Page 20 - The Compass 2017 | Volume 12 | Issue 8

you’re a kid, everyone had dreams. Of-
ten, people discourage those dreams.
They say you can’t do this or that. Not
here. We’re in the business of talking
about our dreams and making them
come true.”
The A#1 Services team has bought
into Daniel’s message because they can
see the differences in their lives since
coming to work for the company. “Some
of the guys when they started didn’t
have two pennies,” Cara shared. “Now,
you see them come in with their Star-
bucks and they have a bounce in their
step. They’re excited. They’re happy.”
Joey Sanchez showing off his
A#1 Service Heroes truck. “We have a bunch of young guys
who are having their first babies.
They’re looking into buying their first
home. That’s a big deal, to be able to
buy a home in California. It’s so expen-
iel, Gonz, Delana, and Cara—stress how much they value sive. They’re participating in our 401K plan and saving mon-
their people and how much they want for them and their fam- ey. They’re building futures,” she added.
ilies’ futures. “Then we have one guy whose dream is to buy a Lambo-
“We remember what it’s like to have too many people and rghini and live in a hotel,” Daniel said with another laugh.
everyone’s fighting for hours,” Delana said. “We’ve been “But if that’s what he wants, we’ll help him get there.”
careful not to overstaff. So, there are times when we have a That’s precisely what A#1 Services is doing. Not only do
lot of work, and there’s not a lot of time off. But in every- they talk about dreams; they’re helping their people reach
thing we do, we try and show everyone how much we appre- them, beyond simply paying them well. “We’ve helped guys
ciate them.” get connected with the right people if they’re looking to buy
A#1 Services hosts a Christmas party each year. The en- a new car. For some of them, that’s a big first purchase,”
tire family is invited. Each child gets a present, and there Delana explained. “We have friends in real estate. We have
are games and activities for them to enjoy. They also throw them come in and talk to the guys about the housing market.
barbecues and organize bowling events; again, families are al- What they need to do to move forward with a home purchase.
ways invited. They’ve recently talked about doing paintball. How much money they should have saved, that way they’re
“I think the guys just want to chase me,” Daniel said with a ready.”
hearty laugh. “The guys see how much we are concerned about their
“We also like to celebrate birthdays,” Daniel continued. well-being,” Cara jumped in. “It’s so rewarding when you see
“We celebrated one this morning. We bring breakfast in for them buy in. For example, we’re working to get health in-
everybody. It’s a good way to start the day. We also do some surance now, and you hear them say to each other, ‘They’re
dream-building every morning.” getting us health insurance, so we have to make X, Y, and Z
Each morning for about 15 minutes, Daniel discusses the happen.’”
importance of dreams with the entire team. He makes ev- Investing in people extends beyond helping them attain
eryone at A#1 Services talk about their dreams, too. “When
material possessions,
this is a fact the own-
ership team at A#1
The A#1 Services owners: Daniel Castillo, Delana Castillo,
Cara Goldberg, and Gonzolo Zapata Jr. Services recogniz-
es. It entails being a
support system often
for employees, too.
“One of our plumb-
ers came in looking
down. I read it right
away. I talked with
him about what was
going on and talked
to him throughout
the day. He asked how

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