Verbatim: John Camerino
WHERE? San Diego, California
WHAT? Veribest Cleaners has proudly served the San Diego community for over 50 years. Family owned and operated by The Camerino Family* for two generations, Veribest Cleaners is dedicated to making a difference for the environment and the customers they serve. In addition to serving the residents of the San Diego community, Veribest Cleaners has proudly provided dry cleaning and laundry services to the United States Navy for more than 20 years. At Veribest Cleaners, Camerino and his team continually strive for excellence by investing in cutting-edge and environmentally safe cleaning and finishing technologies available in the garment care industry today.
Camerino, 54, has been working in the business for 34 years. He is married to Stephanie, a pre-K teacher, and they will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary in March. They have two sons, Zachary (24) and Joshua (19), and live in the Rancho Bernardo community of San Diego.
THE ONE THING I TRY TO DO ON A DAILY BASIS IS…
Empower my employees and just treat everybody with respect. Keep a very positive work environment and compliment people for doing the right thing.
MY FAVORITE QUOTE IS…
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
I AM CURRENTLY READING…
Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business by Gino Wickman. It’s basically the whole entrepreneurial operating system.
THE BOOK THAT HAS HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON MY LIFE IS…
I would have to say Traction: Get A Grip On Your Business. I’m just about done with it. It’s a good book.
MY DEFINITION OF SUCCESS IS…
Happiness and balance with work and family, and personal happiness.
THE BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN IS…
“Pulp Fiction.” That’s a good movie.
MY MORNING ROUTINE IS…
Firing up the boiler, getting coffee and looking forward to a good day. I come in early; I’ve always come in early — the life of a dry cleaner.
I AVOID DISTRACTIONS BY…
Staying focused and always focusing on the positive. Distractions are just challenges.
I OVERCOME ADVERSITY BY…
Just falling back on my faith and my business philosophy. You know, helping my employees know my whole philosophy which I kind of just really implemented. It’s what we’re all about and I call it the “Veribest Cleaners Way” and it’s the only way. We help each other, we elevate each other, and we do it with kindness. Those are my three core values that I really enforce here which has led to a lot of success and the lack of turnover. I’ve been doing this for so many years that you know employees and all the different personalities that you have when you have employees. There’s always some conflict with them and how they communicate to each other. So, I always fall back on those basic three principles and that seems to give them clarity and gives them a reminder of what Veribest Cleaners is about.
THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON I HAVE LEARNED IS…
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
THE BEST CAREER ADVICE I EVER RECEIVED IS…
Treat your employees well and they will basically take care of you.
WHEN I RELAX, I LIKE TO…
Relax at the gym. I relax to exercise, believe it or not.
IN 5 YEARS I HOPE TO BE…
Taking every other Friday off, at the minimum.
I AM WORKING TOWARD THAT 5-YEAR GOAL BY…
Empowering my employees and trying to build the business without my daily input.
I AM MOST AT PEACE WHEN…
Everybody shows up to work.
MY SOURCE OF INSPIRATION IS…
Jesus. I’m inspired by His teachings.
I WORK TO IMPROVE MYSELF BY…
Staying positive and being conscious of how I spend my time with my family, my business and my personal interests.
THE BEST LIFE HACK I KNOW IS…
Maybe wait 24 hours before you respond to a bad review. And always do the right thing. I’m big on that.
I NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT…
My phone.
A PODCAST I RECOMMEND IS…
Craig Groeschel. He founded the Bible app. He’s a very powerful leader, motivator and team leader. It’s based on religious principles. He runs a lot of these big mega churches, and all of his podcasts you can translate them into small businesses outside of the church. It’s been very impactful on my leadership. You should listen to his podcast. They’re incredible! Just dealing with employees and how to uplift them and identify different aspects of being a leader and what we need to work on. I would say he’s probably the most impactful guy that I’ve listened to. He’s amazing.
SOMETHING EVERYONE SHOULD TRY AT LEAST ONCE IS…
Riding their bicycle in Sedona; it’s just beautiful. I’m a big bike rider. That’s my main interest in life. I do a lot of cycling.
MY NUMBER ONE SMARTPHONE APP IS…
Strava. I don’t know if you’re familiar with it but it’s like a biking app that I can see what my buddies are doing on their bikes and vice versa; they can see what I’m doing.
I HANDLE DISAPPOINTMENT BY…
Understanding the root cause of why I’m disappointed and flipping it and turning it into something positive.
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I WANTED TO BE A…
Corporate attorney. I was interested in business and law.
A GO-TO BAND OR MUSICAL ARTIST ON MY PLAYLIST IS…
Black Sabbath. I’m a head banger at heart.
MY “SUPERPOWER” IS…
Staying level headed and kinda chill when it comes to dealing with problems; not making a mountain out of a molehill.
- Camerino’s father, John Camerino is the first generation of ownership. The subject of this piece is John Camerino (second generation of owner/operator) the son. He is not a junior because he does not have the same middle name as his dad. If you call Veribest Cleaners and want to talk to the elder Camerino, ask for John Sr. If you need to reach the younger Camerino, ask for John Jr.
John Leano works for BRYAN’S Cleaners & Laundry in Pasadena, California. He responds to email: Leano@BryansCleaners.com, you can read his verbatim interviews right here every month.
