We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mario Hernandez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mario , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
The Desert United Luncheons started in 2007 when I noticed the housing market crash and the economic downturn that impacted local businesses and entrepreneurs. I always felt sad when businesses go down and people don’t do well because it affects all of us; especially families and their children. I wanted to be a part of the recovery efforts to help keep good people working. My team and I decided to gather our resources to help fellow businessmen and women, by creating the Desert United Luncheons and providing local business owners and professionals a place to network and build business relationships and friendships.
We have celebrated our 16th year hosting these monthly luncheons and average 80-150 attendees each month. We bring together professionals, retailers, hospitality businesses, contractors, service providers, nonprofits, and college students with one important goal: to network and build good relationships. Every individual at a luncheon table has three minutes to share their business story with their tablemates. Each month’s luncheon highlights a different nonprofit as its guest speaker with the intention of raising awareness about the nonprofit’s good works. The speaker is offered the opportunity to share what is needed for the nonprofit to support and succeed in its mission.
I believe in being inclusive from the East side of town to the West side of town, and everybody in between. I want us all to succeed and prosper and I am fortunate and blessed to say that for all these years we’ve been running this luncheon with the help of my family to pay it forward to our community. My mission is to continue to provide these luncheons with hopes that we’re also leading by example to future generations, highlighting the importance of networking and building relationships. We all need good resources and we all need each others support to have a better community. Please visit desertunited.com to know more about what we do and how you can attend.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Mario’s Tile Care and Concrete Cleaning: I started my journey as a general manager of a 5-star restaurant in Rancho Mirage in 1989, when I realized the 9,000 sq ft Mexican Saltillo paver flooring was in dire need of restoration and cleaning. I researched the options in order to restore the once beautiful natural paver flooring back to its original luster and shine. Along with my brothers Mark and Michael, and my cousin Raul, we decided to take on the challenge to strip, clean and reseal the floors ourselves.
After the successful restoration, compliments flooded in from customers throughout the valley. A new business idea was sparked. Mr. and Mrs. Forest and Glenda Wikoff approached me to see if I could restore the pavers at their Rancho Mirage home and after seeing the restaurant floors, they became the very first customers of Mario’s Tile Care and Concrete Cleaning.
Building this family-owned business took 10 years while working during their off hours and no real marketing efforts were made- just word of mouth. We’re proud to say that 85% of our business is still referrals.
In 1996, I hung up my GM role to solely dedicate my efforts to the now thriving family tile care business with my wife and business partner, Maru. I obtained my contractor’s license and worked diligently to research everything stone and tile-related, as well as maintenance and restoration applications. I turned my customer service attitude into a thriving, locally owned tile care business located in the heart of Coachella Valley.
Today my family business has grown to serve over 20,000 satisfied customers and has proudly worked with homeowners and businesses for more than 35 years. My attention to detail, business ethics, and pride in quality have proven to result in thousands of satisfied customers. and I couldn’t be more proud of my business, my family, and my team.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
As a business owner, I embarked on the journey of establishing a small business named “Mario’s Tile Care and Concrete Cleaning ” 35 years ago. Over the years, I have been exceedingly fortunate to have employed a team of nine individuals, most of whom are members of my own family.
As a small business owner, I deeply understand the role that relationships play in our industry. At Mario’s Tile Care, our primary objective is to ensure that everyone on our team shares the commitment to the importance of taking pride in their work and paying attention to detail. Our approach to serving our clients begins with a phone call from a potential client where I then arrange an appointment to provide a free estimate and consultation. Punctuality is of utmost importance to us, and I make it a point to arrive on time. Lastly, I make it clear to our potential clients that, whether or not they choose to hire our services, I am more than willing to share valuable tips on maintaining their floors, counters, or showers. I then provide them with a written proposal detailing everything that we have suggested and spoken about during the estimate. This approach minimizes the risk of misunderstandings, a crucial factor in our success. We firmly believe in delivering on our promises, consistently showing up as scheduled, and producing outstanding results. Our commitment extends to going above and beyond to exceed our clients’ expectations.
Once the job is complete, I conduct a walkthrough with our clients to ensure their satisfaction and address any concerns they may have. Our confidence in our team’s capabilities and our strong work ethics are underscored by our policy of not requiring deposits upfront. Our ultimate goal is client satisfaction, and we trust that our performance and dedication will lead to compensation.
We hope that their satisfaction will lead to repeat business, referrals to others, and positive reviews. We are immensely proud of our track record, with over 500 five-star reviews, and we were honored with the “Best of the Best” recognition national award. Our commitment to consistent quality, transparency, and client satisfaction drives us and helps maintain our positive reputation.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Environment Protection Solutions: In 2019, when the pandemic was officially announced, we all faced an unprecedented level of uncertainty. We didn’t know whether we’d have job security, our safety, or our health amidst the ongoing crisis. Fortunately, I consider myself very fortunate to have seen an opportunity to make a positive impact during these challenging times. That’s when I decided to launch a disinfecting business aimed at providing a much-needed service to essential businesses such as medical clinics, hospitals, restaurants, and grocery stores.
My primary goal was to help these essential establishments maintain a safer and healthier working environment for their staff and customers. For about a year and a half, we diligently carried out this vital mission. As word spread about the services we were providing, we gained recognition, including an article by the USA TODAY network. This article went viral, further boosting our visibility and credibility.
This success opened up new avenues for us, allowing us to extend our assistance to businesses in other states facing similar challenges. At a time when many were struggling to secure work, we successfully pivoted our efforts to disinfecting businesses, offering them a sense of security and peace of mind in knowing that their spaces were clean and safe during these uncertain times.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.4tilecare.com , www.desertunited.com
- Instagram: 4tilecare
- Facebook: Mario’s TilecAre & Concrete Cleaning , Desert United
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/4tilecare/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/marios-tile-care-and-concrete-cleaning-rancho-mirage-2?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)