Spring 2024 brought clarity for the entire Valdivia family of Dallas and Mexico. Secure in his role as Director of Design in Haskell’s Dallas office and still recovering from a devastating motorcycle accident, Antonio Valdivia was holding a casual conversation with his parents when his mother chimed in.
“If you could change anything from the day before your accident, would you?” she asked Antonio during the visit.
“No, I wouldn’t change anything,” Antonio quickly responded. “That was shocking to her. I say that because the accident changed me in a good way. It made me value things that I took for granted before, especially the people in my life. It made me focus on the people when before I would look at a project and deadline, deadline, deadline. You have to consider all the people you work with and how others are affected. If the people are not OK, the project won’t be OK. It’s actually a great ability for me now, a completely changed point of view.”
Nearly four years ago, Valdivia was cruising along the Dallas Parkway on his Honda CBR superbike en route to his Haskell office in the northern suburb of Frisco. A distracted driver cut him off, and the resulting accident inflicted devastating injuries. Two years of surgeries and rehabilitation finally resulted in the amputation of his leg, which he said allowed him to move on, both mentally and physically.
His transformation made a marked impression on teammates, who nominated him for Haskell’s Living the Values Award, which is given quarterly to team members who consistently display Haskell’s corporate values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust.
The award revelation came at a team meeting, where family members and associates surprised him. It was an emotional occasion, and one of his daughters broke the silence by exclaiming, “Daddy, Daddy!"
“After a life-altering accident that resulted in a leg amputation, Antonio has inspired all with his resiliency and transformation – including his selection to and participation in a life-changing program with the Adaptive Training Foundation and sponsored by the Texas Rangers Foundation,” wrote Lisandro Vazquez, Mirian Alvarenga, Marisela Luce and Preeti Kulkarni. “It took tremendous courage and grit to complete the grueling program, and it’s impossible to put into words how much admiration we have for him. We all feel tremendously blessed to work with Antonio – someone who truly Lives Our Values in every aspect of his life!”
Valdivia is living a lifelong dream of working in architecture. Born and raised in Mexico City, he comes from a family of architects, including his grandfather, father and uncle. His father, Alberto, still dabbles in architecture as he approaches age 80. Due to unsafe conditions in Mexico, Antonio immigrated to the United States in 2001 to complete his studies at Texas A&M. He was hired to work at Haskell in 2003 and has thrived in both the Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters and now in Dallas.
“I came into a new world with no friends, no nothing, no family, so Haskell became my family in 2003,” Valdivia said.
In Dallas, Valdivia sees himself as “a facilitator.”
“I try to make sure that everyone is in sync and plays together in the sandbox nicely on projects,” he said. “I make sure all the disciplines are communicating with each other and listening to the client’s wishes. Sometimes, I don’t have the solution and I just bring out the options that the teams can use to actually start working things out. I’m like the glue among all the pieces. I love cars, so an analogy would be all the components in an engine make energy happen. But without the proper oil within the engine, things don’t work. I guess I would be the oil in that instance.”
One of Valdivia’s most enriching projects is with In-N-Out Burgers, an account he has worked on since 2010. The revered West Coast burger chain has entrusted Haskell with several high-profile projects as they continue to grow and expand.
“What is a disability for someone else is not for me,” Valdivia said. “You adapt.”
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