On September 27, 2018, Primera Plastics, Inc. hosted the real-life stars behind the blockbuster, “McFarland USA,” at Fennville High School, West Ottawa High School and Primera. The 2015 movie tells the true story of the 1987 cross country team from a mainly Latino high school in McFarland, California. The film stars Kevin Costner as Jim White, the school’s coach, who leads the team to win a state championship.
Two of the original team members, Thomas Valles and Johnny Samaniego, shared their real-
life stories with West Michigan and helped separate fact from Hollywood fiction to give valuable advice on the importance of a solid work ethic and positive mental outlook. Valles and Samaniego also talked about the value of education, the difficulty of being labeled as ‘at-risk’ youth and the importance of dedicating yourself to a craft.
“In addition to hosting us at Primera, we cannot praise Noel enough for sponsoring our motivational speeches at West Ottawa High School and Fennville High School,” said Valles and Samaniego, “His work in the community is unparalleled and should be a model for other organizations and communities.”
The pair enjoyed lunch with Primera employees and took a tour of the plastic injection molding facility. The visits were arranged by Primera’s President & CEO, Noel Cuellar. Cuellar is a passionate supporter of education, particularly for high school students, as evidenced by the Primera Pathways program which helps open doors for underserved students to explore a vocational trade. He also knows how sports can help build important personal development skills like character, integrity and focus – skills that help students find success on and off the field.
“I wanted to give both local kids and our employees a chance to see a tangible, real life example on how dedication, hard work and persistence can help them be successful in life.”
