Luis Hernandez knows what’s it like to have a full-circle moment when he speaks to JVS ApartmentWorks career training program participants. In 2017, Luis was in their same shoes- trying to gain knowledge and skills that would lead not just to a job, but a career.
Today, Luis’ determination and hard work has paid off as he is currently Regional Construction and Facilities Manager for a huge portfolio with APEX/Standard Communities, a facility management company that provides General Contracting & Facilities Management Consulting services across a variety of asset classes.
Luis, who grew up in South Los Angeles and commuted to Santa Monica for high school, took a job in security after graduating because he wasn’t sure what to do next. He worked for the television show Modern Family when it was just getting started and then for hotels.
“While I was doing that, a director of hotel security convinced me to look into how I would move into the engineering team,” says Luis, who liked the command presence security gave him, but saw no real future in it. “I started looking for certifications, training and things like that.”
Luis came across a JVS SoCal ad on Indeed that said, “Free apartment maintenance certification training.” He was skeptical but applied. “I wasn’t paying much attention to it at first, but as the class went on, it got more interesting.” Plus, he liked that he graduated with an EPA certification for HVAC, offered at that time, and be invited to take part in a job fair.
Luis says ApartmentWorks taught him the basics of maintenance, from how to fix a sink to how to patch and paint a wall. Denise Silva, who runs the program, also trained him to respectfully treat and talk to residents and manage conflict with managers.
Once he graduated, Luis met with representatives from more than a dozen property management companies at the job fair. He researched the companies ahead of time, looking at what they had to offer. “I felt really good that day,” he recalls.
Three companies expressed interest in hiring Luis but AvalonBay stood out with its learning and growth opportunities. Luis accepted their offer as a maintenance technician but was promoted to lead technician even before his first day. “It was something I wasn’t prepared for, but the supervisor trained me and showed me the ropes,” he says.
After a year, Luis felt ready to take on the role of supervisor. There were no openings at AvalonBay, so Luis reached out to another property management company he met through the JVS job fair, UDR, and they remembered him.
Luis went to work for UDR as maintenance supervisor of a new 23-story high-rise with 150 units. “That position prepared me for the rest of my career,” he says. It’s where Luis earned his certification for pool maintenance and EPA proctor, which allows him to train others.
Now, Luis works now at CAM Property Service after a stint with Brookfield Properties, managing an even larger, 64-level high rise with 784 units in Downtown L.A. He returns to ApartmentWorks classes often to share his story with students.
“It feels amazing that I am contributing to people’s careers and helping them get to where I got by talking to and motivating them,” says Luis of these full-circle moments. “I tell them my story about how I came up and how JVS SoCal was my foundation for a new career.”
You can help graduates like Luis build the foundation for successful new careers. Learn how here.
