Erasmo Gonzalez presented 2018 Branding Iron Award
BRAWLEY — This year’s recipient of the city’s highest honor for community service and volunteer work was presented the honor by a previous recipient who also happens to be his boss.
Erasmo Gonzalez, director of safety training at Smith-Kandal Insurance, is the winner of the 2018 Branding Iron Award. Greg Smith, managing partner at Smith-Kandal and 2014 winner of the award, presented the honor at the Brawley Chamber of Commerce’s annual Branding Iron Gala Thursday night at the Stockmen’s Club of Imperial Valley.
No one can argue whether Gonzalez is deserving of the honor.
“He never says no,” observed Frank Salazar, director of marketing and public affairs at Pioneer Memorial Health Care District. “He’s always there to offer a lending hand.”
Salazar said Gonzalez, who is active with the Pioneers Memorial Hospital Foundation, has pitched in consistently for a wide variety of hospital events over the years, including cooking pancakes and hot dogs for hospital staff during Hospital Week, assisting with PMHD’s community parade floats, and helping with its annual Chili Cook-Off fundraiser.
Beyond that, Gonzalez is past president of the now-defunct Brawley Lions Club, the 198889 Lion of the Year, Lions International Foundation Melvin Jones Fellow for “dedicated humanitarian services,” past president of the Brawley Chamber of Commerce, 2003 recipient of the Mayor’s Award from the City of Brawley for “outstanding commitment to community service,” just to name a few.
The Branding Iron Award was first presented to Earl Harriss in 1976.