How it Started…..

Our Founder, Arturo Garcia, immigrated from Cuba so he could live the American Dream, and hopefully some day own a business. In 1955 he got a job as a dishwasher at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. From his position in the kitchen, he learned firsthand the importance of thorough cleanliness and hygiene – and the value of a responsible staff to carry out that task.

Learning, assimilating, finding ways to improve upon the job, by the early ’70s Mr. Garcia was director of sanitation at the New York Statler Hilton, managing a staff of sixteen. “Each night at the stroke of midnight, I used to assemble my staff,” Garcia says, “and give them specific instructions on which areas needed immediate attention. I was such a stickler for detail, inspecting every corner,” he laughs, “that some of my staff suggested future Hilton hotels should be built with round hallways!”

It was that call for scrutiny and need of accomplishing the best job possible that earned him the reputation in the service industry. Driven by that inexhaustible energy that pushes all successful men, Mr. Garcia formed his company in 1975.

An early photo of our Founder. This photo was used in an early brochure, and if you look closely, you can see grandson Arturo manning a buffer, years before he took over the company.

Founder Arturo Garcia with grandson Arturo III, our current President. You can see the flags in Rockefeller Plaza in the background

Invoices and the company logo have evolved over the years. See the early, hand-written invoices and the early version of our logo.

Our Founder today and current President, Arturo Garcia III

Our Founder’s grandson Arturo Garcia III, has worked at the company on and off since high school and college, lending a hand with the cleaning or running errands.  After college, he worked in hotels in NYC as the MIS Manager in the IT Department.

Like his grandfather, Arturo III wanted to have his own business so in 2005 he joined the company and they began the process of making the transition. Today the senior Garcia is an Adviser to the company and still comes around to visit and help out. He also enjoys visiting with some of the employees that have been with the company for many years – some up to 30 years.

In 2016, Arturo Garcia, III was awarded the YES Rising Star Award by the industry Association, ISSA. This award recognizes emerging leaders who are helping to change the way the world views cleaning by making positive and innovative contributions to their organizations and the overall cleaning industry.

Garcia also helped his company receive the Small Business Administration’s 8a Certification, which will enable the company to be considered for large government and large company contracts.

To learn more about how American Maintenance & Supplies can help your facility’s cleaning needs, give us a call or fill out the form to schedule your facility assessment.