ROCK SPRINGS — Fernando Rodriguez is the Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency (URA) Volunteer of the Month for September.
Rodriguez began working the Broadway Theater’s bar at the end of August and the URA said he has gone above and beyond to elevate the venue’s customer service.
“He doesn’t just serve the drinks and snacks; he’s also been keeping track of popular food and beverage requests so that the Urban Renewal Agency can improve our offerings to best meet customer needs,” the URA said.
Born in Guatemala, Rodriguez has lived “on-and-off” in Rock Springs since he was 2 years old. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Guatemala, Rodriguez works in software and also spent a decent chunk of his adult life living and working in California’s computer sector. He’s also worked in Utah, Texas and Massachusetts.
“But I’ve always found my way back here,” Rodriguez said.
After co-founding a software company, GlueOps, he moved back to Rock Springs from Utah in 2019 when he was given the option of working remotely and living wherever he wanted to. Rodriguez began volunteering at Broadway Theater after he found a sign-up sheet at an Urban Renewal Agency event. Along with his volunteerism at the Broadway Theater, Rodriguez also volunteers at Western Wyoming Community College, where he helps the computer science students.
Rodriguez had a busy September, as he married his wife Rachel, who also volunteers at the Broadway, and then headed off for a work trip the second half of the month. Despite that, Rodriguez made time to volunteer at four shows at the Broadway since Aug. 29.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “I get to be around the community and it’s fun to interact with people. I have a computer job and so I enjoy doing something that’s not typing all the time. There’s also been a lot of good entertainment at the Broadway. Rachel and I come to shows all the time.”
Rodriguez encourages others to get involved volunteering at the Broadway to develop a greater connection with their community.
“I already know a lot of people in town because it’s not a huge community, but I feel like I’ve met a lot more people while volunteering here,” he said. “It’s fun to see all the people checking out the different parts of the arts scene and appreciating the different parts of the community. It’s exciting to be a very small part of that situation.”
