On this episode of After the Bell, the official podcast of Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, we welcome Brian “Cruz” Cruz, lead custodial technician at Groves High School in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, recently named a finalist for the district’s 2027 Instructional Support Person of the Year.

Cruz explains “white glove service” as consistency, accountability, attention to detail, and a customer-service mindset that supports students, staff, families, community members, and vendors by ensuring campuses feel clean, safe, and cared for. He shares his path from concierge work in New York and New Jersey to Savannah and discusses how student diversity and mutual respect shape his work, including students using service hours to help when the team is short-staffed.

Cruz highlights pride in positive feedback from events like the CTAE Success Expo and advises aspiring school support professionals to pursue excellence, professionalism, and education to advance in operations roles.

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FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Show Intro

00:28 Meet Cruz

01:31 White Glove Mindset

02:35 From New York

04:22 Award Recognition

05:55 Custodial Day To Day

07:23 Lessons From Students

09:15 Best Part Of Job

10:35 Career Advice

14:16 Closing And District Info