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30 Under 30: Piero Castillo runs a trio of companies with Pacifica Service Group

The Richmond native used years of working with the College Pro model to launch his own business empire.

By Nathan Caddell /

Credit: Mareal Photography

Piero Castillo, 28

Co-founder + Co-CEO, Pacifica Service Group

Life Story: Piero Castillo had his own College Pro franchise before he even set foot into UBC Sauder School of Business. “I got thrown into the trenches at a young age,” the Richmond native says of operating one of the home maintenance company’s outfits at 17.

That gave him the experience to launch cleaning company Pacifica Service Group after he graduated. “I grabbed as much from College Pro as I could and built it into my own with what I learned from Sauder as well,” Castillo recalls.

These days, Pacifica operates as an umbrella organization for three separate enterprises: residential maintenance outfit Clean Break Home Services, renovation biz Westrade Projects and equipment e-commerce firm Washtech Equipment.

“It’s hard to find a contractor that’s both professional and good at their job,” Castillo says of what Pacifica brings to the industry. “You usually get one or the other. It was quite obvious that was missing–there are companies that are like that, but for the amount of projects and businesses out there, there were definitely not enough.”

Bottom Line: Pacifica has about 20 employees and a boatload of contract workers. In a good month, sales can hit well above the six-figure mark.