Hard work, commitment, and resilience. Those are the leadership qualities that Jorge Jimenez, vice president and general manager of AffinEco’s Stamford Division, has embodied through his decades-long tenure in the cleaning service industry. It’s those attributes, combined with his flexibility to adapt to change and his devotion to people, that have contributed to his success. That’s why he’s the focus of this season’s AffinEco Employee Spotlight.
Jimenez has worked in the building maintenance trade for 40 years. He first started working for different companies out of New York.
“Ninety percent of my time has been dedicated to this industry. Previously I worked for a company called Temco Building Maintenance out of New York City and another company called AP Services. Before that, I was a production manager for a lighting company in Port Chester, New York,” Jimenez said.
He has been with AffinEco since 2007. In his role as a VP and General Manager, Jimenez oversees several different elements of company operations.
“I’m responsible for almost every aspect of the industry from the customer service, customer relations, cleaning, incubation, unions, issues,” Jimenez explained. “[AffinEco] started as a very small company and we got to where we are right now.”
He has seen the business change drastically over the years. It’s no longer just about the service of cleaning. It’s about people. Customer service is the heart of the industry.
“It’s about customer service, it’s about communication. How you provide that cleaning to your clients and make your clients comfortable is very important. I got clients who have been with me since I was 20-years-old. I was a teenager when I started in the industry. These people are still loyal to me 40 years later,” Jimenez said.
Even the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a new appreciation for this line of work. Learning about exposure to this new viral threat has made people more vigilant than ever and more grateful for thorough cleaning procedures and protocols, Jimenez remarked.
“Now, we are important for the economy today. All of these things the pandemic has given us is that people have learned to appreciate where we are. Now, we are no longer the cleaning people. They see us as important as any other service in the building. They do appreciate what we do for a living. They don’t take us for granted anymore,” Jimenez said.
Like any other business, change is a given, especially with technology. Gone are the days of beepers and phone calls. Now, emails, texts, and app data dominate how companies correspond and serve their customers. Automation has become king.
“From simple phone calls and beepers to a cell phone and an email. All those integrations completely changed the industry. It’s a 24/7 industry. We are attached to the industry from the time you get up in the morning at 6 a.m. to the time you go to bed,” Jimenez said. “Before, you just left at the end of the day. We can spend a whole day doing e-mails. Everything changed. If you come into an industry, you have to make sure you’re well prepared. You have to know everything about it.”
It’s not Jimenez’s first time having to adjust to change. After becoming a leader, he had to adapt to liberties he’d never had before. He had to learn how to take command and make decisions on behalf of the company to fulfill their clients’ needs. But his years of experience readied him for the job.
“When AffinEco hired me, I had to learn how to make my clients happy without asking for permission. The owners gave me the freedom to make my own choices,” Jimenez remarked. “Those freedoms that they give me are for where I am right now. It’s no micro-managing.”
Jimenez notes that his career is a blessing. When he immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia back in 1978, he went through many trials to build a stable foundation. He credits his successes to the opportunities he was afforded. And he doesn’t take them for granted.
“Coming to this country with a language barrier to everything else to being where I am right proves that America is a country of opportunities. I own a house, I have two kids going to college and graduating,” Jimenez recalled. “I’ve got to be grateful. It’s not too many places where a guy with no communication skills can get to the place I am now. Those opportunities that we have in this country, you won’t get anywhere else. It’s not only about money, it’s about the opportunities.”
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