Tampa International Love Story

Angela Villavicencio and Gonzalo Martin have been together for 12 years, but Angela spent five of those in the U.S. waiting for Gonzalo to receive permission to leave Cuba.

Though they spent plenty of time apart, Gonzalo says the distance, while painful, only made their love grow stronger.

“We always wished to be together and kept the faith that one day it would happen,” Gonzalo said. “We always loved and cared for each other and believed it in our hearts.”

Now, they’re inseparable – even at work.

Just months ago, Gonzalo’s request to join his wife in the states was granted. Shortly after, he joined her at Tampa International Airport where the pair now works for Flagship Facility Services, playing a critical role in cleaning and sanitizing the facilities.

Today, they share the same ride to work, lunch breaks and time off. When they’re together, they’re almost always seen hand in hand.

Angela and Gonzalo are just two of an expanding team of Flagship employees working hard to keep thousands of passengers and employees healthy and safe each and every day.

That number of employees will jump from 220 to 260 in October when the company’s contract with the Airport is renewed – a result of increased cleaning standards for restrooms and food courts. You can find job openings at flagshipinc.com/jobs/ as they become available.

“We’re proud to be one of America’s favorite airports and a big part of that means being the cleanest – especially in today’s environment,” said Executive Vice President of Facilities, Al Illustrato.

On June 4, 2020, the Board approved a 5-year contract with Flagship, which will begin once the current contract ends in September.

The renewal seems to come at a perfect time as the Airport has ramped up cleaning efforts due to COVID-19.

“We have passengers coming in and out of the Airport on a continuous basis, so constant disinfecting is vital,” said Antonio Pareira, Flagship site manager. “Passenger safety and comfort has been our top priority, and we’ve provided our employees with as much information on COVID-19 as possible for their safety along with the safety of the Airport.”

Since the pandemic began, Flagship has ramped up cleaning measures by increasing shifts from one to three and dedicating specific employees to disinfecting high-touch-point areas. The company has also invested in new technology like misters, electrostatic sprayers and automatic scrubbers. Flagship will soon begin using a restroom frequency software called TRAX to monitor how many passengers enter and exit restrooms.

“We are maintaining a full cleaning schedule, and we now have the ability to sanitize the facility around the clock,” said Antonio.

Learn more about Flagship Aviation Services or Facility Services.