Employee Spotlight: John Brea Leads with Mentorship, Motivation, and Impact

Employee Spotlight: John Brea Leads with Mentorship, Motivation, and Impact

John Brea, Area Maintenance Manager (AMM) in New England, exemplifies what it means to lead with purpose. Known for his servant leadership, John goes above and beyond for his team, fosters growth in others, and connects daily operations to a larger purpose. In this spotlight, we explore how John manages across nine sites, motivates his team through positivity and mentorship, and ensures his team knows that their work truly matters.

John has been with C&W Services since July 2024 and has spent just over a year building his impact. John currently oversees nine sites, more than double the typical AMM responsibility. Despite the long hours and extensive travel, he thrives on the challenges of a stretch role. His journey began when he applied online through Indeed. “I went through the normal hiring process: multiple levels of interviews and site visits. I couldn’t see anything done better or differently.” He was drawn to the company not only for the role itself, but for the opportunities to grow: “For me being someone that’s always an open book and not afraid of changes… my main decision was based on the potential growth opportunities. It’s not just one trajectory. There could be different pathways.”

Before joining C&W Services, John gained extensive experience managing large-scale maintenance operations and multi-site teams in a variety of companies including Walmart, Plant Fitness, and Taymax. He also oversaw technician scheduling, vendor coordination, and operational workflows, while developing his leadership skills in fast-paced, people-focused environments. These experiences allowed him to apply servant leadership principles effectively and prepared him to take on his role at C&W Services with confidence.

At the core of John’s leadership philosophy is servant leadership. “My style of leadership is being there for the team, removing barriers, giving them the resources and the tools – literally and figuratively – that they need to be successful. Giving them guidance, motivation, inspiration, and constantly building them up.” He shares, “You don't need to be someone that cracks the whip. You don't need to be someone that is harsh, condescending, rude. You can be motivational. You can be positive. You can be uplifting. You can be a person that wants to coach and train so people can feel that they're being invested in. And when you do that, people tend to work that much harder.”

John’s goal is simple: ensure that every team member knows their work matters. “We’re literally just getting packages in and then out the door and into people's homes. But guess what? We make people's holidays happen. What you do matters. What you do makes a difference.” John strives to instill in his team a sense of purpose that extends beyond machines and processes — helping people receive packages, creating positive experiences, and delivering happiness.

Mentorship has played a key role in John’s development as a leader. He credits his senior Regional Maintenance Manager, Mark, with guiding him through the challenges of the role and offering support he didn’t even realize he needed. “Mark helps in ways that you wouldn't even expect. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know until someone says something… Mark has been tremendous in helping me develop and giving me more opportunities, even allowing me to come back to New England where I originally wanted to be. Mark has done a lot and I'm really appreciative of him.” Mark even surprised John by nominating him for an award: “I won the Quarterly Excellence Award last quarter. Mark presented that to me after I presented that to one of my employees. He completely blindsided me – I wasn't expecting it at all. I don’t work for awards. I work to help my people on my team win awards.”

Beyond mentorship, John invests in his team and the future of the industry by participating in hiring events and trade school outreach. “I’m always willing to go above and beyond for the company to try to show potential trade school folks or different organizations that are building up their students that there are options out there. It's really fun. I really thrive in those situations. I really love and enjoy speaking to people that are looking for a good opportunity.” These efforts reflect his commitment to guiding others toward opportunities and growth.

John’s dedication has built a culture of excellence within his team. “When I do get a new location and I get a new team, they automatically think, ‘Okay, well, he'll be here for a little bit and he's not going to make an impact. And this guy's always overly positive. Like, he's super motivational. This can't be real.’ What I love doing is proving that I am exactly who I say I am and that translates to the team.”

For those looking to break into maintenance and operations, John emphasizes embracing change and challenges. “You can't spell challenge without change. If you like challenges and you're okay with change and you want the ability to grow… I would tell anybody: if they are a hard worker, intrinsically motivated, have ambition, and are passionate about their people, this would be the best spot for them… If you want to be a part of something this is genuinely bigger than you in a great way, where you can make an impact, help improve people’s lives, this is the place.”

From his start at C&W Services to his current leadership across multiple sites, John demonstrates that leadership is about more than managing operations — it’s about building people up, fostering growth, and connecting daily work to a greater purpose. Through servant leadership and investing in both his team and future talent, John shows that the true impact of a leader is measured not just in results, but in the people they inspire. John’s story is a perfect example of how C&W Services empowers leaders to make a difference every day.