HSG, Inc. by Heather Ross
HSG, Inc. is one of the leading building curtain wall cleaning and maintenance contractors in Southern California today. Owner Hector Garcia believes it’s the company’s commitment to high quality service that has resulted in over twenty years of success.

Throughout the years, Hector has remained actively involved in all aspects of the company, and also plays a critical role in several industry organizations. He has a smile on his face throughout this entire interview, and is clearly someone who loves what he does.

Hector, you have a pretty remarkable tale to tell. Let me start by asking you what you did before you started HSG, Inc. What was your very first job?
At age 14, I sold newspapers - The Herald Examiner - on the corner of Fairfax and Wilshire Boulevard, a very busy corner that at the time housed a Thrifty Drug Store with a fifties’ style cafe. Sometimes the newspaper wouldn’t get published because of a strike and when I returned the next day people would vent their frustrations on me. I wondered how they could be upset with me - I was just a kid, and the only strike I had heard of was in baseball! I had to assure them they would get their paper - this was my first lesson in diplomacy and customer relations.

Then in the late 1970’s, I worked as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in the evenings while going to school full time at Cal State Northridge, and later UCLA. To make ends meet, I held a part time job at The Foot Locker. My time was divided between working full time, studying and trying to catch up on sleep! The plan was to work my way through college and go into the medical field, beginning with the physician’s assistant program at County Hospital.

It sounds like you were very committed to this plan. What happened to change all that?
One day while I was working at the hospital, a 61-year old gentleman named Morris came in with an injured wrist. Apparently he had fallen off a four-foot ladder washing windows. While he was filling out forms and waiting to be seen by a doctor, we began a conversation that would later change my life.

Morris told me he owned and operated his own window cleaning business, Morris Maintenance Service, and had been a one-man business for over 40 years. His job cleaning retail storefronts in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica afforded him a comfortable life while working only 20 hours a week and earning two thousand dollars a month. He was now getting ready to retire and sell the business. “If you are interested in making a change, young Hector, give me a call!” Morris said and he scribbled down his number.

I went back to work that day, but I couldn’t get the window cleaning conversation out of my mind. Each day as I commuted through the city, I began to notice how many buildings there were and how many windows. The thought of working less hours and still being able to afford going to school was very appealing. Finally, I called Morris.

Morris had me work with him for one month so I could see his operation first hand. So in November 1979, I got up at 5:30 am every day and worked with Morris cleaning windows. We would drive to each location and walk 5 or 6 blocks in either direction carrying buckets, poles, squeegees and rags. That month was the coldest month of my life! Morris and I became friends, and effective January 1, 1980 I officially took over Morris Maintenance Service. My father had to take out a second mortgage on our house to put up as collateral as part of the deal, and I had to make monthly payments to Morris for two years. I quit my job at The Foot Locker, but kept working evenings at the hospital full time.

There have been big strides from Morris Maintenance Service to what is now HSG, Inc. What do you attribute this to?
I learned a great deal from Morris. I remember at the time thinking that Morris’ success was not simply determined by how well he cleaned a window, it was a result of commitment and successful marketing. He had had most of his clients for many years and they loved him.

I also saw there was great potential in the business. I decided if I were going to make this work, I would make a few changes right away. Instead of cleaning the retail stores in the early morning, I cleaned them mid-morning so I could stop in and say hello to every customer while I was working. I also handed out flyers to their neighbors. In six months, I had doubled the business. I made enough to put a down payment on a new red truck with a ladder rack and a 28-foot ladder. Now I could clean 2-story buildings!

How were you able to do all this, hold another job and go to school?
At that time I hired two part-time employees to help me, and I am proud to say they are still with the company today. Ramon Sanchez and Hector Ramirez were both janitors who worked evenings and had free time during the day. The three of us worked as a team, cleaning and handing out flyers three mornings a week.

In 1982, the hospital changed its schedule to twelve-hour shifts and I made the decision to quit. The business was doing very well and this allowed me to focus on cleaning windows and going to school. That’s also when I changed the name of the company to HSG, Inc.

Was your plan to then devote your full attention to the company?
I always considered the window cleaning business as temporary rather than a life’s career. On one hand, I was very excited about my growing business, but on the other hand I still contemplated pursuing a more traditional career in the medical field. Many of my friends were in law school or medical school at the time and here I was wearing tennis shoes and jeans, and washing windows! But I was making a decent living and the opportunity for expanding the company was exciting to me.

A critical point was in 1986 when I was talking to a buddy about my desire to have a real profession and he said, “Hector, look at yourself. You have a profession.” It was so simple, but I hadn’t really realized it until then.

At that time, you were still washing storefronts. How did you make the transition on interior and exterior high-rise cleaning and maintenance?
I knew if I was persistent I could expand the business to include high-rise window cleaning. I talked to a lot of property managers about washing their interior windows and they were hesitant. At that time the commercial building industry was dominated by a network of “good ol’ boys” and I was only 23 years old with a fairly new business and little experience. Property managers also preferred to have one company clean both their interior and exterior windows.

Then one day the manager of a 24-story building on Wilshire Boulevard gave me a chance. He said my price was the lowest for the interior services, and as it turned I completed the job flawlessly; however, I later realized I underestimated the job and actually lost a significant amount of money. But that manager liked the way I did business and recommended me to others and my reputation began to spread by word of mouth. Three mornings a week I would wash windows, and in the afternoon I would dress up in a coat and tie and call on new property managers for more business. At night I would do paperwork at my desk, which was also the dining room table.

At the same time, I was learning about exterior window washing, working with a company called RC Cleaning, owned by Ronald Cloutier. Ronnie would clean the outside, and I would clean the inside. By his example, I learned how to operate window washing rigs and other equipment. Eventually I rented my own equipment and began doing cleaning exterior windows myself. I owe Ronnie a great deal of thanks for showing me how to rig buildings. Again I lost money at first, but learned as I went along.

Then in 1989, I was asked to be on a CalOsha advisory committee; that taught me a lot about regulations and safety. The committee was comprised of Building architects, professional engineers, window cleaners, swing stage manufacturers, and union representatives. At the time, CalOsha laws were being updated from 1972. I realized there were some deficits in window washing law, so I wrote a petition that would allow window washers the use of counterweighted systems and bosun chairs. The petition was eventually passed and became law. As a result of being on that committee, I was now qualified to be an expert witness. I have testified on many cases in regard to safety practices and procedures for window cleaning.

Speaking of rigs and stages, I understand you are actually afraid of heights. How did you deal with this?
(Big laugh) I hate to admit it, but it’s true. I used to work on the swing stage with the crew every morning and although I took every safety precaution, I was always a little nervous. For me the trick was to focus only on the work at hand once inside the stage, and before I knew it an entire drop would be completed.

Hector, what would you say is the best part about your profession?
The friendships I have made over the years are what keep me going. Also, I truly enjoy the “pride of cleanliness” I have in completing a window cleaning or restoration job. I am happy about the company’s growth, but more importantly than being the biggest, I really just want to be the best.

Tell me about your family. Is wanting to be the best a trait you’ve passed on to your children?
Definitely. My wife is very driven also. Lisa and I have been married fifteen years and we have two wonderful boys. Andrew is twelve and Robert is fourteen. Lisa is a social worker specializing in family counseling, biofeedback and hypnotherapy. She has her own practice, which allows her to schedule her time around the boys. They are both doing extremely well in school, and also excelling at Taekwondo and soccer. We are very proud!

What hobbies do you and your family enjoy?
We are all Black belts in Taekwondo, which we’ve been studying three times a week for five years. Aside from the benefits of the physical and mental challenge, it has brought our family even closer together.

Traveling is also very important to us. We’ve been to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Canada, Europe and most recently, Costa Rica. We also take our annual ski trip up to Mammoth, which we have been doing for the past five years, as well as extended weekends throughout the United States.

What do you see in the future for Hector Garcia, both personally and professionally?
I only hope I can continue to be blessed with the success and happiness I’ve had in all aspects of my life so far!