Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Garcia.
Hi Luis, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I got married very young, we were in high school still, so I after I graduated high school I had to get a job because my girlfriend (we are married now for 30 years) was pregnant with our first child, I was 19 and my wife was 17, my first job was as a dishwasher at a Mom’s and Pop’s restaurant, I knew that job wasn’t for me but I had a huge barrier in front of me, I didn’t speak enough Inglish, I came to this country when I was 15 years old, ( that’s another story) But I knew I had to do a lot better, I applied for a job in the fast food industry, Taco Bell to be exact, so I got a job as a cashier, again I wasn’t fluent in Inglish so I struggled a little bid but that didn’t stopped me from wanting more, after a couple of weeks my store manager told me that she saw something in me, I didn’t think much of it, so she asked me if I wanted to take some training to become a shift leader and I said yes, I became a shift leader and after 6 months I was an assistant manager, after 6 more months I was running a store in Escondido, CA. I did fast food restaurants for a few years, I got to realized that I was doing a dead-end job, I didn’t want it, so I went to the construction industry and worked as a roofer, plumber, landscape, welder, and a couple of more jobs in the construction industry, it was hard work so I went to work as forklift driver and from there I became a shipping and receiving manager, I was making a good salary but I knew I was missing something. I got a job offer from a guy that I meet who he was a tile installer; I accepted the job and worked for him for 2 weeks, I was bullied by his family saying that I was too dumb to learn the trade, so I quitted and I got scared because by then we had our first home and lots of bills to pay, so I told my wife not to worry, I GOT THIS, (I didn’t) so I started reaching out to people about tile installations and see if any would hired me to install their flooring, I didn’t have experience about the trade but I had something that not everyone has, I loved the trade, so I started to watch YouTube videos on how to do tile installations and flooring, showers installations, next thing I knew I had found My Carrier, FLOORING CONTRACTOR. I taught I had made but boy was I wrong, I started in 2004 I went bankrupt in 2008 and struggled for a few years, I met Juan in 2004 we worked together in a few projects and kept in contact since then. I was doing installations for Big companies like Empire and a lot of local flooring stores, I hated that they were getting good reviews because of me even though they were bad. I hated that they were treating costumers bad, with bad customer service, I saw how sales reps were rude after customers had signed the contract, I saw store owners treat costumers like they didn’t care for them at all, I had always care about people and costumers, without them we don’t have a business, I stopped working with them and started working with Juan more often, I had been trying to open a showroom by myself for a while but couldn’t afforded it, I was able to convince Juan and finally did, so we opened our showroom and here we are. we really want to make a difference and be apart from other flooring stores, we are here to make a living, I’m not going to lie about that, but I really enjoy what I do and I really like to help people, and the most rewarding compensation for me is to see our costumers happiness and see their faces when we finish their projects. it hasn’t been easy, but we are here now, and we are not going anywhere.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
it hasn’t been easy at all, been an immigrant in a new world, coming from dysfunctional family and an abusive father to my mom has been the hardest issue to overcome for me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a flooring contractor, we specialize in custom work, like custom showers, tile designs etc. I am known for been very picky with my installations and everything has to be perfect when I finish. I am the proudest on me not giving up on nothing, if I say I will make it, I do it.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
the 2 people in my life that deserves all the credit is my Mom and my wife of 30 years, without them I wouldn’t be here today.
Contact Info:
- Website: Premiere Flooring & More, Inc.
- Instagram: www.premiereflooringandmore.com
- Facebook: Premiere Flooring and more, Inc.
- Yelp: Premiere Flooring and more, Inc.
