As St. Pete’s largest private employer, it’s no surprise that when Power Design goes big, it goes BIG big. In honor of Veterans Day and the 150+ members of their team who are U.S. veterans, Power Design, Inc. surprised one vet this week with a special surprise – a brand new 2023 Land Rover Defender SUV.
The Power Design leadership team came up with the “Truckload of Gratitude Giveaway” as a way to express how great their appreciation is for those who have served, and of course, the “Defender” was the perfect vehicle of choice. Secretly, they put the names of all veterans who have been with the company for at least two years into a large hard hat, and Power Design Chairman and CEO Mitch Permuy drew the name of one lucky winner.
On Wednesday, Army Veteran and Power Design Chief Estimator Jose Morejon was asked to join Permuy for a meeting. Expecting shop talk, Morejon instead was handed the keys to his new Land Rover and thanked for his service in the U.S. Army.
“Being that I’m an immigrant to this country and serving this country like it was my home country, it was an absolute pleasure to serve,” Morejon said. “My experience in the Army taught me to be an independent, ethical worker. It was instilled in us to do the right thing even when nobody was looking. Even the way that I address others (ma’am and sir) is due to the military’s training. I bring that approach to Power Design. With the Army and Power Design, I’ve been allowed the space to figure things out on my own and make my own mark.”
Morejon, who just celebrated his 12th year with Power Design, served in the United States Army as a Personnel Administration Specialist. From 1982 through 1988, he was responsible for supervising more than 2,000 individuals at Fort Carson in Colorado.
In addition to the Truckload of Gratitude Giveaway, Power Design is also donating all funds collected through their Project V5 initiative during the month of November to the Wounded Warrior Project, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and the Patriot Fund. Project V5 takes the funds collected from recycling extra scrap metal located on Power Design job sites and invests them in charities nominated by Power Design team members across the country – an initiative that invests more than $1 million every year.
“We are extremely proud of our Power Design family Veterans who sacrificed so much to defend our country and protect our freedom,” Permuy said. “We are honored they are a part of our company, and we are thrilled to be able to give this Defender to one of our defenders.”
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