Foreman Edilberto Gálvez regards H.J. Holtz & Son as his forever home. His forever work home, that is.
“I’ve told [company president] Rick [Holtz] many times, I think I’m part of the family here,” Gálvez says. “I don’t think I could be anywhere else.”
Gálvez joined the company in 2016 at the recommendation of a friend. Though Gálvez was already working as a painter, he had come up against a reality that many painters experience in smaller firms: unreliable hours, especially in the winter. Because cold weather limits exterior projects, it’s common for workers to find themselves idle when cold weather persists. No work means no pay.
“[My friend] said that we always have a job here in the wintertime,” Gálvez says. “Where I had been, sometimes we do [have work], sometimes we don’t.”
Gálvez became a foreman after three years, responding to a coworker’s suggestion. “I had been working with Gary [Benton], on his team, and he told me they were looking for a foreman. So I put in my name. I always liked to be responsible for what I do, so it seemed like a good idea.”
Now, his responsibility as a foreman extends beyond his own work. At the completion of every job, before doing the walk-through with the client, Gálvez performs his own inspection. “I make sure the whole thing is the way it’s supposed to be,” he says. “I want it to be 100% done before I go to the customer. When I see everything is right, then I go to the customer. I have to do it myself; I have to make sure it’s right. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”
Family is important to Gálvez . He and his wife have a 20-year-old daughter who needs special assistance. During the workday, Mrs. Gálvez takes the lead. But when Edilberto Gálvez goes home, he steps in. “My wife takes care of [our daughter] during the day, so I want to give her a break,” he says. “I spend time with her when I’m not working; we go to the mall, be together.”
He sees the same emphasis on family at H.J. Holtz & Son. “One of the things I like about Holtz is that it’s a family business,” Gálvez says. “We are busy year-round. There’s always something to do.”
Happy anniversary, Edilberto!