Deven Tells aptly named his company All Aloha Plumbing. The Hawaiian native firmly believes in the “aloha” ethos for self, individuals and his company.
“'Aloha' is a big word,” Tells says. “People generally think it means hello, but aloha means so much more.”
He recites some of the attributes of the Hawaiian term, including love, peace, compassion, mutual respect, mercy, kindness and being in harmony with people and the land.
“Aloha is the law. It involves everything that is positive," Tells says. "So when we go to a customer’s home, we’re not just there to make money. We try to treat them with the aloha spirit, to treat them as our own grandmother or mother, to make sure they are taken care of.”
A cynical observer might roll his eyes at the statement. The cynic would be wrong. Tells clearly embraces the spirit of his native culture and has embedded it into his plumbing company’s way of doing business. By example and training, the culture of the company is, in a word, aloha.
“We really, really practice what we preach," Tells says. "Any team member who is not aligning with the aloha spirit, isn’t with us very long. We won’t let any employees hurt us by not upholding the spirit of what we are doing. We get a lot of good feedback from our customers.”
Tells says he believes “the aloha spirit and training got me to where I am today.” He says his commitment has helped him move beyond bruising resentments in his business and personal life.
“My wife asks me if I can spread a little more aloha around the world because the world is in a bad place. It needs a little more aloha. So, I try to spread the spirit wherever I go. I try to be kind and look past stuff.”
Read more about All Aloha Plumbing in the January 2024 issue of Plumber magazine.
