The COVID-19 pandemic has made it evident that a clean and sanitary environment is essential to a safe and healthy workplace. Now more than ever, the two million workers in the U.S. custodial industry are shouldering a critical responsibility.

For over 15 years, PRIDE Industries has provided custodial and environmental services to private, public, and military customers. Our dedicated employees, including thousands with disabilities, are responsible for our success.

Martha Sanchez, a custodian in Monterey, California, exemplifies PRIDE Industries’ standards of excellence. Since 2017, she’s worked hard to keep the Defense Language Institute (DLIFLC) sparkling clean. Located at the Presidio of Monterey, the Institute is part of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, and is one of the top U.S. schools for foreign language instruction. It provides education in more than a dozen languages to U.S. Armed Forces members.

Martha waxes floors, cleans rooms and offices, shampoos carpets, and empties trash receptacles. By contributing to the facility’s health and safety, she supports our nation’s military service members as they train to carry out crucial communications across the world.

For Martha, working at the Institute is more than a job. She takes pride “in keeping our customers happy, adhering to stringent cleaning standards, and sharing the special feeling of teamwork.” As she says: “I continually receive positive feedback from the customers after I finish cleaning their office or work areas.” Indeed, Martha has received several compliments from the Institute’s staff for her adroit cleaning and friendly attitude.

Martha credits PRIDE Industries’ personalized training and job coaching for helping her become the valuable employee she is today.

“My job coaches have trained me to become an expert in my field,” explained Martha. “My job means everything to me! It even motivated me to get my driver’s license to obtain reliable transportation. My goal is to advance in my career and to train for a leadership position. As an essential worker, I feel good about keeping our military members safe during the pandemic.”

“We all appreciate Martha’s reliability and her can-do attitude,” said Janitorial Supervisor Rita McKim. “She always goes above and beyond.”