Maryles Casto - A Hole in the Clouds: From Flight Attendant to Silicon Valley CEO

I was pretty independent most of my life. I had flight guidebooks and would select my own flights. But Casto Travel always did an excellent job of finding hotels and suggesting trips. Eventually, Casto could do a better flight-booking job with their computers than I could do myself, so I used Casto exclusively for any important travel for a decade or two in my life. Casto is the only travel agency that I remember. I struggle to find the personal attention I received from Casto Travel in every aspect of my life these days. A Hole in the Clouds explains how and why they treated me so well.

Steve Wozniak, Apple cofounder, designer, and engineer

Poignant, touching, and insightful. I enjoyed reading A Hole in the Clouds so much. Maryles is brillianta legend, a class act, and an inspiration to women, mothers, entrepreneurs, and humanity in general.

Charlene Leiss, president, Flight Centre Travel Group, The Americas

Those of us who know and travel with Maryles are witness to all she has built; the lives she has touched; the rich legacy of stories from her childhood; her growth of the business among Silicon Valley legends; her loves and losses, family, and so many friendships. A Hole in the Clouds is the American dream of a young immigrant woman who built a thriving business from the ground up because her eyes saw only the blue sky beyond the clouds, and her heart told her nothing was impossible.

Her business was built on love... love of travel, flying, hospitality, and most importantlyfamily. Her clients, vendors, employees, and all of us lucky enough to be friends with this fearless, charming, and inspiring entrepreneur feel we, too, are family.

Maryless life and this book are a master class in what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.

Mary Huss, market president and publisher, San Francisco Business Times and Silicon Valley Business Journal

WOW. A Hole in the Clouds is a page-turner. So many of us raised kids, managed our careers, and can identify with many aspects of this story. Bravo to you, Maryles. I hope our daughters read this. It is inspiring.

Mary M. Bersot, CFA, Bersot Capital Management LLC

I can honestly say that Casto Travel was an integral part of our success. Without their efficient and accurate travel plans, Conner Peripherals would never have been able to keep up with our growth for those ten years. Flights, hotels, and all other travel needs were handled with total professionalism. My thanks to Maryles and her team for their support. A Hole in the Clouds is a blueprint for how to build a truly customer-first service business.

Finis Conner, cofounder of Fortune 500 companies Seagate Technology and Conner Peripherals

Maryles Casto is an inspiration for all of us. Her obsession with excellent customer service combined with her gutsy risk-taking determination produced a remarkable entrepreneur. Her immigrant story, told in A Hole in the Clouds, is about landing in Silicon Valley, but her success is all about seizing its opportunities.

Connie Martinez, CEO, SVCREATES

This is the American story of one immigrant womans success that is a model for us all: unflagging efforts to succeed, personal confidence, and perseverance over time. This is a book for anyone who sustains the American dream.

Judy Koch, former owner of RSP Manufacturing Corporation, founder of the Bring Me a Book foundation, and C200 member

Maryles not only lives the American dream... she is the quintessential entrepreneur! Her passion and energy are intoxicating! Bravo!

Josie Cruz Natori, CEO and founder of the Natori Company

Its early days in Silicon Valleya wildfire of technological innovationthe doers being mostly white and all male. Into this forbidding neighborhood walks a young Filipina who wants to start a non-tech business. A Hole in the Clouds is a tale of a pubescent Silicon Valley and someone who, although checking none of the right boxes, prevails. Maryles has a great story to tell.

Irwin Federman, USVP

In todays fast-changing world where social inequity, technology acceleration, and disruptive business models place a premium on purpose-driven leadership, Maryles Castos journey and insights provide a case study in courage, compassion, and principle-based decision-making. It is a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and insights for navigating uncertainty, adversity, and the continuous pursuit of the next horizon.

Brad D. Smith, executive chairman, Intuit

Maryles Castos amazing immigrant-to-multimillion-dollar-businesswoman success story is an inspiration not only to all immigrants who have to work harder for equal space in the corporate world, but also to women who strive within an environment mostly occupied by men. She exemplifies what Filipino hospitality is all about with her clients by making them feel at home and part of the Casto Travel family. This is the secret to her success.

Mona Lisa Yuchengco, publisher, PositivelyFilipino.com

I have known Maryles for many, many years and have watched her creative business acumen revolutionize the travel agencies as they have been operated. Her commitment to her employees and customers is unparalleled.

George Marcus, chairman of Marcus & Millichap and Essex Property Trust

Maryles is an inspiration and role model. She is an entrepreneur in the truest sense, having created and re-created herself many times. A Hole in the Clouds can teach us all how to dream bigger, believe in ourselves, and never take no for an answer. She is a true pioneer of the Silicon Valley.

Naomi Kelman, CEO and president, Willow Innovations, Inc.

Maryles Casto is an important community leader in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, California, and the Philippines. She is also a wonderful storyteller, and she has drawn on her personal, business, and public life to write a fascinating tale!

Dr. Gloria C. Duffy, president and CEO, The Commonwealth Club

Copyright 2021 Maryles Casto
All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Silicon Valley Press, Carmel, CA
Siliconvalleypress.net

Design: Paul Barrett
Image credits: Cover 2021/1980 George Wedding/GEOPIX. Interior images from Maryles Castos personal collection

ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-7358731-5-2
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-7358731-6-9

Lovingly for Marc, Elenora, and Abigail

And knows that yesterday is but todays memory and tomorrow is todays dream...

But if in your thought you must measure time into seasons, let each season encircle all the other seasons,

And let today embrace the past with remembrance and the future with longing.

From The Prophet, by Khalil Gibran

Each of us carries upon our history the interaction of all the people we have met and engaged with in some way great or small. They are our close intimates, from family to dearest friends; others are the myriad strangers engaged briefly when purchasing coffee, sharing the same subway, or presenting our boarding pass while stepping onto one more flight. At times, though, the great divide of human connection is surpassed, and a stranger becomes a friend.