Staffed by Jose Cardenas and Marcos Garcia, the team earned a perfect score in the first round of National CORE’s 2023 Top Shop Competition and wowed voters in the contest’s final stage with its striking presentation boards.
Despite that, Jose didn’t quite believe it when he learned his team had won the $1,500 prize.
“It was a surprise,” he said.
Less surprised was La Misión Village’s senior community manager Alejandra Benavente, who said Jose’s professionalism has been a signature of his work for the region.
With Marcos, he maintains 135 apartment homes at three properties: La Misión with 80, Las Palmas with 19 and Cape Cod with 36.
Organization is key to keeping up with the demands, which can range from changing light bulbs and picking up trash to replacing doors, miniblinds and toilet apparatus.
“Jose was alone for a long time, and we have a lot of work,” Alejandra said. “There were a lot of little things that needed to get done and we’ve been doing it.”
About four months ago, Marcos joined the team, helping to balance the workload.
It all starts with the team’s shop – the key to the National CORE competition.
This year, eight shops earned strong enough scores to lead their regions and earn a spot in the finals. Winning properties assembled poster boards for the final round, in which winners were chosen by voters. Along with La Misión, Village at Sierra came in second place followed by Mountainside in third and Dumosa Senior Village in fourth.
The La Misión maintenance team made the final eight by earning a perfect score in safety, cleanliness, organization and creativity in the regional competition. Their property team also created 3-D poster boards to demonstrate their clever organization methods.
As the boards show, Jose and Marcos’ shop is long and spacious with metal shelves that stand tall but never exceed an 18-inch clearance required below ceiling sprinkler systems. To ensure they don’t impinge on that clearance margin, Jose painted a blue warning strip at the top of the back wall.
Jose and Marcos have divided their storage area by need, such as electrical, plumbing or hardware. Every screw has its place and Jose can locate anything with his eyes closed. Painting supplies are kept in a locked cabinet. Compliance documents are readily available and regularly updated.
The system means the duo can spring into action, whatever the demand.
A typical day begins with monitoring the property – a two-hour effort to ensure everything is clean from the streets to the laundry room. Then, it’s time for work orders – replacing those doors, upgrading lighting, fixing jammed or worn garbage disposals and installing new thermostats.
When Jose joined National CORE a year and half ago, he brought a decade of maintenance experience to the post. That experience ingrained the habit of ensuring his supplies never run low.
“Jose does an amazing job on this property, always keeping the property clean and ready for anything that might come up,” said Tom Kulinski, director of maintenance operations. “The teamwork between office and maintenance is what makes his property so amazing. Jose takes extreme pride in his shop and the property, and it shows.”
With the team’s dedication, we can provide the best living spaces for our residents.
Thank you, maintenance teams!