Eugenio C. Lopez IVBeing named after a famous great-grandfather, grandfather and father did not ensure an easy, luxurious life for Eugenio C. Lopez IV.

Far from it. As the second oldest grandchild and first grandson of Eugenio “Geny” Lopez Jr. (ELJ), Jamie, as he is fondly called, worked his way through college—just the way he wanted it.

Explaining this aspect of his growing-up years, the 37-year-old scion relates: “I wasn’t always the most studious person in school and after my freshman year in college I took a break and worked for a few years. When I returned to school, it was all business and I was on the dean’s list for the rest of my college term. I worked two jobs while I was in college—I sold suits in Barcelino after class, and shoes in Macy’s on the weekends.”

His penchant for work continued after college when he was able to get a job at Equinix Inc., a data center company in Silicon Valley. Four years into his professional career, Jamie went back to school to take his MBA at night—again, after work.

Today, he is still at work, this time as a professional with the Lopez company SKYBIZ.

Here are more insights into how Eugenio C. Lopez IV is living as a values vanguard for the Lopez Group of companies.

Whoamongyourfamily elders has influenced you most?

I have been very fortunate that at every stage in my life there have always been strong family elders and influences that could guide me and teach me the lessons I needed to learn.

From my Lolo Geny I learned about the importance of honesty, integrity and, most of all, the fact that our people are our greatest assets. To this day when I hear stories of my Lolo, it is about how generous and caring he was and his profound humility.

From Tito Piki [First Philippine Holdings Corporation chairman Federico R. Lopez] and Tita Gina [Environment Sec. Gina Lopez] it is their passion for the environment that inspires me

And last, but most definitely not least, from my father it is about the bigger picture in everything, not just business or our family, but the responsibility we have to our country and the Filipino people.

What advice would you give your younger cousins regarding how to live up to the Lopez Values so that the companies can be built to last?

Our last name is a responsibility rather than a privilege. If your path leads you to have the opportunity to work with the incredible professionals that the Lopez Group employs, know that you need to work just as hard as they do, if not harder. As family members, it is our duty to not only set the example, but to raise the bar. How does it feel working for the Lopez Group?

Working with this dynamic group for just about five years now has been interesting as I have come full circle.

As I reminisce to the days when I would accompany my father to ABS and watch “Eat Bulaga” at noon and then cartoons in the conference room, the countless family dinner conversations, particularly Tuesday evenings with my Lolo Geny, every summer job at the TFC warehouse or ABS Interactive, I see how every experience has contributed to the career path that I have taken. Beginning with the seven years in Silicon Valley with Equinix Inc. and all the nights and weekends spent fulfilling my MBA, to finally coming home in 2012 and joining Energy Development Corporation.

What value would you want to impart among your co-employees?

At the heart of it, working for the Lopez Group means that you are part of an organization that above all lives by its core values. It is more than just the bottom line or counting pesos and centavos.

To quote my father, “I have learned that big businesses are driven by values not by profits. Values are what drive the business.”

Any other words of wisdom that you’d like to share?

Whatever path you choose to take in life, make sure it is based upon passion. Life is difficult enough so when choosing your career, where a majority of your time will be spent, make sure you love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, in the words of Steve Jobs, “Don’t Settle!”