History is a story, and, as with any story, there are multiple versions.

For us, CG&S’ 60+ year history is many things at once. It's the story of Clarence and Stella Guerrero, who founded the company in 1957 without much of a plan, but with carpentry skill and business acumen that allowed them to succeed and support a growing family. It’s that of the Guerrero children who grew up watching their parents run the business—of the eight, four would end up leading CG&S at different points. It’s also the story of our employees, vendors, clients and friends, without which we would not have made it to today.

That is to say, history is built out of people’s lives.

It is an accrual of lived moments, even when it is daunting, momentous and dramatic. Life is all of those things, even when it’s the life of a remodeling project, or that of a company.

It is a remarkable company that understands the value of that and chooses to honor it, and I’ve learned that valuing the lived experience of everyone we work with is just part of the culture here. We’ve changed a lot in 63 years, but, in that way, we’re the same.

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. I had collaboration and support from a passionate co-director, Marketing Director Iris Davis-Quick, and an enthusiastic film buff turned intern, Marc Clapp. Together, we navigated the (for us) relatively uncharted waters of video production.

As we worked through the pre-interviews, and then the real interviews, a story emerged. The story was one of unconditional commitment and tenacity, what made it possible for Clarence and Stella Guerrero to start their company at a time when anti-latinx prejudice was still widespread. It was a story of generation building on generation—each working with inherited skills, resources and experience to create something new, ambitious and visionary in its own right.

I found my own experience was beginning to mirror what I was uncovering in the interviews: just as we were trying imperfectly to make something we had never attempted before, every generation of this company has had to figure it out, has had to build something from scratch with whatever they had. And—as with the documentary—realizing those ambitions was always more complicated than expected. Risk reared its head at every stage; mistakes and miscalculations were made; dysfunctional communication had to be recognized and worked on. Success only came once painful experience revealed what to look out for.

As we entered post production and began to edit the film down to the most fundamental elements, it became clear that life would always have to be more complicated than its representation. I had to let go of certain parts of the story I loved in order to create something shorter than 20 minutes (our goal was 10). I found myself wondering, “What is the most important thing? What are we trying to say?”

The answer is not a statement, it's a feeling.

I hope that people feel and understand that so much was done out of love and a desire to stay true to where the company came from without circumventing what it could be. Though the ways and means to that were sometimes in dispute, I know the voices that disagreed also came together because they believed that CG&S could be bigger and better than it was. Everyone who developed the company felt and understood that they were part of something greater than their individual contribution, and that their role was important for sustaining the people they loved.