6 | Medico
and later married Mitch Shames. In 1979,
her son, Brad Shames, began working at the
company and today represents the third gen-
eration in family leadership of the company.
In an industry that has experienced consid-
erable consolidation and the relegation of
operational oversight to management teams
as opposed to owners, Hernandez says that
Brad Shames has consistently maintained
a hands-on role in the running of the com-
pany, taking time to personally visit each lo-
cation every week. “Having an active owner,
onsite and daily engaged in the running of
the company, you hardly see that anymore
in this industry because most operations are
left to upper management, but the culture
here is different and we’re driven to provide a
quality level of service, and we’re constantly
monitoring and measuring our performance,
surveying our customers, and seeking means
tomake improvements when necessary... that
process is never ending,” says Hernandez.
Today, ATM has grown to employ some
750 people and their collective dedication
to duty and operational expertise has helped
the company achieve certification by the
Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council.
Whether it is a new business or an estab-
lished brand, ATM reps start by identify-
ing the garments, linens, cleaning materials,
and disposables best suited for the busi-
ness. ATM then helps establish a uniform
