While Victor Castillo may have had to jump through some hoops and work to solve some snafus regular business owners wouldn't have to ordinarily deal with in the early stages, now he wouldn't trade his situation for anything.

He's got a loyal customer base, a supportive landlord and keeps hours that are highly compatible with a family that features two young children.

Castillo owns and runs Vic's Espresso and Eats on Camp Murray, located next to the American Lake Credit Union.

After gaining some small business acumen working for small coffee stands during his teenage years, Castillo went on to work for Costco for 10 years, eventually climbing his way up the company ladder and learning how to open locations. But he eventually grew weary of the corporate grind and wanted to get back to more personalized customer service. He decided to open a lunch truck along Union Ave. in Steilacoom outside Camp Murray that offered lunch specials (specializing in Philly Cheese Steaks) to troops for two hours a day.

Capitalizing on relationships he made with military members while running the food truck and taking advantage of business opportunities, Castillo opened Vic's in December of last year.

"I've received a lot of support from the Guard to help me get where I'm at," said the 29-year-old Castillo. "I got in touch with the right people in the right places."

Although he faced a six month waiting period while the contract were being finalized - in addition to a lengthy plumbing jurisdiction issue - Castillo was finally able to open the doors to the 340-square foot café.

"There were some odd hurdles," he said.

But the positives far outnumber the negatives.

"I'm the only (coffee house) on the base," Castillo said.

Vic's also has to do hardly any advertising because word of mouth about the café has spread like wildfire around the installation.

"I truly feel there is great loyalty here," he said. "The support I receive around here is incredible."

Although his regular customer base is constantly on the move to support Guard operations around the nation, Castillo and his three employees just concentrate on providing great customer service and a variety of menu options for his customers.

"We want to make sure we take care of them," he said.

That includes adding fresh sandwiches to the menu and constantly coming up with new ways to improve business.

"We're going to keep growing," Castillo said. "It's about longevity. Nothing great ever happens quick."