Where she comes from
Letty Miranda, President
Transcript of the film Where she comes from, Letty Miranda
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Twenty-eight years, one owner
United Facilities Group was founded in Santa Clara in 1998 by Al Cuevas, eleven years after his first cleaning job. It has stayed family-owned since, through the technology and healthcare contracts that built it, the services it added, and the people it promoted.
The story
A janitor's company, told in the years that mattered
Scroll through it. Every chapter is a photograph from the family album or the field, and every one of them is still true of how the company runs today.
Al, in his school years, with his classmates. 1987 A junior in high school takes a janitor's job
Al Cuevas is still in school when he takes his first cleaning job. He learns the work the way UFG still teaches it: on the floor, at night, with someone who checks it in the morning and says what was missed.
Every manager here started on a crew. So did the founder.
Al with his mother on graduation day. 1996 District manager
Nine years in, Al runs crews and accounts for someone else as a district manager. He keeps a list of what he would do differently: the same crew on the same building, one manager who answers the phone, and a weekly walk that catches a miss before the client does.
The list became the company.
The Cuevas family. 1998 United Facilities Group is founded in Santa Clara
Al opens UFG in Santa Clara, at the core of Silicon Valley, with his family behind him. It is family-owned from the first contract and it still is: the person who sets the standard is the person who started on the floor.
We do not answer to shareholders or a fund.
A UFG technician on a maintenance call. 2009 One contract, one account manager
Clients ask for more than cleaning. Building maintenance and facilities management join janitorial under one account manager, one weekly audit and one work-order portal, so a building has one number to call.
Start with one service. Add the rest when you want.
An account manager with a client. 2012 Major partners
UFG becomes the facility partner for major technology companies and healthcare providers in the Bay Area: campuses that never stop and hospitals that clean to infection-control rules. The same crew standard holds from a lab to a lobby.
Seven-figure contracts are won on the weekly audit, not the proposal.
UFG landscapers at an office campus. 2022 Landscaping joins the services
Clients ask for the same crew standard outside the building. Landscaping and grounds join the services: lawns, trees, irrigation and seasonal colour on the same weekly report as the floors inside.
One report for the whole site.
Al Cuevas with the team. Today Two offices, six regions, crews in each
Santa Clara runs the Bay Area and the Central Valley; the Monterey office runs the coast. The management team is mostly promoted from the crew, and the founder still runs the company he started with a mop.
Meet the team. Then meet your account manager.
Where she comes from
Letty Miranda on a long line of janitors, and Pete Velez on thirty-five years with Al. 57 and 27 seconds.
Thirty-five years with Al
Pete Velez, Facilities ManagerTranscript of the film Thirty-five years with Al, Pete Velez
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Family-owned, and why it matters to a client
We do not answer to shareholders or a fund. The person who sets the standard is the person who started on the floor, and the people who run your account report to him. That is why we can promise the same crew, the same account manager and the same weekly audit for years rather than a contract cycle.
“At United Facilities Group, we believe in delivering more than just services. We deliver trust, accountability and results. Our commitment to quality assurance is not just about meeting standards; it is about exceeding them to create lasting partnerships with our clients.”
CEO and Founder
People
Everyone on the team
Hover or tap a sphere to meet a teammate. Choose View profile. Choose a name in the team list below to open a profile.
- Executive team
- Corporate team
- Field team
Executive team (3)
Corporate team (12)
Questions people ask
When was UFG founded?
In 1998, in Santa Clara, California.
Who owns UFG?
Al Cuevas, the founder. The company is privately held and family-owned, and certified as a Minority Business Enterprise.
When did you add landscaping?
In 2022, at clients' request.