Alberto Sanchez

Once a childhood vacation spot, Alberto never thought he would be raising his family in Canada. But after 11 years here, Alberto couldn’t be more proud to not only call this place his home, but to be a leader in his community.
Trial and error is what got Alberto to where he is today. He began by starting his own coin laundromat, which was robbed three times. Then he opened a Latin bakery, which wasn’t all he had dreamed it would be, leading to serious economic difficulties. He then moved on to delivering newspapers, pizza, and even driving a school bus. However, the profession that impacted him the most was driving for Para-transit. “I was in contact with people who have several disabilities, and spent a lot of time with their families. It was in that moment that I found the meaning of real love, and family.”
Alberto went back to what his heart knew. He attended Fanshawe College to obtain a diploma in business insurance and eventually the licenses that allowed him to work in the insurance industry, as he used to in Colombia. But it was never easy. During the job search process, Alberto usually received one of two answers: “At entry level jobs they told me I had too much education and experience to be applying and when I applied for jobs according to my education level, the problem was that I didn’t have enough ‘Canadian’ experience or education.” Finally in September 2011, after almost two years searching for a job,  Jim Sutherland, owner of JC Sutherland Insurance Brokers, today SutherlandElliott Insurance Brokers, gave Alberto the opportunity to come back to the field that he knows, the insurance market.
Alberto says that patience was key in his success. “Things will come, but you have to take them step by step.” Alberto is now one of the leading insurance brokers in his field. But this is not the only thing he is proud of; Alberto is proud to be Canadian. Facing his first winters, he realized the empathy between people in Canada. “If you see someone on the street who has a car problem or is walking in the winter, you will help. You help, because you understand that at any given time that could be you at some point or another.”
What does being Canadian mean to Alberto?
“I am very proud to be Canadian, because here you learn to cherish and value other people.”

---

---