Employee Spotlight: Leo Garcia

Our Director of Marketing, Adam Acosta, sat down with Leo Garcia at the Florida Service center to chat about his career at Boston Retail Solutions. 

How long have you worked at BRS, and what is your role??

11 years, National Manager of Graphic Installations.

What is your favorite part about working at Boston Retail Solutions?

The trust that my team has in me to get my job done without being micromanaged.

Tell us about the team culture at BRS. Do you feel supported? How?

Like family, we all have our challenges and priorities. We are all moving in the right direction and are helping each other. I feel supported because if I need help getting a job done, I can reach out to a team member, and they’ll help me if they can.

How has your career grown since joining the BRS team?

I started as a Shop Guy in the NJ branch, managing the warehouse and day-to-day installation preparation. After five years, I transferred to the BIG team as an installer, then became a regional manager, and was promoted to National Manager Graphic Installation manager about nine months ago.

What have been your biggest accomplishments on our team?

That’s hard to say because I don’t treat the jobs differently. There’s no difference between a $100,000 project or a $5,000 window graphic. If I had to pick one, it would be the large vinyl installation project we recently completed for an event in Manhattan. It was very challenging to install 50,000 square feet of graphics over a weekend. We had 22 guys the first night and 17 the second night. It was all hands on deck. We got it done, and the client was happy. Working with the team, the camaraderie, the challenge in front of us, and our team's commitment to pushing through to the end to get the job done are very rewarding.

How do you participate or help shape the BRS culture?

I feel like I impact the people that I work with in a positive way, is not stressing and encouraging the team that the job will get done. Stressing out, isn’t going to help anything. I understand that mistakes will be made, all we can do is try to prevent them, learn from them and keep them from happening again.

What is the best or most useful thing you’ve learned as a BRS team member?

The knowledge and skills of the trade. Learning how to install vinyl graphics has expanded my technical skill set and field knowledge. When I started with Boston, I viewed myself as a construction worker, a carpenter; I didn’t know anything about vinyl graphics. But now, with my training and all the coaching I’ve received, not only do I know all about vinyl graphics, but I can install them at a very high level. That’s a skill I can take with me anywhere.

What advice do you have for new BRS team members?

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and don’t be judgemental towards yourself. If you need help or training, reach out for it.

What is on your wish list for the next 10 years with BRS? What are you excited for?

Continued growth.  The growth of our team, seeing each of our employees grow and be promoted.

If you could switch your job with anyone else within the company, whose job would you want? And why?

Without hesitation, Bob’s job.  Because I like high stakes and I can deal with the stress.

What’s a fun fact about you that many people may not know?

Nothing stresses me out.  When I train in jujitsu, I get put in a place where someone can break my arm, break my leg or punch me in the face.  I am chill because I get put in stressful situations all the time.  I get kneed in the face and I smile.  I leave all of my stress on the jujitsu mat.

What does it mean to you to be part of an ESOP?

It’s great.  But, I’m not doing my job for the benefits.  I think that it’s great that Bob sold the business to us, the employees; however, I still work hard every day, the same as I did before we were an ESOP.  If I get a nice check someday because of the ESOP, I will be very thankful for it.