When Rich Williams came back from India, he told Stephen Fernands something unexpected: “All these guys over here operate on such a high level of standards. I’m going to up my game.”
He wasn’t talking about energy markets or corporate strategy. He was talking about the hotel service staff—people who did his job, greeting guests, but with a level of care that inspired him. It’s a telling detail about a man who, after nearly 25 years behind a front desk, still looks for ways to be better at making people feel welcome.
That trip to India—a gift from Stephen that included Rich’s girlfriend Phyllis—changed how Rich saw himself and his work. But it also crystallized something he’d felt for years: that the company on the 19th through 22nd floors of 1528 Walnut Street wasn’t just a tenant. They were family.
A Smile That Changes Your Day
Richard A. Williams Jr. started at 1528 Walnut Street in May 2001, back when his hair was all black. Now, 24 years later, it’s peppered with gray—evidence of the countless mornings, afternoons, and evenings he’s spent welcoming tenants, visitors, and friends through those doors. As the building’s front desk concierge, Rich greets thousands of people each year with a smile that can turn around even the toughest day.
During those early days, when Rich was finding his footing after taking over from a wildly popular predecessor, a few people stood out for their kindness. When Customized Energy Solutions moved into the building, something clicked immediately.
“My first impressions were great because everybody was super friendly,” Rich recalls. “Stephen (Fernands, CES’s CEO) is just a big ball of joy. He’s a bastion of positivity and such a kind soul.”
At the time, CES was smaller—just Stephen, Sharon Barra (Controller), “Bunny” Harveyetta Stone (Benefits Manager), and a tight-knit group of people building something special. But even in those early days, with all the pressure of moving and setting up, the team treated Rich differently. “From day one, it felt like family,” he says simply.
When Stephen Said “I Got You”
The story Rich tells most often started with a casual conversation about travel. His friend Javed Shaikh (Director of Technology), who works for CES, was heading back to India for a birthday party—right around the time COVID restrictions were finally lifting. Rich mentioned he’d never been to India and had hoped to go one day, so Javed invited him to the party. When travel restrictions made it impossible, he was disappointed but understood.
Stephen heard about it.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Rich, don’t worry, you’re going to get to India,'” Rich remembers. “I was like, ‘OK, all right.’ But he was serious. Then, weeks later he asked, ‘Can you get a couple weeks off?’ And I said yeah. He said, ‘I’m going to take you to India.’ I was like, ‘What?'”
But Stephen wasn’t done. “He said, ‘Listen, I don’t want you to go by yourself. I’m going to take your girlfriend Phyllis with you too. Don’t worry about anything. I’ve got you.'”
What went through Rich’s mind when Stephen extended that invitation? “How blessed I am. Thank you, God. I couldn’t believe I was going.”
In India, Rich experienced something that went beyond just seeing a new country. He met the CES team on their home turf, saw the respect the company commanded worldwide, and witnessed firsthand the impact CES was making in communities across the globe through CES CARES. He also got to spend time with the service staff at hotels—people who did his job but, as he observed, “they operated on such a high level of standards.”
“I told Stephen, ‘All these guys over here operate on a high level. I’m going to up my game,'” Rich says with a laugh. “And I did. I came back wanting to be better at what I do.”
But what the trip really showed Rich was something deeper. “It showed me how nice Stephen is and the team’s generosity. Everybody treated me like I belonged. They didn’t treat me like, ‘Oh, that’s just a doorman.’ They treated me like I was a valued member of their team.”
When You Feel Valued
That feeling—of being valued—is something Rich returns to again and again when talking about CES. It’s in the way Stephen waves and stops to chat. It’s in the Christmas party invitation that comes every year, not just for Rich but for his girlfriend too. It’s in the way team members like Scott Nester (Application Services Architect) and Karen Nester (Sr. Technical Support Specialist) make sure to bring him hoagies from their favorite spots. It’s even in getting his picture on the Wall of Fame at Charlie’s Hamburgers with Scott, a tradition that matters because someone cared enough to make it happen.
“When you feel valued, it’s a wonderful thing,” Rich says. “It makes you want to come to work every day. It makes you want to do the best you can.”
And it’s not just him who feels it. Rich has watched CES grow from a handful of people to a global operation making an impact everywhere from Zambia to India. He’s seen new faces join the team, watched people start families, attended weddings. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: the culture.
“The culture here is definitely family-oriented,” he says. When pressed to describe CES in just a few words, Rich doesn’t hesitate: “Graciousness. Kindness. Generous.”
Setting the Tone
As the first person visitors see when they walk through those gold doors, Rich understands the weight of his role. People might be coming from a 16-hour flight from Vietnam or India. They might have just battled two hours of traffic on I-95. Some days, they might be carrying burdens Rich can’t see.
“If they’re having a bad day, I want them to have a better day,” he explains. “If I can provide them just even a sliver of happiness, that’s what I’m going to do.”
It’s bartender rules, priest rules: what’s said at the desk stays at the desk. Rich listens—really listens—to the building’s residents, tenants, and visitors. He’s attended funerals of elderly clients whose families told him, “You meant a lot to my mom.” He’s watched children grow up to work in their parents’ companies. He’s become genuine friends with people he first met walking through those doors, some of whom he ended up in their wedding party.
And when people from CES walk through? There’s always a smile, always a “Hey, Rich,” always that warm acknowledgment that says: we see you.
The Ripple Effect
What Rich is most proud of about his relationship with CES is simple: “Just trying to serve them and make sure that when they have people coming from international places, I make them feel welcome. I set the tone.”
But the ripple effect goes both ways. Stephen, a man who openly talks about his Christian faith and exhibits what Rich calls “the fruit of the Spirit”—joy, compassion, kindness—has surrounded himself with intelligent, humble people. “You read their resumes and you’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, wow, these people are brilliant,'” Rich says. “But they don’t walk around like, ‘Hey, I’m so smart.’ They’re just regular cats who like to get their Starbucks.”
If someone were considering joining CES, Rich knows exactly what he’d tell them: “It’s a loving environment. It’s a nurturing environment. Stephen will work with you. The team wants excellence because you’re surrounded by excellence. From my experiences, you’re going to be a better person for the experience working here—not just as an employee, but as a human being.”
Full Circle
These days, when Rich thinks about his nearly 25 years at 1528 Walnut Street, he knows he’s been part of something special to the people on the three floors occupied by CES. It’s not just because of trips to India or Christmas parties or even the Starbucks drinks that sometimes appear at his desk. It’s something deeper.
“The fact that they’re so nice all the time and they’re appreciative of what I do—it’s nice to be appreciated, and they show it,” Rich says. “They make me feel like I’m a valued member of their team.”
When asked what he hopes never changes about CES, Rich’s answer comes quickly: “The generosity and the kindness and the compassion.”
That’s the thing about family. The real kind doesn’t just exist in an office on the 19th through 22nd floors. It extends to the man behind the desk on the first floor, greeting everyone who walks through those gold doors with the kind of smile that can change your whole day.
Because at CES, everyone belongs. Even—especially—the guy who’s been there from day one, watching it all unfold, one greeting at a time.
