MEET THE LACOSTA TEAM

Rob joined LACOSTA over 30 years ago and excels as the CEO because of his extensive knowledge in Site Operations and desire for long term customer relationships. He attended the University of Illinois before joining the Facility Services Industry in the late 80s. As one of LACOSTA’s most humble team members, Rob has exceptional knowledge and experience in the industry… But you’ll never hear him bragging about it.

His Superpower: he’s a pilot!

Karla Johnson has a strong entrepreneurial spirit and passion for people that have proven to be key drivers of LACOSTA’s success. Inspired by her mother and father’s property management and cleaning business in the 70s, Karla founded LACOSTA in 1987 and has been steadily growing the company since. Karla attended Ripon College for her undergraduate degree before attending Northwestern’s Executive MBA program.

Her Superpower: she was called the Queen of Clean by her early customers and was even gifted white inspection gloves.

Jaime has 5 years in the janitorial industry and 15 years of multi-site management and training to keep improving our client’s results! Jaime is Diversey Floor Care certified – Hard Floor Care, Carpet Care; Matting Analysis, OSHA 10, and Restroom Cleaning Certified (ISSA).

Her Superpower: The ability to see the strengths in people and build upon those strengths to guide them into being the leader they were meant to be and achieve outstanding results.

With a degree in business from The University of Mississippi, Mike has 23 years of experience in contract labor services and 15 years in finance. Mike has worked with the LACOSTA team for 15 years. He is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and in OSHA 10 and 30 standards.

His Superpower: the ability to spot problems just by walking a site.

Jason brings over 20 years of senior management and leadership experience within sales, marketing, and manufacturing/operations to the LACOSTA team. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a Master’s of Business Administration in addition to being Six Sigma certified.

His Superpower: Prepare and bring to life the potential for people, strategies, and systems to accomplish great things.

Jeff joins the LACOSTA team with over 30 years of finish trade experience, and an OSHA 10 and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification!

His Superpower: The ability to provide customers with timely, cost-effective solutions for their special needs, no matter the size or scope.

Genevieve has been with LACOSTA for over 3 years, beginning her career as an Operations Manager and eventually working her way up to Senior Operations Manager and then to District Manager. She is a hard-working, dedicated team member who always looks to do her best to help everyone around her.

Her Superpower: Dedicated – I never back down from a challenge and always strive for continuous improvement while seeing a task through to the very end.

Travis has been with LACOSTA for 2 years and brings over 7 years of Industrial Sanitation experience to the role. He is OSHA-30/HAZWHOPPER-40 certified and also holds certifications in Forklift/Skid steer/Vac Truck rigging.

His Superpower: I am a fish whisperer and can catch any type of fish on any given day!

LeRai has been with LACOSTA for over 4 years and combines a wealth of knowledge with boundless energy to provide top-level service for LACOSTA and its clients. LeRai is a graduate of Calhoun College and holds an OSHA 10 certification.

His Superpower: I’m a team building master, like Nick Fury bringing the Avengers. Together I love taking different people and putting them into positions where they can excel. As well as being the life of the party, I always bring the ENERGY!

Matthew has over 20 years of experience in various roles in Manufacturing, including Process Engineering, IT, and Operations Management. His unique skillset and deep industry experience make him a perfect fit for the compliance and process improvement role.

His Superpower: A unique blend of traits for that perfect cocktail of results. He’s just sweet enough to take out the bite but still pack a punch!

Jeff joined LACOSTA in 2011 as a Lean Process Coordinator, but quickly earned his operational stripes when he was tapped to fill a District Manager position. After 2.5 years of managing delivery in LACOSTA’s Midwest District, he was promoted to Regional Director before becoming the National Sales Director in 2017 and National Business Resource Director in 2020. Jeff is a certified workload specialist and works directly with many new customer relationships. Jeff graduated from the University of Kentucky where he majored in communications and minored in English.

His Superpower: price breakout wizardry!

Lauren joined the LACOSTA family in 2021 bringing an amazing attitude, sales experience and customer service skills that are unmatched. Lauren studied at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is proud to have them as a LACOSTA customer today.

Her Superpower: Southern Hospitality – Lauren’s Cajun roots and southern charm put everyone at ease instantly.

Austin joined LACOSTA in 2020 bringing over 4 years of inside sales experience to the team, ensuring we’re connecting with the right businesses that we can provide the best results for.

His Superpower: Can make anyone smile in just seconds!

Danni joined the team in 2019 and has been a valuable employee since her first day. She has exceptional customer service skills, maintains customer portals like a pro and answers RFP’s like a boss!

Her Superpower: The ability to see through the legal jargon in a service agreement with her x-ray vision.

Sabrina joined LACOSTA in February 2022 with over 10 years of experience in management and training. Her passion for relationship building and having a true understanding of the people who are being trained have been a key reason why she has been so successful in her many years of experience.

Her Superpower: Relationship Builder – Sabrina is completely focused on the learning and the learner, building authentic, lasting connections

With over 5 years tenure on the LACOSTA team and extensive experience in training and development. Yahaira specializes in training program design, as well as LMS development and administration.

Her Superpower: super speed and the ability to create training modules like there’s no tomorrow.

Martha joined LACOSTA in 2021 with multiple years’ experience payroll processing, accounts payable processing and accounts receivable processing. Her associates degree and accounting certifications are used each day as she ensures accurate and timely payment to our team members.

Her Superpower: Energy – She is like the Energizer Bunny and just keeps going!

With a Master’s in Statistics and Applied Economics, Kahina is a five-year veteran at LACOSTA. Our financial team benefits from Kahina’s prior experience in janitorial, cleaning and labor services.

Her Superpower: finding a solution for every problem.

Alejandra has been with LACOSTA since 2015, starting in a role as a Staff Accountant and working her way up to Accounting Manager. She has over 13 years of accounting experience and is a graduate of DePaul University

Her Superpower: Seeing the positive in everyone

A tenured member of our LACOSTA team, Lesley has been with the company for 14 years. Before joining the team, Lesley received a Bachelor’s degree from Montana State University, then spent some time in Texas and Colorado in sales support and customer admin roles.

Her Superpower: as a LACOSTA recycling queen, she isn’t opposed to pulling stuff out of the garbage in order to recycle.

With over 35 years of accounting experience, we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Wanda to the LACOSTA team!

His Superpower: A smile that can even warm a Grinch’s heart.

Raj has worked with LACOSTA for over 9 years and excels at sourcing and retaining exceptional talent for LACOSTA and its clients. With an MBA from Northcentral University and experience in the education field, Raj brings a diverse wealth of knowledge to the LACOSTA team.

Her Superpower: the ability to find the perfect employee for an open position while standing on one leg.

Nathen has worked at LACOSTA since 2011 and has over 4 years of experience in sales and digital marketing. He is a graduate of The George Washington University with a Double Major in Psychology and Entrepreneurship

His Superpower: Loving a good challenge (and kickboxing!)

Brittany has been with LACOSTA since 2022. She has experience in Recruiting, Social Media Marketing, Sales, and Management and her positive attitude and strong work ethic make her a valuable addition to the team.

Her Superpower: The ability to relate to others and create positive interactions both in the field and when working from home.

Leah is a former teacher who assisted during the pandemic with students of various ages and needs. She is also an entrepreneur who started her own business as a licensed roofing contractor. She holds a BA from Bradley University and two master’s degrees, one from St. Xavier University and one from National Louis University

Her Superpower: Resiliency – I pride myself on my ability to withstand and/or recover quickly from difficulties. The most successful people see adversity not as a stumbling block, but as a stepping stone to greatness.

Jenna has a background in both customer service and human services within a wide range of industries and is working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management and Business Administration.

Her Superpower: Continuing my education while learning how to improve professionally. By efficiently communicating, I can juggle school, work, coaching, and leading my college cheerleading team.

Vanessa is a new addition to the LACOSTA team. She joins the team with a strong background in bilingual recruiting and training. She is a certified Human Resources professional and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Javeriana Colombia

Her Superpower: Persistence, I will do everything in my power to help and achieve any goal even if I have to try 101 times

Allison has been a LACOSTA team member since 2022. She has multiple years of experience in customer service, data entry, and admin related fields.

Her Superpower: Super detail oriented. Can spot errors within seconds and produce employee numbers with ease!