A career path filled with enthusiasm, motivation, and a thirst for learning.
Angelica Norena’s UG2 story is an inspiring one fueled by hunger for knowledge, love for helping people, and willingness to embrace new opportunities. She is the true embodiment of a PHD – Passionate, Hardworking, and Dedicated. We sat down with Angelica to learn about her journey and how it led to her role as an Account Manager at UG2.
Originally from Colombia, Angelica moved to the United States in the early 2000s. She took a job working at a pizza restaurant where she learned all the ins and outs of managing a kitchen. Angelica displayed a strong eagerness to understand how to make everything on the menu and quickly became familiar with all the functions at the restaurant, even those she wasn’t assigned to.
Then in 2010, Angelica used her restaurant experience in her next role, at Boston Public Schools as a Cafe Manager. In this leadership role, she gained immeasurable customer service experience and team management skills, which she still uses today.
Angelica was acquainted with UG2 by her husband, Abelardo Rey, who is also part of the UG2 family. In 2012, she accompanied Rey to the annual UG2 holiday party, where she was introduced to Lou Lanzillo, Chief Executive Officer, John Correia, Chief Operating Officer, and Armando Lezama, Vice President of Operations. She was convinced that UG2 would be a good company to work for, so she instantly expressed her desire to join UG2 if any position became available. Angelica felt enthusiastic about the possible benefits and advantages of working at UG2. She wanted to challenge herself by trying something new and getting her hands dirty.
In June 2016, Rey told Angelica that UG2 was going to provide facility services for a new Seaport Boston customer. Immediately, Angelica was interested in working at this new location. The only available position she could fill was for a day matron, but Angelica held no reservations about the job title; her focus was on immersing herself in the work. After 18 months in this role, she was offered the position of night supervisor. She worked with Evelyn Reyes, who alongside Greg Lanzillo, provided her with the opportunity to truly develop her skills in the field.
The next stop on her UG2 journey was a promotion to Assistant Account Manager in 2018. Angelica smiled as she explained how much she enjoyed working alongside Rudy DeLeon. He truly helped her understand the specifics of the business such as the tools needed for successful management and how to take criticism and turn it into an opportunity to improve.
In 2021, Angelica was offered the position of Account Manager. This exciting opportunity allowed her to tag along on projects with day porters, so she could learn about the work firsthand. Day porters often have a lot on their plate to juggle, and Angelica explained she was glad to help ease their workload by helping in any way she could. She gives credit to all the UG2 employees such as Account Managers, Operations Managers, and many backhouse employees who answered her questions and helped her better understand the duties in her role.
Today, as Angelica continues her role as Account Manager, she reflects on her time at UG2. With everyone she worked alongside, she gained valuable knowledge such as the virtues of patience and respect when it comes to interacting with customers and managing a team.
Angelica admits that building and maintaining a collaborative team was a challenge at first. She discovered that to encourage the team to work together, she needed to do some of the work, and not just “supervise”. She was able to better understand her team members’ needs by working alongside them.
It is clear that Angelica has a deep appreciation for her team and her position. She repeatedly expresses her gratitude for the tenants, customers, and coworkers she has learned from along the way. She explains that it is impossible to be bored in a position like hers. Every day is different and full of possibilities. Angelica continues to share her industry knowledge and tools with her team and is hopeful for what the future has in store.
Success Achieved by Working Hard and Making a Positive Impact
Imelda Martínez Hernández’s hard work, generous support for her peers, cheerful demeanor and stellar reputation with customers have propelled her up the professional ladder at UG2 since she first joined the company in June 2021.
After starting with UG2 as a night custodian, Imelda earned promotions to night lead and day site lead before her most recent advancement to site supervisor.
Imelda takes tremendous pride in her work and loves helping her team succeed. Our customers have frequently expressed their deep appreciation for her, and West Coast Regional Operations Manager Alex Romano shares their gratitude for Imelda’s contributions.
“I was really happy to be able to offer Imelda this position,” said Alex. “It’s rewarding to see someone grow into a role where you know they will have a positive impact for customers and for our teams.”
Imelda was thrilled to accept the promotion and cannot wait to take on the challenge of her new responsibilities. She hopes her fellow employees working on the front lines in this challenging time are motivated by her story, and that it helps them dream big— because, as she says, “Anything is possible!”
Imelda lives in San Diego, and when she’s not busy providing above-and-beyond service to every UG2 customer she encounters, she loves spending time with her close-knit family.
When she looks ahead to her future with UG2, she is most excited about helping and supporting the up-and-coming generation of UG2 employees, and witnessing how they grow and thrive in the company, as she has.
Embracing Each Step Towards a Successful Career
Kevin Arzu had plenty of experience managing customers and employees when he joined UG2 in February 2018. He had spent three-and-a-half years as a store manager in technology retail, and had demonstrated tremendous success increasing his store’s sales, profit, and conversion rate.
“I’m a little bit competitive,” he laughs. “I took a store from having a conversion rate of 8% a month to a steady 13%. It was a hard road, but the biggest thing is finding the right people. One thing I’m grateful for at UG2 is it’s kind of the same thing – you want to find the right person to do the right job, and I was able to bring that experience into my role here.”
Well before coming on board, Kevin knew firsthand that UG2 was a company that invested in its employees for the long term. His wife, Nereida Barbosa, has worked her way up from cleaner to account manager with the company.
Despite his previous management experience, Kevin chose to start as a cleaner in the Boston Back Bay area.
“I was initially hired to be a manager, but I had been out of the cleaning industry for a few years,” he says. “I took a step back and asked Greg Lanzillo, my operations manager at the time, if it was okay for me to go up the (career) escalator ladders, learn the rules, and get a better understanding of what we do.”
Kevin spent nearly nine months working for Jose Lagares, who quickly saw Kevin’s potential and served as a key mentor in supporting Kevin’s advancement through the company.
“Jose challenged me to see what we were missing, to find the inconsistencies,” says Kevin. “He is just an awesome guy who can help people see things as a coachable moment versus just being told how to do their job.”
Looking to challenge Kevin, Jose put him in charge of a project, and Kevin embraced opportunities to not only learn and excel at his own job but to pay close attention to others’ jobs and how they approached them. His attention to detail along with his penchant for problem solving proved essential when Boston experienced back-to-back snowstorms and Kevin proved himself adept at crisis management, prioritizing jobs while juggling equipment issues.
That hard-earned success brought a new opportunity: working with Alex Pena as assistant area manager for his portfolio of 50+ buildings.
“It gave me a bigger horizon,” says Kevin. “I was able to experience what a manager would do on a day-to-day basis managing multiple accounts. It gave me almost two years of great experience, and then working with Alex when COVID-19 happened was an even greater learning experience. I learned more in-depth about using the right chemicals and avoiding cross contamination and got a better understanding of what we do here and how to be successful.”
When Kevin eventually earned another promotion to his current position, account manager, he wanted to give back by spending time with his replacement, Christian Aguilar, to convey some of what he had learned along the way which is what he had experienced from his own colleagues and mentors.
“One thing I will say about UG2 is the way that I was received when I came on board,” Kevin says. “It was always open arms. It was always, ‘Hey, listen, do you need this? Do you need that?’ And that’s what made me fall in love with the company.”
The Value of Building Relationships
Derek Chaves has collected many stories, memories, and friendships in his 12 years in the facility services industry. In fact, some of his most vivid memories go much further back. He has childhood memories of tagging along to work with his father — who worked for UNICCO Services Company.
“We’d ride the elevators of these high rise buildings and I’d see window washers dangling outside the windows, and I loved it,” he says. Even then, in observing his father’s easy connection to the people he worked with, Derek recognized that the work was about relationships. “You talk to your tenants every day and you build relationships and friendships. What better place to build relationships with people than in an office building?”
Like many members of Team UG2, Derek joined UG2 while juggling his undergraduate studies. He started as a night cleaner in 2009 and worked part time for several years before earning a promotion to project cleaner. He quickly excelled in that role, and advanced to the position of supervisor, managing the night crew.
“From there I guess I caught Armando Lezama’s eye,” Derek says. “He promoted me to assistant account manager under Rudy De Leon . Rudy really showed me the ropes and taught me that managing people is not just about managing their work. You’re managing personalities and emotions. It’s about building relationships.”
Building relationships is a topic that comes up time and again with Derek, whether he is talking about the cleaners he’s worked alongside and supervised, the managers who’ve taken a personal interest in him, or the customers he so enjoys talking with and learning about their industries.
Along the way, thanks in part to the encouragement of his managers and their support of his education, he completed his Economics degree at UMass Boston. He describes how motivating it was to have managers see potential in him and grant him increasing autonomy.
“You are pretty young with a big responsibility on your plate,” he says. “But you feel valued, and you feel like you have direction. You learn as you go, and I was eventually promoted to account manager at 500 Boylston Street – 222 Berkeley Street, which I consider the crown jewel of Boston.”
He took tremendous pride in owning that responsibility, so much so that the company moved him into his current position of operations manager.
Across the many roles Derek has filled for UG2, a constant was that early insight about relationships being at the core of the work.
“Everybody comes to work, but no one knows what’s going on in their personal lives,” he says. “They might be having an absolutely horrible day. They might have had a car accident or have a family member suffering from an illness. Some of these people work two full time jobs. You can’t just point your finger at them and tell them to do something. To put yourself in their shoes you need to have personal relationships with people. And that’s the key to building an efficient and happy workforce at the end of the day.”
An inspiring story about embracing new opportunities
Sayne Jimenez’s first introduction to UG2 was somewhat atypical. She’d applied for a position with the company, and so had her dad. His interview was scheduled a few days before hers, but Sayne went along with him to serve as an interpreter if needed.
Not only did she interpret and help her dad land the job, but she also met and forged an instant connection with UG2 Director of Operations Rob Ryan. Their discussion took the shape of an interview, and she walked away with an offer, too. And so it was that in August 2018, five months after moving to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic, Sayne signed on to UG2 as a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Cleaner.
Along with juggling the full-time position and a long commute, Sayne was also managing coursework as a full-time student in an associate degree program. In both roles, she managed to stand out, earning straight As at school and the growing admiration of her managers at UG2.
Ten months in, she earned a promotion to Administrative Assistance Coordinator.
“Working in administration was new to me and demanded more time and energy, but it worked out as an opportunity to grow professionally,” says Sayne.
With COVID came change, and the customer was forced to end the contract. Sayne was uncertain about her future, but she soon heard from both John Correia and Rob Ryan, with whom she’d maintained a connection since that first interview. In June 2020, Rob offered Sayne a position in the corporate office as an Operations Administrator.
“Things had happened so fast when I arrived, I didn’t have a desk or job description,” says Sayne. She camped out in Rob’s office, determined to organize and learn all she could through the customer files. “I took advantage of that time to research and see how things work. It became about training myself on everything I know today. Once I had a desk and computer, I already had a huge head start.”
Grateful for the help others provided as she adjusted to her new role, Sayne was determined to “become everyone’s right hand,” and that’s exactly what she did. Ten months later, Rob came to her again with the offer of a new position – Human Resources Administrator and Business Operations Specialist for a major new account in New Hampshire.
Sayne excelled in her dual position as HR Administrator and Business Operations Specialist. She did not want to completely give up her position at headquarters, so she returned to the office about once a week. HR is a very specialized field, but Sayne’s skill as a researcher and connections with her colleagues have served her well.
“When I started in HR, I had never done the work before and I was afraid of making a mistake,” says Sayne. “But I researched and built a knowledge base and asked people for help. I love telling people about my path at UG2. You take on things you’ve never done before and make them yours. It’s about growth in yourself and in who you can be – who you really want to be.”
In addition to her full-time HR/business operations role, Sayne was simultaneously completing her associate degree in graphic design. She has always been drawn to art and design all her life.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a very visual person, which allowed me to connect with my creative side,” Sayne tells us. “Creativity allows us to see the world in a new light and be inspired.”
Sayne made a lasting impression with several colleagues in the corporate office. Kathleen Luce, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, noticed Sayne’s stellar work ethic first-hand in the corporate office and when she heard that Sayne was pursuing a degree in graphic design, she was intrigued since the marketing department didn’t have a graphic designer.
After sitting down with Sayne and learning about her plan to pursue a graphic design career, Kat saw her potential and told her that she should consider staying with UG2 and joining the marketing team when she graduates.
Sayne was formally offered the position in May of 2022, which aligned with her graduation. She was excited to put the skills she had learned into practice in this newly created role.
“For me, graphic design is a way to capture a message that words can’t always convey,” Sayne explains.
Sayne continues to shine in her role at UG2. Her journey has provided her with a unique familiarity with many aspects of what we do, both out in the field and within our corporate offices.
In addition to producing stunning graphics, Sayne also excels in a variety of pillars including project management, photography, and video production. Her creative mindset and attention to detail are invaluable assets to the team.
“Having been in a variety of operational roles, it has been challenging but exciting to begin my journey in this newly created position, and to explore ways to bring UG2’s brand identity to the next level.”
As a team, we conquered the challenges of 2020 and as we continue moving forward, we have an optimistic outlook for 2021 and beyond. We are excited to share some corporate organizational news and promotions.
UG2 CORPORATE TEAM
Tara Leverone promoted to Vice President, Finance and Shared Services
Kat Luce promoted to Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Lauren Lanzillo promoted to Associate Vice President, Culture & Community
Brittany Rovinelli promoted to Assistant Corporate Controller
Bill Jenkins promoted to Associate Vice President of Information Technology
Abhay (“Abs”) Gohel promoted to Senior IT Project Specialist
Adam Rabesa promoted to Director of Environmental, Health and Safety
OPERATIONS LEADERSHIP & STAFF
Additionally, there are several other well-deserved promotions from our operations teams. These hard working and dedicated essential workers were under intense pressure and faced multiple challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the difficult environment, they clearly rose to the occasion, overcame many obstacles, and ensured a superior level of service to our entire portfolio.
NEW ENGLAND CENTER OF EXCELLENCE:
Rob Behrent promoted to Senior Operations Manager
Patrick Haverty promoted to Senior Area Manager
Karinelis Ayala promoted to Operations Support Manager
Sayne Jimenez promoted to HR Administrator and Business Operations Specialist
TRI-STATE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE:
Jim Larkin promoted to Senior Director of Operations
MID-ATLANTIC CENTER OF EXCELLENCE:
Elizabeth (Ellie) Garland promoted to Operations Support Manager
MIDWEST CENTER OF EXCELLENCE:
Robert Castillo promoted to Operations Manager
Edwin Illescas promoted to Operations Manager
WEST CENTER OF EXCELLENCE:
Grover Brown promoted to Associate Vice President, Educational Sector
Each of these individuals has made significant contributions to the successful growth and continuity of our business in the face of a pandemic. We are pleased to recognize their accomplishments. Please join us in thanking and congratulating each of them.