Written By: J. Ernesto Moreno
1989, I was working as a partner and operations manager at Service Performance, a building service contractor established in 1987. Our company was growing and we needed additional operational support. A young man, Paul Lima, had set time for an interview, walked into our offices and was seated and waiting patiently for his time.
First impressions can mean a lot. The first thing I noticed was the searsucker suit and the pokedotted socks. My first thoughts were that this kid is not going to want to get dirty! I came back into the lobby to bring him back to my desk for a one-on-one chat. We sat down and his outfit was quickly washed away in my thoughts by this overwhelming smile and charm. I saw in Paul, a can do attitude, desire, and a willingness to go the distance. Paul Lima quickly became a part of the Team as an asset that would serve us until I left Service Performance to start Moreno & Associates, in 1993.
Paul’s lasting impression remained with me as I too would soon need an operations associate to help my growing business, Moreno & Associates, Inc. Nineteen years would pass as Paul and I became friends over that time, but not colleagues.
Finally, in early 2008, Paul came on-board with me as a customer service representative and operations associate. Paul made an immediate impact on my business. I felt extremely comfortable bringing on new growth as Paul managed operations and customer service with me side by side. One thing was for certain. Paul was not afraid to get dirty.
The stories are countless and will come to me over time in my memories. Paul loved to laugh. Sometimes this business makes it hard to laugh. Paul approached business with a flair unlike many others. If a problem presented itself, Paul would immediately react and deal with the situation. Many times receiving the brunt of the client’s anger. Paul was always in the mode that the customer is always right. That’s a hard one to handle sometimes when you know the issue is not that black and white. However, Paul was the best at it.
Many years later at a Christmas party we awarded Paul with a firefighter’s helmet with a little red light. Paul was the gatekeeper between the clients and our operations team.
Best said, in this business, there will never be another one like him.
I hope and am confident that Paul’s work ethic, his desire to make every customer happy and his general presence in our industry will be carried on by his Team members who he has spent decades working with, training and making a lasting impression on.
I think the best advice Paul would give them today is to smile when you walk into a client’s building. A smile goes a long way and can make an everlasting impression.
In my life, Paul Lima showed me that one could work, play, and be friends with the same people. At the end of the day, it is not Paul’s work performance will be my everlasting memories of him, it is his friendship that will last with me forever.
I close by sharing some Paul-isms.
- Show up on time………..That means 15 minutes early.
- If it were easy………Everyone would do it.
- Underpromise and over deliver.
- If it’s not illegal, immoral, or unsafe…… do it!
- And finally………Scrub, Scrub,Scrub. (A little bit of an inside joke!).
>> Click Here To Read Paul’s Obituary.
