Healthcare Facilities Network

HFN Special: The Ruben Garcia Taco Cook-off

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Ruben Garcia’s impact on the healthcare facilities community was felt far and wide, and his legacy continues to inspire those who knew him. In this special episode of Healthcare Facilities Network, we’re joined by Jesse Flores and Josh Brackett to discuss an upcoming event honoring the life and legacy of Ruben Garcia.

On Sunday, March 8, 2026, colleagues, friends, and industry partners will gather in Houston, Texas for the Ruben Garcia Taco Cook-Off, a day dedicated to celebrating Ruben’s life while supporting his family and the mission being established in his name.

What: Ruben Garcia Taco Cook-Off
When: Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Where: 1006 W 34th Street, Houston, Texas 77018
Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/haahe/2027169

All proceeds will support Ruben’s family and help fund the work of a new 501(c)(3) foundation being formed in his name. The foundation will provide scholarships and promote mental health awareness within the healthcare facilities community.

If you are attending the PDC or will be in the Houston area, we encourage you to join in honoring Ruben’s legacy. Listen to this special episode to learn more about the event and how you can support the cause.

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Today's Guests:
👥 Connect with Jesse Flores: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-flores-a58160a1/
👥 Connect with Josh Brackett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-brackett/

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Tickets, URL, And Family Access

SPEAKER_02

Um so everything's on on our website. We've got a we actually have a website for this. It's the website, Josh. Do you know what I've yeah? Actually, if you type in um tinyurl.com backslash taco dash cook off, uh, it'll take you straight to it. So we made it nice and easy. It's a very complicated URL for the actual one. So I was like, let's make an easy one that everybody can get to. Uh and that'll take you straight to the website. It has um all the different uh sponsorships, ticket information, tent registration. We do we do have uh opportunity for kids. Somebody just reached out uh about I want my kids to come. Can we do that? So uh we've got general admission for$25. It's 13 and up. Uh kids' tickets are five five years old to 12 years old. Uh it's um$11.50 uh for that. Uh kids under four are free.

Why Ruben’s Legacy Matters

SPEAKER_01

There's a major crisis facing healthcare facilities management. We have aging employees, aging buildings, and aging infrastructure. We've created the healthcare facilities network, a content network designed specifically to help solve for these three pressing issues in healthcare facilities management. We bring on thought leaders and experts from across healthcare facilities management, all the way from the C suite to the technician level, because at the end of the day, we're all invested in solving the aging issue. Thanks for tuning in. Look at our videos, you will find that is a theme across our content. This is the Healthcare Facilities Network. I'm your host, Peter Martin. We are going to be talking to my guests who will introduce themselves in in just a minute or so about some of the efforts that are underway across healthcare facilities management to help support Ruben Garcia's family in the wake of his death in December. Um, the PDC conference to be held in Houston, which I will ask the gentleman to talk about, are doing a Ruben Garcia taco cook-off, which we're going to talk about. But before we get into that, I'm going to ask my guests if they could please introduce themselves. Jesse, why don't we start with you?

SPEAKER_00

I'm Jesse Flores. I'm the chief operating officer for Agnearchal Harbor.

SPEAKER_02

Hey, I'm Josh Brackett. Um the System Regulatory Director for Banner Health, and I'm the co-founder of Legacy FM.

Meet Jesse And Josh

The Why: From Brain Health To Impact

SPEAKER_01

Excellent. Thank you, gentlemen, for uh for joining. You may recognize Jesse. Um, he was on just a couple of weeks ago with the special we did with uh uh Ruben's son Nate with Jackie, with TJ, with Jesse, longtime friend and business partner, but more importantly, friend of Rubens. Josh, you may recognize from LinkedIn and his presence. I got one of your LinkedIn posts this morning, Josh. So it's good to see you in person. Um, you know, one of the things we're we're recording this special episode just to kind of promote some of the um opportunities to assist Rubin's wife and his four children who are left behind. But one of the things I, you know, we all consume content, we all consume media, whether it's podcasts, TV shows, whatever you watch, we all kind of watch our different things. But one of the questions I ask frequently is when I'm listening or watching, is kind of what's the why, right? What's the why behind it? It's a great question to ask no matter what you're doing, whether you're watching content or you're working with as a consultant or in your jobs, which you guys do every day. And I would just tell you, you know, the reason I asked Josh and Jesse to come on, who've been um very instrumental in creating some of these opportunities to raise funds. And I'm sure you have a team behind you as well, um, is you know, Ruben was on the podcast in July, but what resonated with me with Ruben, and it's what's the why? And I've said this before on the show, um, not to belabor the point. My brother died from suicide in 2000, February 2000. And uh Ruben's message and your message, Jesse, I don't want to, of mental health, and I think he called it brain health. When we were getting off, we recorded in August at the Ashley Innovation Conference, and he was trying, you know, we were talking about maybe even changing the name mental health to brain health. Now, obviously, Ruben did not die from mental illness, but that cause of Ruben's and of yours resonates with me. And if we can, if we can honor that in his passing, and if we can do that in some small way through Josh and Jesse talking about it through his family, that's important. I can tell you that I know people and guys, I'm sure you do too, who have reached out to me and said, Hey, Ruben would contact me. Ruben would call me out of nowhere and say, Hey, how are you doing? And if we can leave that type of an impact, we've done something. And and for those reasons, um, forget the life safety stuff, the life safety guy. Jesse, you talked about that very eloquently um on our, you know, when when we revisited some of those issues. Let's look at that legacy. And that's why that's my what's the why in helping to promote this. Let's continue on what he started, and we can all do so. And with that, I'm gonna ask a first question to Jesse. I mentioned the taco cook-off at the PDC conference in Houston, which you guys will talk about. Jesse, was Ruben a fan of tacos? Did he like to eat tacos?

Was Ruben A Taco Guy

How The Taco Cook-Off Was Born

SPEAKER_00

He was a connoisseur of tacos. So but so that was actually that was a big argument between both of us. So if you don't know, there's authentic Mexican and there's Tex-Mex. Okay. I'm more on the authentic side, he was more on the Tex-Mex side. So we would always share uh different uh restaurants or or and um I would always like, hey dude, this is this is not right. And he'll come back and like, oh, that's too too spicy or whatever. And so that's how you know we always had those things. So every time we went out of town, he loved tacos and steak, right? So we always find yeah, we had to find a taco spot and we had to find a steak spot. Like it was that like a thing. And um, so whenever the first cook-off started, um, he had been trying to get how he and Tavham to collaborate on on a symposium forever because you know, we're kind of competitors in a way, but we're not, you know, we're local, they're state, you know. Um, and he finally got the conference and he calls me and says, Hey man, you're not gonna believe this. You know, I got the conference. Like Tafum approved, the board has voted, I'm gonna get it. And I'm so excited for him because I know how hard he worked to collaborate, right? And um he says, I need a favorite from you, and I'm like, Well, what's going on? He goes, I need you to throw the biggest party you ever thrown in your life. He goes, I don't want to know about it, I don't want to tell the board. He goes, 'Cause I don't anybody tell us what we can can't do. That's it. Game. So I did, I left them completely blunt. And, you know, me and a partner of mine, Hugo Bautista, he works for cotton, and we're sitting there, and uh, we're we're starting to think about it. And uh, what can we do, right? What can we do? What can we do? Because we're known for for events, we we like to throw nice events, uh, acne and cotton, that is. And um he just sent me a random text of this crunchy taco, it drove me nuts. Like it drove me nuts, taco, and uh, so we said, you know what, we're gonna sell this, we're gonna do a taco cook-off. That's how it started. And um, we started calling friends and vendors, and you know, we don't know what this is gonna be, you know, but show up, right? And while we were setting up, it was about a six-month process for the first cook-off. And while we were doing it, you know, I just started picking on my we had a uh uh email query and I started picking on them how what I was gonna do to my tent. Well, it became a thing, like people were competitive, you know, and they were trying to compete with me. I didn't know, right? So I'm sending them, we're doing upgrades on our cooking rig, we got a really nice cooking rig. And when we showed up to set up that day, I was like, wow, you know, I was like, wow, like I thought I was gonna have the nicest setup, and man, was I wrong. One guy blew in a chef from California to compete. Like it was this is it was two years ago, uh last year for second annual. Um and so uh it just kind of blew up. We had 12 competitors the first year, and it was like like circus ticks would come into town. Like it was literally like there were they went and uh rented all these nice elaborate tents and and uh went and hired local taco people to come cook in this, and some competed themselves, and it it was a thing. And we went and I had a buddy of mine that that that does really, really nice DJs, and uh we're gonna have it on this one, by the way. Josh he confirmed, and um I didn't nobody know we it just came together, right? And we show up, and the DJ shows up with the big backdrops, this visuals, and the or taco cook-off logo everywhere. We got TVs everywhere, all these things, right? So I'm excited. Ruben's inside the symposium, we're cooking, and uh the symposium uh ends, and he comes out, he was the first one out, he goes, Dude, what did you do? We had a live band, we had all these things going on, and then we're all you know trying to warm everybody, come in, get them hype. And he goes, Like you're crazy, you like so it became a thing, and it was our thing, and we loved every minute of it. Uh, last year it went from top 12 competitors. I think we had like 330 attendees the first one. Wow, 350, 330. Last year was 27 competitors, and we had 688 attendees, and these are all hospital openers. And uh what was cool about last year is somehow we really don't know how it happened, but the county found out about it, and uh they gave us a uh recognition for having the event and what meant to the city. And uh I can't think of a proper name for it, but uh uh and they showed up and announced it, and we had everybody in there, and next thing you know, we're all taking shots of gear.

SPEAKER_01

So so Josh, I don't know if your mind went here, given what you do. Um, my when you said the city gave you recognition. No, I'm outside of Boston where everything is highly regulated. Health, I thought you were gonna say they came in and shut us down, or they came because we had we had cooking everywhere, we didn't have a permit, so that's good. I'm not they gave you recognition as opposed to showed over like, uh oh, okay.

SPEAKER_00

Like, uh oh. And uh next thing you know, they started grabbing tacos and they they hung out with us and we're like, all right, cool. We had the fire chief there. Uh it was a fun time. It was a fun time. Food always works.

Rival Tents, DJs, And Growth

SPEAKER_01

Uh always works. Josh, I'm gonna ask you if you can just to kind of describe the event at the PDC, but before that, Jesse, two questions to you. Um, number one, is the difference between the Mexican and the Texas tacos? Is it spice? And number two, did you ever win or did Ruben ever win?

SPEAKER_00

So Ruben never competed. So let me start okay. He just ate. Yeah, he just ate. He was a judge. Uh there is a huge difference. Huge difference. Uh Tex Mex is probably more prominent, like uh, it's prominent more into the upper states. That's kind of what you have everywhere else. I think you have to get closer to the border. Okay. And uh the the spice is just completely different. It it it it's it's hard to explain, but we don't have crunchy tacos. So it's text next. If it's flour, it's text next.

SPEAKER_01

So that's why he sent you the uh that's why he sent your picture of him eating a crunchy tacos.

SPEAKER_00

The award for the the the best tacos was a little crunchy taco with a little sombrero, and it it was pretty neat. That's where we got it from.

SPEAKER_01

Very creative. So, Josh, to you please. Yeah, can you tell us a bit about the event, the when, the where, the what, the how?

Authentic Vs Tex‑Mex Tacos

After Ruben: Rallying The Community

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, absolutely. So, like I think it's important, like, talk a little bit about um like how we got here. I mean, clearly, you know, Ruben passed uh late December, and the next week, I mean, like actually that day, Jesse and I were were talking. Uh, and the next week I was like, hey, how can I help? What what do you need? Like, and both of us are just, I mean, just like everybody, we're heartbroken, right? Just trying to process. Um, and I knew I knew Jesse had a lot on his plate because Ruben, Ruben was a connector of people, right? So, and and Ruben was the guy that was out there coming up with like a lot of these harebrained ideas and talking to people, and and then Jesse's executing. He's like, I mean, just like he said, he's like, throw the biggest party, and he's like, done, right? Makes it happen. Um, and he's like, I he's like, we start talking about all these things that were going on, the Haji uh symposium that's coming up, um CAFM, PDC, the taco cook-off. And Jesse's like, I don't I don't think we're gonna be able to do taco cook-off. And we pull together a group of people. Um, I think there were 20 something on that first call, right, Jesse? Something like that. Yeah, it was a lot. And this is about a week, week after, right? Just like there are there's all these things that that Ruben had going on, and we have to block and tackle, right? We've we've got to keep some of these things going. What what was some of the most important things? And and what are some things that like he was really passionate about? How do we divide and conquer, right? Um, and the we I was like, no, Jesse, we're we're doing the taco cook-off, it's happening. And we were talking about like when, uh, and rodeo's coming up in Houston, and he's like, hi, we gotta avoid rodeo. And then, but then I was like, Well, PVC's gonna be there, and he's like, Whoa, hold on. He's like, So we we could, could we do that? Can we do that? And we're just chatting about it. Um, and there were a couple of people from that call that volunteered. It was me and Jesse, uh, Taylor Bene with Hex Modal, uh, Lindsay Brackett, my wife, co-founder of Legacy FM, and then Michelle Vargas with with Common Spirit. And she's like, she's like, I'll I'll take care of this. Uh Taylor pick something, Lindsay pick something. And then Jesse and I've just been chatting every day. And we've had we have uh two times a week we're meeting about this. So uh and then we've had other volunteers step up, we've had over 20 people like volunteer for the event. Uh so like a lot of lot of support just pouring in um for this this thing. So uh and when we set our mind to it, we're like, we're we're gonna do this, and um connected, figured out the day. So the day is Sunday, March 8th, starting at 11 a.m. and it goes until 10 p.m. It's a come and go, right? So we intentionally structured it on March 8th because that is when uh Ashi PDC starts. So it's before all of the big events start happening. Uh that there are there are some classes that day for Ash E PDC, but the people that are going to go to those classes are gonna go to those classes anyway. So we structured it where fly in a day early, fly in early, right? Because we did it at 11. A lot of people can get to Houston on an early morning flight, right? So with limited expense to them or their employer, come join us, have tacos, celebrate a one of the best human beings that's ever walked this planet. Um, enjoy, enjoy all these different tacos. I've told Jesse, I said, uh, because he's like, he's like, I don't know how many people tents we're gonna have, and I don't know, I was like, we're gonna we are gonna blow this out of the water. And I really truly believe we are going to have 1200 people. I'm not kidding. Like, so coming, come in and tasting these tacos. I think there's gonna be 50 plus different tacos to taste. Um, yeah. I mean it's a lot of tacos. It's a lot of tacos. We are planning each tent is gonna produce uh enough tacos for each variety of the tacos that they bring for 150 to 200 people. So it is gonna be absolutely insane amount of tacos.

SPEAKER_01

And how many tents, Josh, did you say there were?

SPEAKER_02

I I say there's I don't know. I mean you're just Jesse says Jesse's like 1015. I'm like 2530.

SPEAKER_01

If you like this video, please like and subscribe to the network. And more importantly, share it with your colleagues in the healthcare industry. Together, we can solve the aging crisis that's impacting all of us. Where's the location?

PDC Date, Scale, And Attendance Goals

Venue, Purpose, And Funds Flow

SPEAKER_02

It is near the conference. So um, and this we were back and forth. There's a couple of like really nice venues right by right by the conference center. Um, and the purpose of this is to raise funds, right? We're so I think that's important to talk about real quickly. So like we we are doing two things. Like we are going to we are going to take the funds and we're going to reimburse Lisa for the expenses that she's incurred to to bury Ruben, right? That's very important to us. Um, making sure Ruben took care of his family, uh, and he was the breadwinner. And we've talked to Lisa every week. We just had a call with her this week, like making sure she's okay and she's supported and the kids are okay and supported. Um, so that's incredibly important. Uh, because the role when you talk to her, it's the life safety guy, the mental health awareness, like all of that. She's like, she's like, he also, like, yes, that's what you everybody else knows him as. But he's dad and he's husband, and and he was our everything, right? And that's important to remember. Um, the rest of the funds, which which is gonna be the significant amount, is going into a 501c3. We uh have formed uh currently in process, so by the time hopefully uh the taco cookup happens, it'll be fully formed. But um, the Ruben Garcia Legacy Foundation. Um and the reason like and that came from from Lisa, she came up with with the name. Uh she's actually on the board of directors um for for this nonprofit. Um but since since Ruben's passing, I think both Jesse and I have gotten tons, Jesse's gotten way more calls than I have. Um, but calls about Ruben paid for my CHFM out of his own pocket. Ruben paid for me to go to this conference, Ruben paid for me to better myself. And that's something to remember. That's something that's something to continue.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So um location. That's where you that's where you were asking. Uh that's okay.

SPEAKER_01

That's it's all important, Josh.

SPEAKER_02

Um, it is at it's actually at AU. So Acme's Acme's hosting it.

Why Host At Acme’s Warehouse

SPEAKER_00

Yes, so we we did visit different venues. Uh uh I actually I she reached out and requested it to get it closer. And we did. We did we did uh uh look at different venues. One uh was cost, you know, we didn't we didn't because this is all benefit, so we had there was a uh a problem there, and then other requirements for us serving food with their facility that you know kind of gets a little tricky there because they serve food, we're serving food. So they require a lot different things. Uh and then acne our uh our older warehouse, I don't say it's older, it's a nice building, but we we we just recently moved and um that warehouse we're vacating, it's it's about 15 minutes from the video. Yeah, 13 minutes. Yeah, so from there, and that was like the closest thing we can get to. We were looking for somebody to offer something close. We tried, we called. It downtown, if you don't know about Houston, very, very slim pickings. Like it's it's all skyrosses, you know. So to host 1200 people in a in an event like that, it's it's it's not easy. So uh at the end of the day, we made a decision because at the ACV we can uh we can do what we need to do to get those people in and out, you know, and nobody's gonna you know give us a fight back card, you know. So that's really what ultimately what came down is to be able to uh handle that amount of people. And that's the reasoning for it for the long time is that way we don't have all 1200 come in at once. You know, you have all shape to to to attend, right? So if you're coming in early, come in early. If you're coming in late, come in late. Uh if you want to go attend Ashley, go please go attend Ashley and we'll be there, you know.

SPEAKER_01

So are you doing a uh I'm sorry, Josh, I have to are you doing a 10?

Competitions, Awards, And Past Wins

Special Edition And Sponsors

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yeah. So so I didn't answer your last question earlier. I'm sorry. Uh so that's okay. Uh first one we took second place chicken by the hair of our chinny chin chin. So the difference of two points. And uh the second one Competition was so stringent uh that we didn't take any any placements. Uh, but we did take the best tent and we took the best cocktail. Between so we a little bit to be honest with you, me and Cotton kind of joined forces and we built this one massive tent. And we just kind of had a good time. So between me and Cotton, uh, we took best tent and best cocktail. And uh what was the cocktail? So we had a uh I believe it was a paloma uh that was served, and uh it's a it's a cordial Mexican drink, and uh uh that's what won it. Um and uh so yeah, so that that was to answer your question. And acme and con will both have tits there. Um uh I wanted to clarify something. This is not a regular taco cook-off, this is a special edition taco cook-off. We will be hosting our regular one in October. That's kind of also what made it difficult because we have uh our regular sponsors for that. So we we we it's it's hard to ask them to do it twice. So some did, some fapped up and said, Hey, I well, I mean you asked the negative scam and said, Hey, we want to be a part of it, because they do have big ruralism. And um uh so some of them are uh I think about half them actually are are uh authentic uh taco coconut sponsors and and competitors. It the other ones are people stepping up and saying, Hey, I want to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_01

Nice Josh. I jumped in front of you. I think you're gonna say something there.

SPEAKER_02

Uh I was just gonna provide the address of where it's so they can like note it. So it's at 1006 West 34th Street in Houston.

SPEAKER_01

1006 West 34th Street in Houston. And we'll we'll we'll overlay. You can see it here. The taco cook-off.

SPEAKER_00

It's known as the Heights area. So you have downtown, you have the Heights, and then you have everything else around it. Yeah, we'll lose kind of in a piece together, but we're literally next to dump down. Perfect.

Event Address And Neighborhood

SPEAKER_01

So we've got the taco cook-off coming up March 8th. Any other ways people can help support or any other efforts that are underway, gentlemen?

Ways To Help: Tickets And Sponsors

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we got a lot. We got a lot going on. Um, so even just for the taco, for the taco cook-off, there's a lot of ways that people can contribute. So we've got just a general admission ticket. Um, so everything's on our website. We've got a we actually have a website for this. Uh it's the website, Josh. Do you know what I've yeah? Actually, if you type in um tinyurl.com backslash taco dash cook off, uh, it'll take you straight to it. So we made it nice and easy. It's a very complicated URL for the actual one. So I was like, let's make an easy one that everybody can get to. Um that'll take you straight to the website. It has um all the different uh sponsorships, ticket information, tent registration. We do we do have uh opportunity for kids. Somebody just reached out uh about I want my kids to come. Can we do that? So uh we've got general admission for$25. That's 13 and up. Uh kids tickets are five five years old to 12 years old. Uh it's um$11.50 uh for that. Uh kids under four are free, so you can bring them. But then we have our VIP admission, which is pretty cool. Like Justy's pulled all the strings on this and got uh his teams working on on all kinds of stuff. But uh we have premium uh porta potties for VIP. We have people that will be bringing bringing you your tacos, you get to skip to the front of the line pass. Wait, get get a premium porta potty, premium, premium porta potties. Yeah, anything I'm telling you that that right there is worth it.

SPEAKER_01

Like, yeah, yes, I agree. I I've never heard of that before, but like if they were to do that at tailgates, who wouldn't go for a premium porta potty?

VIP Perks And Tribute Swag

SPEAKER_00

Yep. And so they'll have the regular uh peasant porta potty, and you have the luxury porta party, like you tell me where you want to go.

SPEAKER_02

That's awesome. Yeah, so with that though, comes what if you get a VIP pass, uh you also get uh swag. So um, and we can pro we can we can provide what the what some mock-ups of what the swag looks like, but uh we've got some hats that we're making that say um uh it's not how's your mental health? What what did we put on it, Jesse?

SPEAKER_00

Living in the moment.

SPEAKER_02

Living in the moment.

SPEAKER_00

Living because that was something else that Ruby used to say. Yeah, every time, uh every time we presented, every time uh we did an event, uh, he would just get so excited and he always we're live, we're living in the moment. Like he he it was his thing.

SPEAKER_02

We got koozies that actually will say um life safety guy, like it's him as kind of with that superman stuff, life safety guy, and then um and then how's your mental health? Uh so both of those. Um, we got shirts that Jesse's uh made. So because Ruben and Jesse also had another company called Execution Uh Clothing. So Execution Apparel. Uh, so we're we're we're running that through execution apparel. When did you sleep?

Execution Apparel And Coins

SPEAKER_00

You know, uh I I forty to say I actually get a little bit more sleep now that he he passed. I don't get those two in the morning calls that hey, wake up, we need to go through this and we can do that. You know, uh, but it it uh we we actually never fully launched it. We had uh product uh uh he passed before we were able to launch it. Uh so uh that that that's a pretty neat uh uh shirt. It says execution in a really nice format, and it says uh execution is a lifestyle because we want to still each other we have to execute, right? Um we saw a video of the Navy SEALs that said we execute, execute, execute, and we're stuck with this, and that was our little thing. And uh, so that's how execution apparel came out.

SPEAKER_02

We're also making some challenge coins um just to commemorate the occasion. Uh all of these will be available for for those who don't do do VIP. VIP, I think just gets a hat, uh, but it's a really cool hat. It's like it's a high quality hat. And um, all the rest is just gonna be available uh because again, we're trying to raise as much funds as we can to support, continue his vision, continue his work, support his family, right? So um that's important to us. So uh we have sponsorships and uh you you're aware of one, you know. I mean, you you stepped up and are a mental health awareness sponsor, so thank you for that, feeder. Like, really appreciate it. At least we we also have bar sponsors, and then you can sign up as a contestant. It doesn't you don't have to like we're you don't have to have been in the taco cook-off. Like if you think you got the best taco, come compete with Jesse. I want to see, I'm not gonna be judging.

SPEAKER_01

So I'm thinking you're not cooking.

SPEAKER_02

I am not. No, you don't want my tacos. They're gonna go online.

People Behind The Scenes

SPEAKER_01

Um, I find if if you just put a lot of cheese, Jesse, this may this may go against everything you believe in. I just load the cheese on it, it hides every taste.

SPEAKER_02

You'll just be concluding. Sorry. And then we have our uh our top level sponsor, which is the judge sponsor. And with the judge sponsor, you actually get five VIP tickets. You actually get to vote. You you're you get to assign somebody as a judge, and that's the official voting. Um, everybody that comes in, there's a people's choice award uh for for what people feel like is the best taco, but then there's the official judging. Um, so it's uh and then honestly there's just a place where you can donate if you can't come. Um, and you just loved Ruben, you just loved you just if you just like good humans doing good things, like that's that's really what this foundation is about.

Honoring Mentors And The Kelly Mason Award

HAHE Symposium And Powerhouse Lineup

SPEAKER_00

Uh we gotta keep in mind at the end of the day, there's two things, right? One, this is a benefit, you know. So we're we're trying to our goal is to collect as many plans as we can for number one for for the family, and number two, the foundation. Right. So that's that's ultimately what this is. And Josh and the whole committee, Lindsay, Taylor, Michelle, thank you so much. Uh, you guys have put so much work into this. Uh, I definitely, you know, everybody says I couldn't have done it without you. I definitely couldn't have done it without you. And then also I want to give a shout out to my team. You mentioned it, uh, Simto, Genevieve, Becky, uh, Erica. Uh I have a whole team behind me, and and my team is super creative. But you're gonna see some of it, Josh, when you come to the cook-off. So there's a part of the cook-off too. So so I also wanted to mention that. So so you said something earlier, Josh, that is so true. Having I I I got a front row seat to his to him, to in I undervalued and underestimated what he is doing. Having to tell so many people that he passed, uh, what I mean by was associations and groups, and we had a uh uh uh accountability team that it was people that that were on the mental health panel and others that we just held each other accountable, having to tell them the sight board, the hockey board, uh I mean he there were so many people that I had to tell what had happened that I it it got overwhelming and I uh I I underappreciated what he knew. Um and uh I underappreciated the amount of work that he put behind the scenes. And uh I just wanted to say thank you to everybody that has put a foot up and helped. Reuben when I don't know if you recall Kelly Mason. Um Kelly Mason passed away, I believe, about three years ago, four years ago, something like that. Uh we got our start with Kelly Mason. So Kelly Mason uh saw something in me, and uh Ruben and I and uh kind of took us under his wing, and he he's the one that really made us presenters. Like he coached us, he punched us, he would mess with us, and and we were very competitive, and we were always trying to get his uh you know thumbs up, and he never did, and he he just had a way of pushing us, and he would take us all over the country with the STI uh uh symposiums, and that's how we kind of got started in the presenting world. All right, so when Kelly passed, it really affected Ruben, and he wanted to do something because he had the utmost respect for Kelly Mixon. Uh, and so he created what uh a symposium doing the the barbecue cook-off, not the taco cook-off, the barbecue cook-off, uh, which is part of the Houston Rodeo. Uh, he was loved the rodeo. Uh, we both were members of the rodeo. I'm still a current member. Uh, so we hope uh we were part of a committee to help the rodeo. Uh, we were big into rodeo barbecue cook-off. Uh and we created a symposium during the cook-off, which I hated because I'm also on a cooking team there and having to get everything done for the cooking team for him, for everybody. So it's like, dude, you're killing everything here. But he he always pulled it off, and and he it actually came out really nice. And he created a award, he called it the Kelly Mason Award, and and it was supposed to be intended for vendors or hospital owners that had an in lasting impact on the healthcare industry. And the first one went to Kelly Mason, right? And the second one was supposed to go to Mike Canales. Uh, that was Ruben's vote. Uh, but this year I spoke with Mike and I told him what Ruben was gonna do, and that I I felt like it really should go to Ruben this year, and uh he agreed. And Josh, I'm gonna put you on blast. I would love to see if you can uh hand that award to Ruben's family. Uh they'll be there on site. Uh uh see if you can get with them that point. I would want to be able to do it like you do. And uh uh of course, you know, Ruben was a tremendous advocate for Josh Brackett and Lizzie Brackett, and uh I think he needs to come from you.

Preserving Ruben’s Life Safety Tips

SPEAKER_01

And the date on that, Jesse, is it is February 26th.

SPEAKER_00

February 26th.

SPEAKER_02

Okay, so we're not gonna want to miss it.

Closing Invites And Memorial Purpose

SPEAKER_00

Like it's the address, it's it's actually so hockey stepped up, so that was an independent symposium that me and him funded, right? And uh we did it at the HE warehouse. I mean, which so Cotton has a video that's 8315 Night Road, it's literally next door to NRD uh Stadium. We hosted the symposium there, we funded it through us, Cotton and uh regulatory concept, act me. Everybody helped out. And this year, because of everything that was going on, Ha He, the board stepped up and they made it a HAHE event. So it took the load off of having to go get sponsors and all that for it. And um uh Josh uh helped me out with the original lineup that Ruben wanted. Uh, and it's a powerhouse. Uh it is a powerhouse. That's exact words, what he called it. It was a powerhouse lineup, and um it's Josh, Lindsay, Mike Knollis, Dino, uh Shay, uh Chris with Texmo Model, uh, and am I missing anybody? Ryan Schram. Ryan Schram. Uh so it's true, a true powerhouse. Uh we cannot miss this.

SPEAKER_01

February 26th, March 8th.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And we got a really we got a really cool uh cool thing we're working on. So Ruben had given me permission, gosh, about two, three years ago. Uh one of the other things he was known for, of course, was his his LinkedIn posts where it was this life safety tip of the week. Um, our team has captured every life safety tip of the week that he ever uh created. We're making that into a presentation. Not only are we making it into a presentation, we're making it into a book. For others to be able to use that. Uh that would be something that they could also purchase.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. That's great. That's great. Well, gentlemen, any, I'm gonna give a final word to you guys. I appreciate your time. Obviously, just a great cause honoring the memory of Ruben Garcia. Before we close, any final words, final thoughts that you guys want to get across that we just didn't get to? Jeff, we'll start with you. Jesse, we'll close with you.

SPEAKER_02

No, I just want to thank everybody for all the support. Uh, whatever you can do, please come out and help. Uh, thank you so much. Thank you, Jesse.

SPEAKER_00

Uh I just want to invite. Uh, I did say this was a benefit, but also it's our memorial to him. Um so connected with our industry, and uh he was known nationwide everywhere we went, everybody knew that I feel like this is the proper way for people to come say goodbye to him from his professional family. He had his personal family and he had his professional family, and I think uh the professional family has a right to say goodbye to him and and come say goodbye to him. If you want to say some words, the mic will be open, just reach out to us, we'll get it set up. Come celebrate his life because this is what he would want. He would want us to celebrate him and uh and come say goodbye, and uh, and uh and at the same time, let's help the family, right? And thank you for all everybody once again that's been involved. And uh, there's others that want to get involved, and I will be reaching out.

SPEAKER_01

Well said, Jesse, Josh, thank you for your time. This is Peter Martin for the Healthcare Facilities Network. Thank you for watching and give and support. Thanks.com and let us know who you are and what you want to talk about because together we can solve this critical aging issue.