English as a Second Language
CBR Painting Inc. provides a community and bright future for its employees
In 2001, Carlos DosReis was working as a salesman and dancer at a country and bluegrass club in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil when his friend Elci Campos came home for a visit and convinced him to move to the United States. She had emigrated to the U.S. a few years earlier and was convinced that Carlos could make a success of himself there, just as she had.
Elci was successful in persuading Carlos. By March 2002, 23-year-old Carlos had secured a visa to the U.S. and purchased a plane ticket. He arrived in New York City speaking no English and with only $1,000 in his pocket. Elci, her sister and her sister’s husband met Carlos at the airport and took him to Elci’s home in Taunton, Massachusetts.
Carlos purchased a car for $500 and paid Elci $300 for rent. He knew he had to start working immediately or he would soon run out of money. After a few disappointing attempts to secure work, Carlos found a job as a house painter, working for a man named Teder Skiba in Summerville, Massachusetts.
An Entrepreneurial Spirit
Before long, Carlo’s sales training came into good use. He realized that Teder was not doing enough to promote his business and convinced him to print and distribute business cards. His instinct was correct. Carlos secured five new jobs for Teder by handing out only 20 cards.
After a year and a half, Carlos was ready to start his own business. He bought his own van, printed business cards and before long he had a stream of residential work lined up. But this early success was not without its hardships. On his first job, the wind blew over a ladder he had left leaning against an exterior wall, and it crashed into a brand-new car, damaging its windshield. Although he was insured, the accident meant that Carlos had to spend his first paycheck covering the deductible amount required by his insurance policy.
Undeterred, Carlos began successfully targeting homeowners in newly built developments. Soon, he was earning enough to buy a house, and he formalized his company and named it CBR Painting Inc. He built his business to the point where he needed to hire seven painters to work for him. These employees included several new immigrants from Brazil, who he trained to be leaders in their own right.
“I had seven or eight friends who I trained while they were working with me and now they own their own companies,” Carlos says. “One of them is my cousin from Brazil. He is happy and I am happy.”
A Game-Changer
In 2015, Carlos’ friend, Paul Anastasio of Wire Boston, Inc., asked him for a favor. Paul had a friend who needed help restoring his home for himself and his five children, but he didn’t have the money to pay for it. Paul had agreed to help the man with wiring the electrical service for free, and Carlos agreed to do the same for painting, including the cost of materials.
When the job was complete, Paul wanted to thank Carlos for his generosity. Paul put Carlos in touch with a salesperson at The Blue Book Building and Construction Network. That salesperson helped him secure his first job for Nauset Construction, a general contractor based in Needham, Massachusetts, which entailed spray painting the outside of a commercial building. Through this network, Carlos began winning work with more commercial clients for much higher fees than his residential jobs.
Carlos was awarded several more jobs with Nauset Construction and many more with similar commercial contractors. In three years, CBR Painting Inc. grew to a crew of over 30 workers. Now, Carlos has a full slate of jobs already lined up for next year.
“The Blue Book changed my life,” Carlos says.
A Passion Project
Carlos was introduced over the internet to his Brazilian wife, Michele DosReis, through a mutual friend in 2011. After two years and five trips to and from Brazil to see her, Carlos convinced Michelle to marry him and join him in the United States.
In Brazil, Michele held an administrative role in an accounting firm. When she arrived in the U.S., her first priority was to learn English. Within three years, she was ready to relaunch her career. She saw that the owner of a language center near their home in Rockland, Massachusetts was looking for a partner to join the business. She and Carlos went to meet with the owner of what was then called the Luxe Learning Center. But instead of offering to join her as a partner, they asked to buy the language center from her outright.
“We have a Brazilian saying that translates to something like, ‘Close the door, everything inside belongs to us,’” says Carlos, remembering the boldness of their offer. After some consideration, the owner accepted.
“She said, ‘It looks like you and your wife would do a nice job for our community. We have a lot of different cultures here that need help. People here need to learn to speak English,’” Carlos says.
By February 2017, Carlos and Michele opened the doors to their new learning center and welcomed 23 registered students. Now, a year and a half later, they have enrolled 200 students, including half of CBR Painting Inc.’s Brazilian workforce. With improved English language skills, Carlos’ employees are better equipped for their job. They can communicate with contractors, buy materials and accelerate their careers in the U.S. like Carlos did himself.
In February 2018, Carlos was granted American citizenship, after 16 years of being in the country. “It feels good to be able to support yourself and your family, and it feels good to help others,” Carlos says.
A Success Story
When Carlos and Michele opened Go Up Learning Center, the first person they hired was William Butler, a teacher and teaching coordinator who immediately understood and admired their vision for the school.
“Carlos and Michele focused on making a good impression,” says William. “Before it was just a place where people went to learn English, but when they took over they thought out branding—a color scheme with a logo—implemented a dress code with uniforms for teachers and started giving out t-shirts to students so there’s more of a sense of school spirit,’ he says.
The pair goes to great lengths to make the center welcoming. They put snacks out in the break areas each day and updated the amenities and technology in the building. They established business partnerships so that students could get discounts for retailers in the area.
“When you come here, you feel like you’re part of an academic community,” William says.
All of this effort is to help immigrants truly feel a part of their adopted community and country and to allow them to understand the great opportunities that learning English will enable them to have.
As a true leader, Carlos has decided to demonstrate this important lesson through his own example. Even after gaining citizenship and running a successful business, Carlos still continues to religiously attend William’s weekly class. He says he can always continue to improve himself—and his ability to comprehend and speak English.