SAN ANGELO, Texas — At the head of one of San Angelo, Texas's most successful businesses, there is two men with complicated pasts.
Legal analyst Gabe Hughes struggled with substance abuse before being sentenced in a 2014 shooting where he injured his mother. Founder Bryan Vincent describes himself as a recovered alcoholic.
Today, Hughes has been with Principal LED since 2019, and through the company's second chance program the pair give their employees the same clean slate they received.
"Whenever you have somebody who's been through the same thing as you, they're very understanding about what it's like," shipping coordinator Jonathan Arellano said. "I think that's the reason (Bryan) is trying to give out second chances here."
Arellano has been with the company since August 2022. He said next month will mark two years sober for him.
Hughes said during the hiring process, he doesn't shy away from people with arrest records. He instead works with law enforcement to find people who have been committed to getting better during their sentences and brings them in for interviews.
One employee - Justin Upton - has been with Principal LED since Dec. 11, 2023. He said when he interviewed with Hughes, "it was just like talking with some friends and some good people."
Upton works six days a week for Principal LED in addition to working with multiple ministries, including a San Angelo nonprofit called U-Turn for Christ. He said the company gives him the time he needs to fulfill his other obligations, but that he keeps himself busy. Upton also said he enjoys the culture at his workplace.
"I've never really felt so warmly welcomed when I've worked somewhere before," he said.