An Example of Persistence

At Arcos Dorados, we want to highlight the stories of our employees that make us proud and help us learn.

In this first edition, we will learn about the moving story of David Grinberg, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations at Arcos Dorados and a true athlete.

 “I was hired at Arcos Dorados as the Sports Marketing Senior Manager in 2010 and had the time of my life working on everything from the FIFA World Cup in South Africa to the Rio Olympics in Brazil.”

After six years and a few promotions, David was asked to take a new role, Communications Director for Brazil. It was a huge job. He led a turnaround of the department – guiding his team through a restructuring and strategy change. He was also training for an IRONMAN, which he made a point to fit into his busy schedule.

Unbeknownst to David, during all of this excitement at work and his training for the IRONMAN, he was battling Lymphoma. “I had been feeling sick for a few months, but I thought to myself ‘This must be part of training. Maybe I’m not getting enough rest or my nutrition is off, or maybe this is just what training for an IronMan feels like,” David recalled.

Ten days prior to his IRONMAN race, David finally went to the doctor. Although he was advised to abandon the race, it was not an option for him. So David completed the triathlon in 12 hours. However, he knew something wasn’t right.

One morning, David got up to go to work just like any other morning, but he fainted before he could start his day. His wife Thais, his twins, Ronny and Ariella, his mother and a group of friends, took him to the hospital. There he was given the worst news: he had lymphoma and needed to start an aggressive treatment as soon as possible. “When I received the news, it felt like a death sentence. I had never considered what this would be like. It felt like I was 40-years old and it’s just over,” he said

But then he realized he could turn a death sentence into a life sentence. “I thought to myself, ‘this will be like IRONMAN training … I’d wake up every morning to run before – now I will wake up every morning to do my treatment.”

He also found that, even amidst the stress and scariness, beautiful things were happening. “My mom was there every single day in the hospital with me… for years I haven’t had this much time to talk to her.”  They also say that he never lost his incredible sense of humor in the hospital room.

He also felt a beautiful community of support reaching out from Arcos Dorados. “They told me not to worry – my position was going to be there no matter how long treatment took.” And not only did Arcos Dorados save his position for him, but in the midst of the treatment, he got a call. He was being promoted.  Woods Staton was the one who surprised him with the wonderful news. He wanted David to be part of his leadership team. “He, alongside Arcos Dorados CEO Sergio Alonso, said ‘You will never replace your treatment for any meeting or any conference call. Your priority is recovering-”

He will also never forget the small gestures of the employees of Arcos Dorados with whom he had not spoken in years, who sent him messages of love and hope, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay all of the people who sent me that good energy.”

David’s story is a reminder of what’s important: Arcos Dorados is only a success because of it’s people. David gave ten years of his life to Arcos Dorados and when he needed it most, they were there for him. “I’m not sure there are many other companies that have this mindset.”

David Grinberg is now healthy, he’s been in remission for just over six months and his sense of humor remains intact: “While I lost my hair during treatment, it grew back looking much better than ever before.” Now he intends to enjoy more time with his family and focus on what really matters. And that’s not all! Shortly after being discharged he went back to his training to compete in the IRONMAN triathlon in June, this time with his former boss.

Regarding his new role, David faces the challenges with joy: “I’m going to assert myself in this new role with all the gusto with which I train… while also holding my personal life to an equal level of importance. I’m so proud to work for a company which allows me to do that.”