Some careers are planned out years in advance while others take off in unanticipated ways. For Cesar Torres, Key Account Director at ISS, it all started with a jammed conveyor belt and an aspiration to always keep growing.
This July marks Cesar’s third decade in the aviation industry. But when he first stepped into an airport as an 18-year-old temp employee, his job — clearing bag jams on conveyor systems — was under appreciated and unglamorous. What many people might have seen as a short-term gig, Cesar saw as a doorway.
One shift, a mentor gave him advice that would shape his entire trajectory: don't just learn to fix things, learn how they work and why they matter. That mindset pushed Cesar from temp worker to shift supervisor, leading a crew of mechanics and engineers maintaining conveyor systems for Delta Airlines.
Throughout a series of company acquisitions, Cesar kept rising. By 2006, he was Facility Manager overseeing more than 30 union engineers and full facility services including baggage systems and jet bridges.
In 2013, ISS expanded its aviation division in the Northeast, and Cesar had deep industry roots and the drive to build from the ground up.
By aggressively pursuing contracts, Cesar helped grow ISS' aviation revenue to roughly $100 million annually in about 18 months. He later took on running a pre-eminent international airport terminal as part of a competitive bid win, spending six more years running that account before stepping into a broader national role.
In 2023, he was named Key Account Director overseeing ISS aviation accounts across the United States. Today, Cesar’s portfolio spans roughly 17 accounts across aviation, life sciences, banking, manufacturing and office environments.
When asked what separates aviation from every other sector, Cesar doesn't hesitate.
"Aviation is probably the highest stress environment that we have,” he says.“It's a 24/7, 365 operation."
While other industries slow after 5 p.m., airports do the opposite. Holidays represent peak travel times, ramping up the stress specifically when everyone else is winding down. And the modern airport, Cesar points out, is far more than a just transit hub.
"A major airport is a transportation hub, sure. But it's also a mall, a retail space, a restaurant and a Class A commercial facility — and it’s all in one space.”
Leading teams in that environment requires a careful balance between speed and safety. For example, when a contract change in 2023 introduced steep financial penalties for performance gaps, safety incidents started ticking upward. Cesar connected the dots quickly and realized the newfound pressure was pushing teams to cut corners.
He brought this directly to his client, pointing out that an account which had gone years without an incident had now seen one nearly every month since the new contract took effect. That candid conversation led to a recalibration, and the results speak for themselves: the account has since gone nearly a full year with zero incidents. His simple takeaway is one he shares readily: "We all own safety at the end of the day."
One of the more nuanced parts of Cesar's role is thinking about the passenger experience. By the time a traveler hits the terminal sidewalk, their stress is already peaking from traffic, ticketing and TSA lines. Creating a truly exceptional experience requires every player working in sync.
But there's also something quieter at play. The best hospitality, Cesar says, is the kind no one notices. A clean restroom, the right building temperature, supplies stocked before anyone runs out.
"You want that person to go through and not even think about it,” he says. “That's hospitality that might not be obvious, but it contributes to every single experience."
Cesar points to technology as an example of this kind of unseen hospitality. Using real-time monitoring tools, ISS tracks restroom usage, supply levels and gate occupancy to deploy staff exactly where they're needed. Soap sensors and paper towel dispensers send alerts before they run out, all part of an active, responsive system. GPS-enabled devices help managers identify the closest available team member the moment a spill is reported.
"A lot of our industry has been frequency-based,” he says. “Cleaning the bathroom twice a day whether it needs it or not, that kind of thing. Now technology keeps us informed on what needs to be cleaned and exactly when instead of us relying on educated guesses."
With AI increasingly informing those decisions, the system is only getting sharper. And for Cesar, that's where the future of aviation services lies.
In our conversation, Cesar closes with something that doubles as a philosophy: if you see a resume highlighting decades of aviation experience, pay attention.
"That person has been put through the wringer, I can guarantee it,” he says. “And that person can also run any account."
It's a sentiment that says everything about what aviation demands and what 30 years of this work can build in a person.