life was forever altered when his Father and
Grandfather were murdered during the civil war in El Salvador.
Daniel was forced to give up his childhood and go to work to
help support his family. At age 15 he began saving extra money
for his immigration to America, not because he wanted to become
the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, but because he knew he would be
able to make a higher wage and provide for his family, so he
could get a job in the United States and send the money home to
El Salvador. By the time he was 20 he had saved a little over
half the cost of his travel and his uncle who was already in
America sent him the remaining portion.
After a long and grueling
trek, Daniel arrived in Santa Ana California. He lived with his
uncle and 11 other people in a small one bedroom apartment.
After a few days he came across an Ad for American Preferred
Inc., a janitorial service company, and was hired on the spot.
He worked hard and was promoted to manager a few short years
later. Daniel also enrolled in ESL classes, determined to gain
the language skills that would allow him to move ahead, whatever
business venture he pursued.
About a year into
Daniel's
career with America's Preferred Inc., President and CEO Greg
Cantrell started a subsidiary carpet cleaning company called
1-800 DRYCARPET, and invited Daniel to be one of its first Authorized
Agents. Following the unprecedented popularity of
1-800 DRYCARPET, Daniel found himself with so much business that
he needed to hire two Assistants just to service all the
requests he was receiving daily.
At some point during the ten
years since his immigration, Daniel decided that his lifestyle
and the opportunities in America were far beyond what he could
hope for and he decided he would not return to El Salvador. He
helped his sister make her way to California, he met and married
his wife and they now have a baby daughter and have purchased a
beautiful home in Santa Ana.
Daniel’s work ethic and
professional integrity has continued to provide him with greater
opportunities along the way. 1-800 DRYCARPET has, since he was
hired, transitioned into a franchised company and offered Daniel
four premiere franchise areas located in Orange County,
CA.
In a day and age where
stereotypes and generalizations about immigrants pervade our
society, its refreshing to hear stories like Daniel’s, that
reflect the American ideal, rewarding hard work and building a
life and family from scratch.
