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Hi Romeo, thank you for taking the time to participate in this “Meet our Associates” campaign. Your District Manager speaks very highly of you. Tell us – what work do you do during the day?

I’m the warehouse manager for Danish Inspirations/Home Koncepts.

So - what attracted you to Valet Living and what do you enjoy most about the role?

The 8:00 pm start time is what attracted me the most. I enjoy the physical challenge and the ability to work with little supervision.

Your manager tells me that your work ethic is exceptional and that you set the standard with your quality work every evening. What advice would you give to a new Service Valet?

A new hire would probably think it’s just a trash collection job, no big deal. I would advise this job is just as important as any other job. They should take pride in doing an excellent job because their quality of work represents who they are.

Excellent. Would you share your WHY with us?

My son is in college and plays baseball at Texas Southern University - because of his busy schedule he cannot go to school and work. The extra income I earn here helps me pay for my son's school expenses.

Hi Loretta, thank you for taking the time to share. So - where did you grow up and what did you want to be when “you grew up”?

I was born in Westminster, Colorado. My family moved to Berthoud, Colorado, where we lived until I was about 12 years old. We then moved to a very small town in Nebraska, called Alma. I lived there until I graduated from high school. My class was the largest graduating class with a whopping 38 students!! I then moved back to Greeley, Colorado, where I attended the University of Northern Colorado, where I pursued a degree in Nursing. When I was younger, I used to want to be a teacher. However, as I grew older, I grew less interested in that particular field.

38 students- wow! Did you ever pursue a career in Nursing? Also, what roles did you have before joining Valet Living?

No, I never pursued a career in Nursing. After my first year at UNC, my parents divorced, and I moved in with my mother and transferred to Front Range Community College in Westminster, Colorado. I worked as an Assistant Manager at a Good Times restaurant, and part time in a King Soopers Bakery. I stayed there for a couple of years. Then I moved on to Sam's Club, where I worked different positions, till I moved up as a department head over the seasonal department. After I had my son, I left Sam's Club and went on to Home Depot. I stayed there for the next seven years. I started out as an overnight Freight Associate and worked my way up to Assistant Manager.

Retail seems like such a great training ground for our District Managers. Tell us what is a day in the life of a District Manager and what aspect do you enjoy the most?

A day in the life as a District Manager can definitely be a bit crazy at times, but that is what I love about it! I start out my day with my normal administrative tasks such as pulling iValet reports and payroll. I answer all emails that have come in before I head out the door to visit my communities. What I enjoy the most is the relationships I have built with my communities and my Service Valets. They are always genuinely glad to see me when I come in. I have been in my current district for about two years now, and over that time, I have made great connections with the managers and staff on all my sites, and I thoroughly enjoy our visits. The same with all of my Service Valets. I like connecting with them, getting to know them, and feeling like I make a difference for them, in one way or another.

Your “day in the life” is a good reminder that we are in the people business. Also, how do you plan to set the standard going forward?

As we transition to Valet Living it changes the view of my role because I want to become the person my peers turn to for guidance. I want to set the standard by teaching our newer District Managers in Denver, our culture and what sets apart from the competition and what makes us the best out there. Now, I have been with the company for four and half years, and I have learned a lot of wonderful things along the way. I would love to share with my peers, how some of my successes and failures along my journey have brought me to where I am today.

Thanks again for this opportunity Loretta. One more question. If you had one piece of advice for our senior leadership team what might that be?

My advice to them would be to continue creating more roles starting with the Service Valets. I would love to see some positions that create excitement, competitiveness, and loyalty among the Service Valets that work for us. It would help develop career paths for the best of the best and give Service Valets additional opportunities to delight the customer. Also, these positions could potentially lead up to District Manager positions down the road.

``I joined a church program called “Royal Rangers” which helped me discover something that I really enjoy, reaching out to kids with challenges that I experienced`` - Manuel Flores, District Manager in North Carolina

Hi Manuel, you recently joined the team six months ago as a District Manager in North Carolina. What has your transition to Valet Living been like?

Yes, the transition to Valet Living has been a tremendous experience for me. I feel like I’ve been part of this exceptional team for not just six months, but for years. I’m so proud to be part of this team!

What recommendations do you have for a new District Manager joining our organization? Or anyone new joining our organization for that matter?

You know, this is a question that I have been asking myself plenty of times. Being involved with administration management for many years, I thought that I had enough experience for the District Manager role, but I take my hat off to all the amazing Regional Directors of Operations, Regional Managers, and District Managers out there. This is a huge role, with many activities and a big responsibility, but in the end, it’s just about learning from your leaders and the other District Managers that have been here for a while. Join the team, be part of it, get involved - then you can put your expertise into the game, and you will have the best results.

Where did you grow up, Manuel and what was that like growing there?

I was born and lived my childhood in Mexico City. My Mother and her six kids, including myself, moved to New York City when I was a teenager then I finally moved to Raleigh, NC 11 years ago. Growing up in a big city as a kid and then moving to another big and busy city like New York as a teenager was a challenge for me. But I joined a church program called “Royal Rangers” which helped me discover something that I really enjoy, reaching out to kids with challenges that I experienced. I would bring them to the church, took them camping, and other outdoor activities that Royal Rangers program offered. It taught me to develop my leadership skills when I was just 21 years old.

Thank you for sharing Manuel. What is your why? Why do you do what you do?

Having the opportunity to be a leader in this great organization is a huge opportunity for me. I want to constantly keep learning and collaborate with the team that I'm a part of to discover more proactive ways that will help to conquer not only in our professional goals but, our customers, our associates, and the company’s goals.

Hi Amy! Thank you for participating in our new “Meet our Associates” effort. Tell us, What kind of work did you do prior to Valet Living?

Thank you for the opportunity. Before Valet Living, I worked at Apartment Guide as an Account Executive for almost six years. 2 ½ years before that I was fortunate to land a job with Bristol Development in marketing and assisting with lease-ups, and I managed a community for a year– it was my first adventure in the multi-family industry.

Have you had any unusual jobs growing up or early in your career?

My grandparents had a farm, and we lived next to them. Early on I helped plant (and then weed) tobacco, sorghum, melons, corn, all kinds of vegetables in the vegetable garden. I think Papa grew a little bit of everything. My Dad bought a small machine shop when I was 10. I helped with janitorial duties, and as I got older, occasionally an order had to get out quickly, and Dad would need me after school to drill out parts or deburr them. In high school, I cleaned motel rooms after school two days per week to help pay for choir and volleyball trips.

Wow! That’s pretty neat. What does a typical work day look like for you?

Each day is different, although my morning routine is always the same; wake up, make my bed, 10 minutes of meditation, some yoga, and breakfast. The day itself is a mix of calls, set appointments, cold calling, operations calls, current clients, sometimes industry events such as Apartment Association meetings, trade shows or client events.

So – Amy, with new rebrand how will you set the standard for your job?

A client said to me not too long ago, “Valet Waste will never change” and what she was referring to is some of the terms in our agreements. With the new rebrand, it’s important to drive home the flexibility of Valet Living and creating positive change in the industry. So remembering that it’s about our clients and finding a way to win for them will ultimately be a win for us.

Amy, you joined Valet Living 5 years ago. How do you describe the culture to those outside of our organization?

It's exciting! All the growth we've experienced is something I haven't been a part of before. Valet Living is a can do company. As a company, we do the right thing, and we really mean it.

Hi Bruce, you were given an award at our Sales and Operations kickoff in 2017. Remind us about that award and were you surprised?

Yes! I was genuinely surprised to receive the National Sales Team Service Award! When Theresa was describing the award about half way through her speech, I realized she was talking about me and became overwhelmed with excitement, gratitude, and all the butterflies of emotion to walk on stage! It was truly an honor, as I understand it the National Sales Team decided not to create an award for their own team, instead choosing to recognize someone with the same values which is “Service to others, accountable to all.” Derek Matson, the VP of that team, says anyone can be a leader, and I’m grateful to be part of the team and Valet Living!

Congratulations Bruce! Servant leadership, service to others - that is a tremendous recognition. Tell us about your work before Valet Living. Inquiring minds want to know.

For a few years before starting with Valet Living, I worked several short term projects, the most recent being preparing the operations budget for an orange grove and juice trucking company in central Florida. Before that I worked six years for Bridgestone retail operations, having several roles as a Financial Analyst, Internal Auditor, including some time at a Tires Plus store changing oil and selling tires!

That is some diverse experience, Bruce. I am curious where did you grow up and what was it like growing up there?

I was born and raised in Longmont, Colorado. It was a small town back then. We would spend holidays on my cousin’s farm, Friday nights were for ``cruising main street,`` and for a while, if you wanted to go to a mall or any decent store we drove to the neighboring city Boulder. I have a lot of good memories growing up in Colorado; many days were spent outdoors camping or snowboarding. But most importantly, if you didn't already know, I'm all about the Denver Broncos. Game days were with my Mom (who might even be a bigger fan than me), yelling and cheering at the TV!

So Alex Pasekova has been given (or given herself) the corporate title of Vice President, Fun. If that is the case, I'd like to give you the title of Vice President, Great Ideas, because every time we chat you have some cool idea on how we can be better tomorrow. What is the best idea that you have that we have not implemented to date?

Wow! What a great title! Well, I know that I am not the only one with great ideas, so my best idea is to have an online site or forum where everyone can share their ideas and engage in the discussion. My second best idea is an espresso machine, and sushi bar at corporate, productivity will be at all-time high. I’ll start the cost benefit analysis right away!

So as you have probably heard, we are starting a Wellness program which we have been calling #LivingWell. We are in the process of getting a Wellness Committee together. I think you and I have something in common. On some lunch breaks, I like to find a nice bench and sit and read for a few minutes or just take a breather. How do you balance life and work?

That’s a great question! For me, I always have some “me time” to do what I want to do; it often involves a good comedy and a good laugh! I also make it a priority each day to disconnect from my phone and emails, and to be mindful of the present moment. It’s easy to get caught up in all the emails and get my head spinning about what needs to get done at all hours of the day. When I finish my work and spending time with friends, family, or having some me time, I let go of the work thoughts to be present at the moment and just enjoy!

Bruce, how do you describe the work that you do (a day in the life)? Also, how do plan to “set the standard” in your role?

What I do varies day by day! I could be working with other members of the finance team, on various reporting for the board and executive team. I could be working with the sales team on sales reporting and market analysis or working with operations on KPI’s. I could also be working with the Sales and Operations teams, providing data and helping out where I can. I’ll set the standard by remembering the simple phrase, “to be better tomorrow than we are today,” keeping a positive attitude and a service to others mindset. And on the lighter side of things, I’ll start and end each day with a smile.