Editor's Note: A catchy song from Sesame Street extols the virtues of the people in your neighborhood, “the people that you meet each day,” and focuses on different occupations. Thus inspired, the Pilot presents the “People in your neighborhood” series, to highlight people who make Whitefish a special place. 

It’s been a long day, and you find yourself at the self-checkout lane of the Super 1 Foods in Whitefish, grabbing grub for supper, when you hit a snag at self-checkout. 

Green onions. There’s no number. No code.  

Just as you start to type G-R-E-E..., the attendant, Daniel Rivera, spots your conundrum and gives you the number, 4608. Rivera knows an array of codes and is happy to share them with customers. 

“It's always funny. People feel bad,” he said about supplying the numbers from memory. “They're like, ‘I'll memorize it next time,’ and I tell them, ‘Don't worry about it. That helps me help you.’” 

Rivera is personable and friendly -- a never-met-a-stranger kind of guy. He makes connections with people easily and he grew up in Whitefish, so he is well-known, whether he is at work or downtown. 

“When I first started working here regularly, I knew, basically, everyone that came in, whether it be a teacher or a business owner in the community or a peer from high school or even their parents,” he said.  “When I’m out in town with friends, someone will always see me and say, ‘You’re the Super 1 guy!’”  

He enjoys interacting with people and seeing how customers are doing on a day-to-day basis. He finds people appreciate his help and the way he greets them “in a really polite and happy manner.”  

“We are doing something more than just giving people products and pushing them out the door. It's about that connection,” Rivera said. “The amount of gratitude and thankfulness I get from the community, from all walks of life, is, honestly, humbling and emotionally validating for me sometimes.” 

Rivera moved to Whitefish with his mom and brother when he was in first grade. After graduating from Whitefish High School with the class of 2012, he began working at Super 1 Foods in the winters.  

When the pandemic struck in 2020, he started working at Super 1 full time. He started in the meat department and moved to the front desk, the deli and the produce section before taking his place at the self-checkout station. 

The people he works with are what makes his job special.  

“The employees, we’re all pretty much a family. Especially after Covid, a lot of us bonded over that traumatic experience,” Rivera said. “It's a good job and we can rely on each other.” 

He even met his girlfriend of five years, Celena, while they were both working at the grocery store. 

He said his congeniality comes naturally, although he admits to being “rambunctious and a little bit rebellious” in his youth.  

During those years, Rivera said his mother wanted him to be a Good Samaritan and enrolled him in youth groups and Boy Scouts. He thrived in Troop 1917 and earned the rank of Eagle Scout. 

“I would honestly have to say it's a community pouring into me and helping me be a better adult,” Rivera said of his mother, community leaders and friends.  

“I can't stress enough how much I love this community, and I love that I grew up here,” he added. “It's one of those things where it just can't be said enough.”