Daquan Burton – From Cleaner to Supervisor in Four Months

Employee Spotlight: Daquan Burton – From Cleaner to Supervisor in Four Months

In just a few months at Cushman & Wakefield, Daquan Burton has made a big impact. Starting as a general cleaner in May 2025, he was promoted to janitorial supervisor by September—a rapid advancement that speaks volumes about his work ethic, leadership, and commitment to continuous learning. He describes the journey as “such a fun and amazing learning experience,” one that has helped him grow both personally and professionally.

Daquan’s journey began with a job posting. “I came across the position on Indeed. They had a job posting for general cleaner with Cushman and Wakefield. I figured since I already had cleaning experience, why not do something that I'm familiar with and good at?” After applying online, he was quickly contacted by the recruiting team. “Juan, the hiring recruiter, reached out and informed me that I was a pre-selected candidate based off my resume for their position. He informed me of when interviews were being held, and I told him that I would be at the next [EC1] interview.”

The hiring process moved quickly, and Daquan was brought on soon after his interview. At the time, he was actively job hunting but felt this opportunity was the right fit. “There was another potential position, but I decided to move forward with Cushman & Wakefield. Overall, I felt like I've always done well in the janitorial department, and I have so much experience with it. And I felt like I would be a great candidate for the company and a good team member.”

In his first few months, Daquan built up a range of skills – from spotting good and bad floor care to equipment operation, specialized cleaning, chemical safety, and PPE usage. He credits these experiences for sharpening his attention to detail and helping him step into leadership confidently. Before long, his efforts were noticed. By demonstrating both skill and a willingness to support his team, Daquan stood out as a natural leader and was soon offered the chance to step into a supervisor role. “I wasn’t really expecting it to happen, but I wasn't too shocked or surprised about it because I worked hard… I have good leadership skills and I'm very helpful.” His focus on being proactive and solution-oriented helped him stand out. “I’m always outgoing and punctual, and if there are any problems, I address the issue. And not only do I just address it – I always have some type of solution to solve the problem.”

Now supervising a team of three, Daquan is intentional about building a supportive culture. “I'm very helpful – if my staff come to me and they need help or assistance with anything, they always know I’ll help. They know they can call or shoot me a text for anything if they need me at any given time. Even if I'm busy at the moment, I'll finish my area and get to them as soon as I can.” For Daquan, teamwork is about communication and visibility. “The biggest thing is making sure everybody is on the same page… We take walks with our staff – we bring them with us when we do inspections so we can show them the smaller details. We're cleaning things they might not see at first.”

Learning has always been a driving force for Daquan. “With janitorial, you learn how to use new industrial equipment, like floor cleaning machines. I didn't know how to utilize a carpet cleaning machine. But now that I'm continuing to proceed with janitorial, there's other things that I'm learning. It’s fun. I always love learning how to utilize new things.” He especially enjoys that every day brings the chance to learn something new, whether it’s equipment training, cross-department collaboration, or refining his attention to detail.

Looking ahead, Daquan is focused on building expertise. Ultimately, his goals are long-term. “I would love to still be in janitorial in the future – see where it takes me over time. I'm here for the long run. I love the job. I just love being here and love knowing that our customers can rely on us and count on us to get things done.”

Part of what Daquan enjoys most about the role is working across teams and sites. “It's fun to go from site to site and meet the other people, meet other employees under the company, and learn the layout of the other buildings because if they need help with anything I'm on call.” For Daquan, reliability is what matters most – being someone both customers and colleagues can count on, whether it’s at his main site or supporting staff at other locations.

He values the variety of collaborating with other departments, such as the maintenance team. “This goes back to cross training – you learn a lot of hands on because with maintenance, they rely on janitorial a lot... We inspect restrooms a lot more often than they have to because they go off work orders. So if we see something that's not right, or broken, or needs to be fixed, we'll make the work order for our maintenance team and vice versa.”

He also enjoys partnering with vendors and contractors. “Besides our maintenance team, from time to time we work with outside contractors, say if it's something that we can't directly handle and they have to call other vendors. We assist them when they come inspect and do their jobs. We do a lot of work with different people in different departments, like plumbers and electricians. So that's always fun and cool to learn and watch and get inside advice from people that have been in the same career field for years.”

For Daquan, success in janitorial comes down to mindset. “I would say a positive attitude at all times and the willingness to learn in a very, very detail-oriented field. They train you very well and they teach you how to have that eye for cleaning and look for certain things. It's basically like molding the work ethic, the training. I love the training and we're always learning as we go.”

And the experience has shaped him personally as well as professionally. “Since I've started working with Cushman and Wakefield, I will absolutely say that it has made me a better person, especially with my current role as a supervisor. It gives me a broader view on a lot of things, more responsibility and it’s teaching me to be more alert.”

Daquan’s story shows what’s possible with dedication, positivity, and a passion for learning. In just four months, he grew from general cleaner to supervisor, a testament to both his leadership and his commitment to growth. He takes pride in his reliability, his ability to support staff across sites, and his excitement for continuous learning. Daquan’s supportive style, collaborative spirit, and drive to keep learning new skills not only helps his team succeed but also opens doors for his own future within Cushman & Wakefield.