{"id":84576,"date":"2025-04-24T19:07:44","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casago.com\/rocky-point\/?p=84576"},"modified":"2025-05-02T17:40:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T17:40:18","slug":"martha-delia-valencia-velasco-casago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quotes.casago.com\/rocky-point\/martha-delia-valencia-velasco-casago\/","title":{"rendered":"Martha Delia Valencia Velasco Sees the Heart at Casago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Relato en espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Martha Delia Valencia Velasco of Casago Rocky Point<\/a> is endearing to everyone she meets. With over 20 years working in housekeeping for Casago, she affectionately greets all around her with a \u2018C\u00f3mo est\u00e1s, mu\u00f1eco? \u2026mi hermosa, mi\u2019hija\u2019 \u2013 <\/span>How are you, handsome? \u2026my beautiful, my child.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Martha\u2019s beaming smile and infectious laugh, paired with wide-eyed wonder when recalling the many stories she\u2019s experienced with Casago, make it easy to wade through her on-and-off-again stutter. Her admiration for Steve Schwab, founder of Casago (formerly SeaSide), is palpable. So, too, are her vivid memories of working with the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Over the decades, Martha has remained steadfast in her commitment to performing her work well. This has entailed learning and discovering a new appreciation for family and her coworkers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Drawn to hospitality<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Originally from Guadalajara, Martha and her family came to Puerto Pe\u00f1asco in 1992. Before housekeeping, she was no stranger to hospitality, having worked briefly as a bartender. In exploring other opportunities, Martha began working as a housekeeper at the Marina Pinacate condos, where Esthela Hernandez was the manager.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was around that time, when Esthela left her role at the Pinacate condos, that Martha met Steve Schwab<\/a>. As she describes it, \u201cThat\u2019s when Steve started with Cyndi\u2019s Beach Rentals in the office next to the pizzas (on Blvd. Juarez)\u2026I forget about dates, but I remember everything. Steve had separated from two other partners and formed SeaSide, and the offices were in the plaza in front of the Pinacate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As companies shifted, Steve stepped in, offering Martha a place at SeaSide. \u201cI feel proud,\u201d her eyes sparkle, \u201cBecause he offered me a job, I didn\u2019t ask for it. He said, – If you\u2019d like to work for my company, the door is open for you -\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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In Casago\u2019s history<\/a> in Rocky Point, this would\u2019ve been in\u00a0 2003 when another property management company seemingly disappeared overnight. Martha recalls, \u201cIt was in December, just before Christmas. Steve stepped in to support the employees and me, so we wouldn\u2019t be left without work, and so as to not cancel rentals. Some of the owners helped with food baskets, as there were many of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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First Impressions<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Curiously, Martha met Steve\u2019s mother first. Martha recalls she would accompany her daughter to beachside RV parks in the area to sell handcrafted wreaths. She has fond memories of meeting Steve’s mother, stating, \u201cShe was very kind, she invited us in, gave us water\u2026Steve comes from good stock.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Martha\u2019s first impressions of Steve surprised even herself as she observed him guiding the company. \u201cWow,\u201d she sighs, \u201cI had a very different impression of gringos\u2026but when I would observe him, and see how he really was\u2026his priority was work, honesty, respect, and tolerance.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She focuses on an experience from early at the Princesa de Pe\u00f1asco<\/a> condos. Steve had gathered the entire staff at the clubhouse to address \u2013 through an interpreter – the importance of being honest, taking owners into consideration, and not abusing the owners\u2019 trust. \u201cThis gave me a good impression of him,\u201d she details, \u201cthat he got us all together to speak directly to us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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In another example, she describes how she would pick up extra hours in the evenings, washing linens in the laundry behind the main office near the Pinacate condos. She isn\u2019t sure if he realized she was there, but Martha remembers astutely watching Steve put in late hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOne of the times, Steve was working, and wow, the impression it made on me!\u00a0 Such admiration. He was working and he had his son\u2019s baby-carrier next to him while he worked; the baby would cry and he\u2019d reach down to give him his pacifier, or like this (making a rocking motion). It impacted me tremendously because, for me, gringos were cold and not affectionate, but that impacted me. I learned through him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Martha was equally impressed by Steve\u2019s tenaciousness, explaining that when he knew an owner was there, he\u2019d grab his portfolio and knock on doors, offering his services. \u201cI say this because I saw him with new owners,\u201d she confirms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A dose of humor<\/h3>\n

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Martha starts giggling as she recalls the early days, whispering, \u201cSome guys gave him a nickname\u2026not me\u2026but some of the others. They would call him <\/span>chancl\u00f3n<\/span><\/i> (big sandals). But he didn\u2019t wear sandals, he wore huaraches that looked like they were too big for his feet. Well, all the gringos do that \u2026 always, always \u2026I\u2019ve seen gringos wearing huaraches and their toes only reach to here (she points). But Steve, he was happy with his huaraches that were too big for his feet; he was content.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Examples of Martha\u2019s interactions with the Casago founder over the years are numerous. There\u2019s the time he introduced her to an owner and asked for her impression of the new condo. Her eyes were quickly drawn to a mirror with a handcrafted wooden frame depicting a small ranch scene, which she adored. Just as notable was a large, heavy trunk in the living room, which she did not find as appealing. She told the owner in her broken English, \u201cThis is not good for here, because maybe it\u2019s not good for the kids\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Martha laughs as she tells the story, \u201cThe owner told me, \u2018No, everything here is fine,\u2019 and the boss just looked at me. \u2018Ah yes, everything is beautiful,\u2019 I said. The boss never called me up again, haha!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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That condo was eventually sold, and the mirror with the frame went with it, \u201cBut guess what stayed?!\u201d she exclaims, \u201cThat trunk! And nothing\u2019s ever happened to it with the kids. It\u2019s still there!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Martha Delia Valencia Velasco: The Observant Storyteller\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Martha is a storyteller at heart. Her tales are bursting with observations mixed with tangents and humor, and she is firm about her dedication to Steve and the company.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI would tell him,\u201d she details, \u201cyou\u2019re going to do something big here, because of your tenacity of going and knocking on doors.\u201d She starts laughing, \u201cHe doesn\u2019t knock on doors anymore, now it\u2019s all over video calls; he doesn\u2019t walk around as much, but sometimes he still wears his huaraches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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This same encouraging spirit is present with every affectionate <\/span>\u201cmu\u00f1eco, mu\u00f1eca, chiquito\u201d <\/span><\/i>term Martha uses to warmly address staff throughout the company, \u201cEven if I don\u2019t really know them, I like to be kind and say \u2013 whether to men or women \u2013 they are all beautiful. I have always said, you are all valuable, trust in yourselves and in what you can give. You are not lesser than anyone else; there can be someone else like you, but never more than you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Over the years, as a housekeeper with Casago, Martha has seen generations come and go. She longingly recalls how, at one time, the company would give out awards and pins to staff, based on renters\u2019 feedback. \u201cOh,\u201d she sighs, \u201cI lost the two pins I had, and I can\u2019t really say what they looked like as I can\u2019t distinguish figures that well, but I had two.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She relates how her daughter became one of her assistants, how her late mother joined the Casago team by knocking 10 years off her age, and how her coworkers stepped up with activities to help her at a crucial time. Martha also goes into rapid detail of how the Mexico Children\u2019s Foundation<\/a>, founded by Steve Schwab, has helped families of fellow coworkers with medical problems. She describes how Steve would do a fundraising walk from Phoenix to Rocky Point for the Foundation, and how she was part of a group that went to meet him one year, along with the then mayor.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t