For Domenico, relaxing isn’t watching television; it’s not reading a book; and it’s not taking a nap. For Domenico, relaxing is heading into his garden and tending to tomato plants, basil plants, fig trees and so much more.
“I enjoy gardening,” Domenico says. “I look at it as, if I go home at night what am I going to do? I love gardening. I love eating.”
Domenico works as an HVAC technician at a Boston-based C&W Services client in one of the tallest buildings our teams oversee. He serves as a day-shift technician, operating one of six industrial chillers and various building equipment in tenant spaces where service and support are needed.
He spends his days maintaining commercial HVAC equipment, but upon going home, he cares diligently for his garden, which yields two 5-gallon buckets of tomatoes a week during tomato season. He also tends to much more produce, including peaches, zucchinis and onions. His family, friends and a few lucky coworkers enjoy the fruits of his labor—he uses his bounties to make sauces and gives those same people leftover fruits and veggies.
As a child, Domenico moved to Massachusetts from Abruzzi, Italy. His passion for gardening and food stems from the acres of farmland his family owned back in Italy. This passion led him to a career in restaurant management in Boston’s North End. He worked for a number of restaurants, but realized 75-plus hours a week were taxing. A job like that isn’t sustainable or desirable as you age in life.
“There is no way you can work 75 hours a week when you’re 50 years old,” he says. “I ran the restaurant and then I said, “I have to change my life.””
Once coming to that realization, Domenico enrolled at Peterson School—a trade school that focuses on facilities services—taking HVAC courses. Meanwhile, he secured the job he has now.
“It was the best thing I ever did,” he says.
At first glance, tending to a garden and working for a Class-A office space might not have a lot in common, but after digging deeper, the connections sprout instantly—especially in Domenico’s case.
At his Boston office building, Domenico maintains and cares for the equipment—be it motors, pumps, refrigeration systems or myriad other HVAC equipment; at home, Domenico maintains and cares for the produce in his garden—eggplants, cucumbers, peppers and the list goes on.
He works hard so that both run smoothly, whether it’s bringing rosemary inside during the winter or troubleshooting a refrigeration circuit, Domenico dedicates himself equally.
Domenico is one of many stories we have from the field that demonstrate how our team’s culture is the backbone of our service delivery success.
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