Marco VinluanFor Marco Vinluan, assistant vice president for Provincial Development, the learning never stops.

Joining Rockwell Land as a fresh college graduate in 2006, he was hired to complete the Sales Administration team as its sixth member. He was transferred from Sales Administration after three years to serve as Commercial Leasing supervisor for Rockwell Business Center in Ortigas Center in 2009. After a year, he was put in charge of Power Plant Cinema where he worked for three years before being transferred to the Property Management team in 2013. He simultaneously oversaw the Greater Rockwell properties: The Grove by Rockwell in Pasig, 205 Santolan in Quezon City and The Alvendia in San Juan.

“I was in during the startup days of these properties, so I’m very grateful to have witnessed how Rockwell has ventured outside of Rockwell Center in Makati City,” recalls Vinluan.

In 2016, he was tapped to join Rockwell Land’s first foray into the affordable housing segment, Stonewell Acacia Homes in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Currently leading a team of 20 that oversees the business operations of the company’s first socialized housing development, Vinluan expects the team to grow in the coming months with the launch of Rockwell Land’s next horizontal residential development in Lipa City.

Batangas immersion

Since affordable housing is a new business to Rockwell Land, he believes it is necessary to “develop keen sensing and discernment in terms of market feel and technical know-how.”

For this, Vinluan immersed himself in Batangas to get to know the people and to get help from new relationships and networks. The first residents of Stonewell Acacia Homes have started moving in this year.

“Our ‘firsts’ may always have birthing pains, so our team welcomes all the help we can get from our executives and from our recruited fellow team members who have prior significant experiences in this industry,” he says.

At the same time, Vinluan draws from his own experience in the workplace, having handled five assignments for Rockwell Land over the last 11 years: Sales Administration, Commercial Leasing, Cinema, Property Management and Provincial Development.

'Always get better'

"Each of (these assignments) has given me a chance to appreciate the different facets of our business operations, the reason the learning never stops.  The mind-set is to always get better in what you do and to face with confidence any unfamiliar things encountered along the way,” says Vinluan.  He also draws inspiration from Rockwell Land president and chief executive officer Nestor J. Padilla.

"I always treasure my personal interactions with him, whether through chats or scheduled meetings, as he never fails to impart beyond ordinary lessons and he always brings out the best in us.”

In turn, Vinluan nurtures his team in the same way.

“Rockwell has opened so many opportunities for me. And as they say, to whom much is given, much is expected in return, so Rockwell has taught me to become selfless. My personal goals are geared toward other people. First, seeing my team grow and get better at what they do and for them to realize their full potential. And second, fulfilling our mandate to our stakeholders: as property developers in this segment, we endeavor to deliver affordable dream houses within a Rockwell community that each resident can truly be proud of.”

Front and center

The Lopez Values are always front and center of his work as leader: “It’s only incumbent upon us to be role models and to look after our people at the same time, so integrity and employee welfare are important. We also have to drive the company toward growth and innovation, so business excellence and entrepreneurial spirit are likewise significant. We exemplify these values during the conceptual stage of development of our projects and of course during execution, wherein we incorporate certain Rockwell elements that we believe will define our affordable housing developments.”

Rockwell Land has nurtured a deep sense of family in Vinluan, which is now ingrained in how he thinks and does things. The Stonewell team carries the same motivation to look after the welfare of the families that comprise all Rockwell communities.

He invites LopezLink readers to “find out more about Stonewell by visiting the community and experience how prestige can become accessible to the market we serve in a ‘beyond ordinary’ way.”