a tutor every morning at 6 a.m. She taught me grammar, but the biggest help in learning the language was just talking to people, including customers. I accepted that sometimes people wouldn’t be able to understand me. I wasn’t shy, and within a year, I could carry on a conversation in English.

Americans are direct in handling business, which saves time

I like the American way of running a business. People here are pragmatic and to the point. In Spain, people might dance around a problem, but Americans get right to it. I appreciate that because time is so valuable.

I also find that Americans are most likely to have a business mindset. Everyone is thinking about how the business can grow and scale, which is not always the case in Spain.

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Still, I’ve noticed that Americans have misconceptions about Spaniards. There’s an idea that people in Spain are relaxed and living their best lives. In truth, Spanish people are really hard workers and put in plenty of hours. Spaniards prioritize family time, and I think that’s important. The American emphasis on business and the Spanish emphasis on family are a perfect mix.

I’m always thinking about the family legacy

When you’re running a family business, you’re always thinking about the long term. We want to be profitable, of course, but we’re also thinking about what Cosentino will be 20 years from now, for the next generation.

My dad is 74, but he’s still the chairman of Cosentino. Until recently, he was CEO, but my sister stepped into that role earlier this year. While my siblings and I have been involved in the business for our whole lives, my parents always held us to the same expectations they had of other workers.

I’m getting married this fall, so I’m also thinking about the future. My soon-to-be wife is Spanish too; we met through friends in Madrid. We typically spend three weeks each month in Miami, where Cosentino Americas is now headquartered, and one week in Madrid.

When we eventually have kids, we’ll have to decide where we have our home base. My future children can decide whether they want to be the fourth generation in the family business or not. It’s just important that they’re happy.