Inspiration isn’t just about a thank you card or personal recognition – the inspiration is the value of caring for people (and animals and children) under the most trying of circumstances without hesitation. This is at the core of Casago – serving people, and it is the heart of Steve Schwab, Casago founder and CEO.
Interesting fact:
Customer Service principles can be taught, but it is the value of the principle applied by the individual that makes the real difference!
In exploring the history of Casago, examples abound of caring for homeowners, guests, and the broader community. The quality of going above and beyond has been clearly noticeable within Casago since it began operations over two decades ago. These examples illustrate Steve Schwab’s concept of ¨loving on¨ your community.
At Casago’s Core
Solve the immediate problem and go the extra mile
While working the Front Desk with Ramon at the Sonoran Spa, it was a busy check-in day during peak check-in time with a pretty long line of guest check-ins. About halfway back, a couple was talking while they waited, and the wife said to her husband she would like to rent some kayaks. They made their way to check in and proceeded to the condo they rented. About 30 minutes later, they came down to report an issue with the AC. Ramon recognized them from their conversation and immediately got maintenance to repair the problem. He had heard the two of them talking while waiting in line, but with all the noise in the lobby, it would seem impossible to hear an individual conversation while helping other guests. He provided two complimentary Kayaks for the inconvenience with the A/C. You cannot imagine how much this changed from an inconvenience to a fantastic trip for them both.
Not just managing properties
Have you ever stopped what you were doing to build a house for someone in need? Steve and the Casago team did just that. There was a family of 5 living in a small room without sufficient space to house them properly. Steve and the Casago team partnered with a foundation that was starting work in Rocky Point. Casago pulled together the funds and formed a team to build the house, which they gave to the family. Can you imagine the look on these children’s faces when they saw their own rooms for the very first time?!
What matters most and doing something about it!
When most people see an injured or stranded animal on the side of the road, they look at it and think, ‘Poor little animal’ but keep driving. Steve and his son, Connor, were driving from their home in Arizona to the Casago office in Rocky Point. A small dog was wandering on the side of the road causing Steve to almost hit the animal.
Steve and Connor stopped to help the dog because she looked in bad shape and could barely walk. She was starving, just skin and bones, and she needed help to survive. Steve brought the dog to the Casago office, but they couldn’t take her home because she needed her vaccine card to cross the border. Yaneth, Steve’s Executive Assistant, kept the dog at her house, taking the dog to veterinarian appointments while nursing it back to health.
After two months of treatments and nurturing, the dog was able to travel back to the US with Steve and Connor. They named her Raphaella, and she grew up to be a beautiful dog.
The Value of Caring
A True Friend
Growing up in New Mexico Steve met Jeremy, and they became good friends. They eventually graduate and go their separate ways. Through the family grapevine, Steve learned Jeremy had leukemia and invited him and his family to Rocky Point to aid in his recovery. Life had other plans, and the trip never happened.
After Jeremy’s passing Steve made the same offer to Jeremy’s family. They accepted thinking it would be great to spend time with family in a new place on the beach. Steve met the family at the Phoenix Airport, arranged transportation, and escorted them to Rocky Point where he had them stay in his personal condominium.
Steve paid for everything from the spa to dinners, and beach activities like banana boat rides and jet skis. He showed them the best places in Rocky Point for souvenirs, took them to the Malecon, and even baked mussels.
He escorted them back to Phoenix and saw them off with a fresh sunburn and a lifetime memory of an amazing trip provided to them by a friend only Jeremy had known. The trip provided the family time to heal together, and it showed them the power of relationship between two friends that goes deeper than friendship and the power of respect for life.
When in Vallarta…sandbag?
Casago manages 100 properties in the Puerto Vallarta area. The Casago team was at their annual retreat when a hurricane hit. It had been raining 30+ hours in the mountains around the city, and another tropical depression was expected within 48 hours. The hotel where they were staying had sent most of their staff home after sandbagging the hotel to minimize flooding. What most people may not realize about a hurricane is the damage may not be from the high winds but from the storm surge or rising water caused by the heavy rains.
The Casago team from Phoenix, Rocky Point, and Vallarta left their hotel to sandbag the properties they managed to protect the property m from the flood waters. They sourced the materials, filled the bags, and together created the sandbags to protect the properties from flood water damage.
Puerto Vallarta isn’t the only destination with occasional heavy rains. When the rains come the Casago staff at the various locations do site inspections. On more than one occasion water from the heavy rains blew into the condominiums, which if left unattended, could ruin floors, walls, etc. Casago staff, acting as stewards of the owners´ property, cleans the water and dries the floors to prevent any damage.
An International Crisis – Covid Pandemic Lockdowns
While it is difficult to pinpoint an exact date, the first confirmed COVID cases in the US were reported in January 2020. Although lockdowns and restrictions varied across States and localities, several lockdowns began as early as March 2020. Puerto Peñasco closed all roads leading into the coastal area in early April 2020, and the area was locked down for several months.
The only road into the area was Highway 8 from Sonoyta, Mexico. Lukeville, AZ is the border crossing on the US side. This was used as a sanitary filter to help control the spread of the virus in Rocky Point. Anyone attempting to visit Rocky Point after the lockdown had to show proof of Rocky Point residence or be turned back. A resident of Rocky Point could leave at any time, but they were not allowed to return home without going through a 12-day quarantine at a local hotel outside the city.
In Rocky Point, only essential businesses could operate. Casago was not considered an essential business. Casago had to quickly adapt to stringent cleaning, sanitation, and flexible cancellation policies, causing a serious financial loss. Only managers were on-call to check on properties to protect the interests of the owners. Owners were informed regarding their properties, and all properties were properly sanitized before reopening.
Casago and Rocky Point are dependent on tourism to operate. In a pandemic, tourism is greatly reduced or halted. For employees, that could have devastating effects. Amid this pandemic, Casago was faced with the same financial issues as any other non-essential business impacted by the loss of tourism.
The Casago US team, led by Steve, gathered food, supplies, and funds to provide to the Casago Rocky Point team and families during the lockdown. With the funds raised, Casago helped pay the utility bills of their employees, and every employee received a weekly food basket. To maintain the positive energy inside the company, a daily online gathering with the teams was implemented to keep everyone’s spirits high.
Once the lockdowns ceased, the impact of the pandemic wasn’t over. Each employee had to be certified healthy before returning to physical work, courtesy of and at the expense of Casago. Each property had to be sanitized before it could be put back into the rental system. This was also at the expense of Casago.
Interesting fact:
Even though pandemic restrictions ceased, the vacation property rental business is still recovering from the devastating financial impact it caused. The long-term effects of the pandemic are considered to still be unfolding.
