Hello,
My name is Tom Ludes, owner of First Choice Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Hermosa Beach. I have lived in the South Bay now for 46 years. I grew up in the tree section of Manhattan Beach and still reside here today.
I attended Pacific Elementary and Center Intermediate Schools, graduated from Mira Costa High School in 1982 then graduated from El Camino College with an AA in Food Service Management.
I come from a large family of 7 siblings. As most of my brothers and sisters have fled the South Bay, I still remain in this little slice of paradise. Growing up in a large family certainly had its ups and downs. One of the positive things I got from it was the willingness to work hard at a very young age.
Even though we grew up in the heart of well-to-do Manhattan Beach, our family struggled at most times to make ends meet. By having a lack of income in our household, it made all of us kids work hard for money even at preteen ages.
My very first job was as a local gardener for most of my neighbors on our block and surrounding blocks. I use to hop on my old Huffy bicycle with its banana seat and basket and a few basic tools of the trade and ride to customers houses to make literally less than a buck on most jobs.
Later in my young life, I got a Daily Breeze Newspaper route which I had through most of 7th-10th grades until I landed my first real job at a gourmet take out food establishment. After this job, I got my first job cooking in a fancy French restaurant up in the Manhattan Village where I worked for 12 years.
My younger brother Jim and I opened First Choice Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Hermosa Beach in 1992 and now I am the sole owner. I enjoy putting smiles on peoples faces when they see how well their carpet cleaning and/or upholstery comes out. First Choice has over 1,200 steady, repeat and happy customers in the South Bay/Los Angeles areas.
My success has been in providing personal service, giving my clients quality for their money. I use non-re-soiling, bio-degradable, non-toxic cleaning agents and state-of-the-art cleaning equipment. Cleaning your carpet and upholstery will always be less expensive than replacing them. And with todays economy, the cleaning option seems to be the way most people go.
Many people including myself are now trying to ” go green ” in many different ways in our everyday lives. First Choice Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning is now going green using many Green Sealed products that meet or exceed EPA guidelines.
I hope to see you at your next cleaning and put a big smile on your face as well.
Tom
