The Chronicles Of Aspirations:
Brandon Laster
Winter of 2020
Mr. Brandon Laster at work at Enviro-Master.
(Photograph was provided courtesy of Mr. Laster.)
Many Americans return home each year from jails and prisons throughout our country. Each typically faces a number of challenges upon return. Obtaining a job is one of the biggest difficulties.
Mr. Brandon Laster was one of those American citizens returning home. He was serving eight years at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth in Kansas because of bank fraud. Rather than waiting until he was released to try to find a job, he began a campaign to gain employment even before he was released from prison. He hand wrote letters to the chief executive officers of dozens of businesses and organizations.
He succeeded in getting considered for jobs by several of the businesses. He chose to go to work as an employee at a franchise of Enviro-Master in Chicago in 2018. Mr. Laster explained that he saw the offer from Enviro-Master as a career opportunity – not just as a job. In the following year, with the help of his father providing initial capital, Mr. Laster was able to become part-owner of the franchise. Today, he and his father are partners in the franchise.
Mr. Richard McDonough recently asked Mr. Laster about the challenges he faced, how he overcame some of the difficulties faced by others, and his aspirations as a business. Here follows the questions and answers.
Richard McDonough (RM): Describe a difficulty you faced as you built your business and how you resolved that challenge.
Brandon Laster (BL): We are a franchise-based business, so our corporate team supports us on any arising difficulties. However, finding and hiring the best team players is always a challenge. We’ve taken the unorthodox approach of seeking out individuals from all walks of life including those with “less desirable” backgrounds. (We believe that there is an overlooked talent pool of unemployed individuals walking amongst us every day). We’ve utilized our “open minded canvas” to strengthen our workforce and decrease employee turnover.
RM: Describe a difficulty in your life, outside of business, and how you resolved that challenge.
BL: My difficulties came in the form of wanting instant gratification versus delayed. My immediate thinking had me under the false impression that working hard wasn’t a byproduct of success. The reality is, in order to be successful, you must roll up your sleeves and get dirty. Now I’m involved in every facet of the business from front office to back office operations.
RM: Describe a success you achieved as you built/are building your business and how that success was achieved.
BL: Our executive team is fortunate in that we all share a common vision for this organization coupled with the expertise to accomplish our goals. That being said, all of our decisions are collective, and we evaluate each of them before coming to a final conclusion. This complements the “team building philosophy” and adds a flavorful dose of creativity within our organization.
RM: Describe a success you achieved in your life, outside of business, and how that success was achieved.
BL: For me, being part of a successful franchise system whereas it felt as if the corporate team was more like family than a business spectator was most important. I had heard the horror stories and was aware of corporations that offered little if any help. The founder and CEO of Enviro-Master, Pat Swisher, and the entire corporate office embraced me with open arms. Their willingness to extend all of their support behind us has insured our overall success. Aligning yourself with the proper franchise is critical to your success.
RM: Detail someone who helped you when times were difficult, what that assistance involved, and how that assistance helped you.
BL: I have a personal mentor named Randy Johnson who lives his life devoted to the service of others. He has helped me with the inevitable, but daunting task of becoming a man. His guidance has helped me in the arena of spirituality, leadership, and being a Good Samaritan. Whenever I’ve had issues “large or small” Randy has been there as a friend, father and mentor who won’t give up on you until you’ve grown out of whatever situation that’s currently pressing. He is truly one of our Lord’s most courageous and loving creations.
RM: Explain what you aspire to do with your life today. Is/are those aspirations of today different from your aspirations earlier in life?
BL: My main goal is to build my business so that I can facilitate the hiring of “less fortunate” individuals and help them achieve “some if not all” of their financial aspirations. A few years back, I would have thought that a business is all about making you money. Now I understand that it’s about protecting your employees, providing for your community and believing in yourself.
RM: How do you describe leadership?
BL: Leadership is the greatest responsibility. It entails being a model for others and setting the standard of where you want your organization to go during your tenure and afterwards. To lead is to have a vision that is foreseeable by the individuals you are communicating with, then inspiring them to achieve those goals as if they created them themselves.
RM: Describe what your business does. Your services. Has it grown, decreased in size, or been stable in revenue and operations? Provide specifics (revenue, number of clients, etc.) when possible.
BL: Enviro-Master Services, is a disease prevention and odor control company, specializing in the safety and sanitation of commercial and public restrooms. Our tag line is “We kill the germs that kill your business”. Public restrooms have a cesspool of infectious diseases including influenza, MRSA, E. coli, salmonella, and a host of other harmful bacteria. What we do is protect your business and your brand by protecting your employees and your customers. Our franchise has grown substantially. We have a customer base of 700 plus in the Chicagoland area with revenues north of $1.9 million dollars.
RM: What advice would you give a man in today's world? Would that advice be different depending on the age of the man? Would that advice be different if the man was African-American or Hispanic-American? Would that advice be different if the man was in business or if he was in government service, going to school, or in another place in life?
BL: All men were created equal and the message is the same across the board. “Never compromise when it comes to your dreams, ambitions or life goals.” If there is something you want to achieve, don’t look for excuses of why you are not where you want to be. Instead start searching to find the steps you need to take to get to your destination. We are our biggest motivators and supporters, if we focus on where we need to be, and don’t rely on excuses to deter our locomotive and get us off track we will get there. “Always believe in yourself!”
RM: What role do you view education as compared to real-world experience in leadership?
BL: A formal education is a necessity when it comes to running any successful business or organization. You can learn certain things behind the desk or out in the field, but real world experience is synonymous with classroom experience as well. “Don’t ever cheat yourself” as you want the edge to benefit you in any scenario. Having the benefit of the classroom experience and the leadership that comes with running a morally-motivated front office is an in-demand attribute.
Mr. Benjamin Laster, to the right, invested with his son, Mr. Brandon Laster in the Enviro-Master franchise in Chicago. “The initial investment was made at my son’s urging,” stated Mr. Benjamin Laster. “The decision was made to further invest based upon the opportunity to have greater family involvement or in this case legacy.” (Photograph was provided courtesy of Mr. Brandon Laster.)
Mr. Brandon Laster sent letters to a number of businesses seeking a job upon his release from prison.
He sent one of those letters to Mr. Pat Swisher, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Enviro-Master.
(Photo was provided courtesy of Enviro-Master.)
Mr. Swisher was familiar with the difficulties people face when they are released from prison as he had been incarcerated and served time behind bars years earlier. Thus, when returning citizens asked for help, Mr. Swisher was willing to consider their individual situations.
“All the letters I received from inmates were request for employment,” explained Mr. Swisher. “Most importantly I tried to get to know the inmate as a person to determine if they were serious in starting a new career, and did they accept responsibility for their actions. I responded to all the letters I received and tried to determine (through the mail) if any of the positions we had fit the individual’s personality and background. If I felt that there may be a favorable match, I would send the inmate a personality test which we give to all applicants to determine which positions best fit their personality.”
“In Brandon’s case we had corresponded for months prior to discussing an employment position,” Mr. Swisher continued. “From the months of correspondence, I felt like Brandon was a good person who had made a mistake, accepted responsibility, paid his dues, learned his lesson, and deserved a second chance. Testing revealed Brandon’s personality fit a sales position we had available in his hometown of Chicago. Unfortunately, most inmates have limited resources which limits the positions they can accept straight out of prison. For example, do they need a car, a driver license, etc. Fortunately for Brandon he had a family in Chicago which helped him get settled and started in his new position.”
Copy of the initial response letter sent from Mr. Pat Swisher to Mr. Brandon Laster.
(Image was provided courtesy of Mr. Laster.)
Here are some criminal justice facts from the United States Department of Justice:
An estimated 6,613,500 persons were under correctional supervision – incarcerated as well as supervised in the community on probation or parole – in the USA on December 31, 2016. Of that number, about 2,162,400 people were incarcerated in prisons and local jails in the USA in 2016.
At least 95% of all State prisoners will be released from prison at some point, according to a study published in 2002.
A recidivism study in 1994 estimated that within 3 years, 51.8% of prisoners released during the year were back in prison either because of a new crime for which they received another prison sentence, or because of a technical violation of their parole.
Among discharges from State parole in 1999, 39% of males successfully completed parole supervision compared to 48% of females.
Success rates were higher among discharges from State parole in 1999 that were age 55 years or older (54%) than among those who were under age 25 years (36%).
About 41% of inmates in the Nation’s State and Federal prisons and local jails in 1997 and 31% of probationers had not completed high school or its equivalent, according to a study in 2003. In comparison, 18% of the general population age 18 years or older had not finished the 12th grade.
In 2015, the imprisonment rate for black adults was 1,745 persons for every 100,000 Americans. The imprisonment rate for Hispanic adults was 820 per 100,000 in the same year; for white adults, the imprisonment rate was 312 per 100,000 in 2015.
If you know of an individual with aspirations,
please contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofaspirations@gmail.com.
Your suggestion may be used in a future news column.
© 2020 Richard McDonough