You don’t often hear about siblings working together, and we have a feeling if you know of any, it might not be the friendliest of relationships or very long lasting. That’s not the case with our favorite brothers at Sams Carpet Cleaning and Repairs, Phil and Nik Carrino. These brothers have worked together for over 11 years at Sams and they still like each other!
To celebrate family, we decided for this month’s employee spotlight to highlight Phil and Nik and learn what it’s like for siblings to work together for so many years.
Q: How did you guys end up at Sams, how long have you been here and what are your job title/roles?
Nik: I’ve been here for 14 years, I saw a Sams Van in my apartment buildings parking lot all the time and knew that they did good work. I reached out to them to see if they were hiring and lucky for me, they were! I am the Water Restoration Manager and I often work with the Insurance Companies to help families quickly get their homes back into shape. If you ever have water damage or flooding, I’m your guy!
Phil: I’ve worked here for 11 years. I saw how happy my brother was working here so when I found out they were hiring, I jumped on it. I started out as a Technician, but I am now the Training Manager and Technician Specialist.
Q: Why Sams? What is about Sams that makes us different and special?
Nik: It really does feel like a family, and I’m not just saying that because I work with my brother every day. We look out for each other, we have the support of the other employees and we care for our customers as though they were family. For customers, I believe they really feel that difference and know they can trust us. Customer satisfaction is huge, we go above and beyond to make sure each customer is happy and taken care of to the best of our capabilities.
Phil: It’s not a big, faceless organization. Jeff and Susan get to know all of the employees on a personal level, which I think is pretty unusual. They even attended my wedding last year, and it was wonderful to have them there to celebrate with us!
Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Sams?
Phil: Definitely the people. It’s a fun work environment, relaxed and culture is huge. I also love the Sams commitment to the community and organizations that are important to employees.
Nik: I agree 100%, Jeff and Susan sponsor me at Bike MS each year and I’m extremely grateful for their support. We have fun coming to work every day and it feels laid back and comfortable, we can be ourselves and know that we have the support of everyone we work with. We enjoy coming to work, which is something we know not everyone outside of Sams can say about their jobs.
Q: Any favorite or memorable client stories?
Nik: There’s too many over the years. I love getting to know our customers, some of them have been using Sams for years and have known my brother and I since we started. We’ve even had several ladies make us cakes and snacks when we come out to their house because they’re happy to see us and that we came out to help.
Phil: It’s always my favorite when I see a homeowner’s reaction when they see their freshly cleaned carpet that they thought was beyond repair. Knowing that we helped them and possibly saved them the headache and giant bill of getting new carpet is amazing.
Q: So, the ultimate question. What’s it like working together as brothers?
Nik: Well, it’s certainly had its ups and downs. We used to live together AND work together, and we got tired of each other pretty quick. Once we moved out and lived separately, it was awesome! We get to hang out and catch up every day in small doses, which is the perfect amount.
Phil: I have to look at his face everyday… that can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. But really, it’s pretty cool to work with your brother and know you have his support.
So there you have it, a closer look at our favorite brothers. Thank you to Phil and Nik for taking the time to talk to us and give us an inside look their lives at Sams Carpet Cleaning and Repairs. Stay tuned for our next employee spotlight!
