Building Service Contractor Spotlight: Frank Wardzinski, BRAVO! Group Services

Frank Wardzinski has been in the building services industry for the past 20 years, starting with Monarch Building Maintenance in 1996.

“I joined the industry after spending several years in the security and executive protection field,” he says. “I managed the day-to-day operations of a large security company, and I had the opportunity to meet Chuck Savite Sr., the founder of Monarch, and eventually joined him, with the responsibility of directing the operations team. He became a mentor, and I continue to make decisions based on the experiences I learned from him.”

Today, Frank is the COO of BRAVO! Group Services, headquartered in Green Brook, New Jersey. Here, he discusses the importance of company culture, what he looks for when hiring staff and why he obtained his Certified Building Service Executive (CBSE) designation.

In the next 10-15 years, where do you see the BSC industry?

“We continue to see margin compression throughout our client portfolio in all 15 states where we have existing operations. An area where we remain concerned for the future is centered on the amount of pressure BSCs are putting on each other to win new business. Too many are constantly increasing productivity by reducing labor hours while sacrificing quality. Many are only focused on winning new business by being the lowest bidder instead of being the most qualified company with the best practices, programs and capabilities. They are too often selling price and not value. They are diluting the market, and if we fast forward 10 years, there will have to be a market correction. In addition, we believe robotics, technology and dashboards with live data points will continue to have a positive impact on productivity and performance. This is an area that we remain excited about and have recently incorporated robotic scrubbers, vacuums and sweepers into several client locations. We also believe there will continue to be a focus on reducing chemical dependency in day-to-day cleaning.”

How would you describe your management style?

“My approach has always been direct, ‘cards on the table’ and transparent with our clients, teammates and business partners. I have always believed in giving our team the tools and resources needed to make decisions and manage their departments at a high level while holding them accountable. Our company has gone through 20 percent growth each year since being founded in 1997, and oftentimes, it has been in a fast-paced environment. Our leadership style has had to adapt as the company grew and our roles enhanced.”

What traits do you look for when hiring team members?

“We perform a series of cultural and skills assessments for all supervisors, managers and senior leadership team prior to joining BRAVO! to ensure their approach, style and experience are all a good long-term fit for our company. Treating every teammate, client and business partner with respect, trust and a commitment to ensuring our founder’s guiding philosophy of ‘Do what you say you are going to do’ is achieved each and every day.”

What are some tips you have for employee retention?

“By far, the most important factor for our company is creating opportunities for our team. We have more than 3,200 teammates in 15 states and not a day passes where we are not focused on creating new growth opportunities for them. We have a responsibility to increase the professionalism of the contract cleaning industry, and treating our team with respect and giving them the resources to excel and grow led to our annual retention rate of 93 percent.”

How do you create a great company culture for your employees and team members?

“We enjoy a family-focused culture, and our ownership is heavily involved in all aspects of the company and maintains a close relationship with our teammates. We host employee retreats, picnics and training sessions several times each year to stay accessible, keep the pulse and understand key challenges. [One such challenge was the realization that] our team was so focused on being ‘perfect’ that it created unnecessary stress — and a key source of that drive toward perfection was coming directly from me. I always pushed hard. After several team-building events, workshops, town halls and guidance from our business coaches and clients, we all realized that excellence was achievable and acceptable to our clients without the added pressure of trying to achieve the unattainable perfection. This was a game changer for us and increased our employee satisfaction.”

Why did you obtain your CBSE certification, and how has it helped your career?

“I achieved the CBSE designation in 2007 and used it as a benchmark of my industry knowledge versus my peers. It was a great learning opportunity, and while I passed the first time I took the exam, I recall calling my wife after the first section break and jokingly telling her to sell the business because everything I thought I knew, I clearly did not. It has helped on so many occasions — from being considered an industry expert and being able to apply that knowledge and experience to mentor other owners who were just starting out in our industry or struggling with a specific challenge, to presenting to our clients, prospects and associations, or developing our senior leadership team.”

What is the best piece of advice you’ve received in your career?

“The most important to me has always been to be fair. I have had to make many difficult decisions over my career, and the underlying principal has always been to be fair throughout the process. At the annual Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, we received advice from an inspiring leader of a Fortune 500 company about acknowledging our mistakes and using them as learning opportunities. We purchased hockey helmets with our company logo and the word ‘excellence’ written on the front of them. We gave one to each member of our leadership team and asked them to draw a set of stitches on it with a black sharpie pen each time they made a mistake in their career. They had to prominently display their helmets in their office and openly discuss the takeaway with other members of our team. It was a huge eye opener, and we have since rolled out the program to all levels of our organization. It created a buzz, and other teammates and visitors would often ask questions as it sparked increased communication throughout the organization.”