In recent years, the contract cleaning business has had its share of crucial turning points: The dramatic rise in outsourcing among facility executives; critical pieces of labor legislation; business ethics scandals; changing immigration patterns; heightened union activity; mounting concern over the health risks associated with buildings; and business speculation from outside the industry — to name a few.

Each of these watersheds has also helped define its present players: The business-side movers and shakers, the industry pundits, the cleaning innovators and the people on the front lines.

And while events help to piece together the past, people are at the core of any insight into the future.

“Contract Cleaning, circa 2003,” then, is best illustrated by sketching the diverse backgrounds, talents and idiosyncrasies of its cast of characters. What follows are a collection of self portraits, ideas, suggestions and observations — offered up by the personalities that have shaped the industry’s past and undoubtedly will have a profound impact on its future.

Steven Altman
• Owner, All-Pro Cleaning Services Inc., Cleveland (founded 1985)
• Owner, Youngstown Window Cleaning (founded 1903; purchased from his father in 1999)

We may be the oldest cleaning company in North America — we’re 99 years old, with four generations of family ownership. But I didn’t want to take the easy way into the business.

Back when I graduated from Kent State, I had a few sales job offers, the kind every kid dreams about. But I figured, I grew up in the cleaning business and I might as well stay in the business, so I founded All-Pro.

I thought I knew it all — but things change. I remember when I was 10, 12 years old, sweeping parking lots with the crews, and eventually working in buildings.

I’m sure it was very competitive 99 years ago, and it’s competitive now. Our industry, as a whole, has thought you’ve got to be the cheapest to get the job. I get frustrated when we bid against a large international company, and they’re only in it for a year. There’s no accountability. Their goal is for the salesman to make a sale, then move on to the next building. Our salespeople are paid based on retention, in addition to the sale.

We get paid to clean, sure, but it’s more than that. Walt Disney once said he was in the “happy business.” I think that’s what we do. If we come in and do a good job for the tenants, we make the building owners happy.

Roger Puls
• Cleaner, ServiceMaster of the Lakeshore, Manitowoc, Wis.
• Named ServiceMaster’s “Partner of the Year”

I work on my job at the YMCA four hours daily, from 10 to 2. I vacuum, clean drinking fountains … toilets, if necessary — I’m kind of a spot checker during the day. I make sure all of the bathrooms have toilet paper, so everything is ship-shape. There’s a full crew at night. It’s hard to keep up with the cleaning because people go in and out all day.

The No. 1 thing I’d advise other cleaners is to get a good atmosphere between employee and employer. At this outfit, there’s always a good relationship between employee and employer. They come and counter-check us and make sure we’re doing a good job. It’s nice, and it would go good with other cleaning outfits because they don’t know what their employees are doing. At the Y, years ago, they say some cleaners were caught sleeping in a closet.

I enjoy being a cleaner. It’s one way of getting out of the house and doing something. I know a lot of guys who retired, then sit on their butts all day doing nothing. A lot of them aren’t around anymore.

I enjoy meeting people — I’ve gotten to know a lot of interesting people. It’s an interesting job. It’s all important.

Raffy Espiritu
• Owner, Clean Innovation Inc., Santa Clara, Calif.
• Specializes in high-tech industry

Our company, Clean Innovation, responds to the needs of the high-tech sector: semiconductors, wireless, aerospace, biomedical. This industry has put us to the test — in order to respond to their needs, we need to know where the industry is going.

Many of these businesses are on the front line of compliance with quality-assurance standards — ISO 9000 and ISO 14000. These standards, and others, have created a significant impact on how we do business. The high-tech sector is picky on the details — not just for cleaning, but for the systems and procedures, and sensitivity to the environment and to health. We develop our cleaning systems and protocols to support those demands.

For me, though, that industry sets the pace for other sectors to follow. Look at other sectors — the demand for quality-assurance standards is getting to be a norm. Building service providers will need to come to terms with these standards.

Unfortunately, the high-tech industry’s in limbo right now. As budgets get trimmed, we need to make adjustments, and we’ve been forced to diversify into retail stores and even fitness clubs. We use that as a way to protect our bottom line and keep a healthy balance. But high-tech is cyclical, and I think it will come back as an important sector. I think of it as a sleeping giant, and it will rise again. It’s an exciting time.

Laura Dellutri
• Owner, America’s Cleaning Connection, Omaha, Neb.
• AKA “The Healthy Housekeeper”
• Speed-cleaning expert

There’s always been a stereotype of the old janitor, the grumpy guy pushing the mop slowly. You continue to see it in the media today - even now, on television and in major motion pictures. Women in the cleaning industry are still dealing with the Carol Burnett, Hazel, Alice from “The Brady Bunch” cleaning stereotype. So for the most part, janitors and maids are thought of as second-class citizens. This really isn’t true or fair.

I’ve always tried to break those stereotypes. When I first started, I had the “Queen of Clean and the Shinettes” — we’d wear glitzy dresses and sing about cleaning. Then, I became the “Duchess of Dirt,” wearing a gown and carrying a duster, showing people cleaning can be a little more fun and glamorous.

A good way for contractors to become cheerleaders for the industry is by putting more attention on their image — uniforms are really important. Training is key to uplifting the image also. Motivational or customer service training can take cleaning personnel to a higher level.

It’s not as easy to make janitors heroes as it is a death-defying career such as being a firemen, after 9/11. How can a janitor become a hero? Believe it or not, there have been countless stories of janitors saving the day in the media. Janitors have prevented robberies, rescued people, returned lost billfolds and purses, some full of money — the list goes on.

Contractors have to start with the mindset that janitors aren’t just in a dead-end, manual-labor position. These people need to be heroes. Instead of “Joe the Janitor,” with the proper training, mindset and motivation, any janitor or maid can carry an air of excellence that can make them become “Stan the Super Star.”

Steve Ashkin
• Principal, The Ashkin Group, Bloomington, Ind.
• Green-cleaning consultant

We don’t really appreciate the impact the cleaning industry has on the environment. We use approximately 5 billion pounds of janitorial chemicals a year in institutional and commercial facilities, and if we include the impacts from the manufacturing process for those ingredients, we would be looking at a total approaching 50 billion pounds annually.

Plus, we use approximately 4.5 billion pounds of janitorial paper products a year, which translates to 25 to 50 million trees, which has a huge impact on our environment, as well as our hunting, fishing and recreational areas. We’re not even buying recycled paper, which is incredibly easy. We need to get smart. But you can’t solve a problem if you don’t look at it as a problem or if we’re not aware that an opportunity exists for improvement.

For years, this industry has been forced to solely focus on lowering costs, increasing productivity — kind of “doing more with less.” But there are now opportunities to re-evaluate services, and to do a more thorough job to protect people’s health and the environment. I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg; many people may not be sure it’s a real issue. Many people will be caught by surprise.

Green cleaning should not be looked at as a criticism of our current cleaning methods or products. Rather, it is probably one of the most exciting growth opportunities the cleaning industry has seen for years. There’s such a big focus on green cleaning, whether it’s driven because of federal directives, concerns about mold, IAQ, litigation, or because of organizations such as the U.S. Green Buildings Council that affect the building owners. In each case, a new focus on protecting health without harming the environment will create opportunities for our industry.

Lonnie Fine
• Chief Executive Officer, Triangle Services Inc., Valley Stream, N.Y.
• Aviation services provider

You might think that the major difference in the aviation services industry before and after September 11 would be security. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Even before 9/11, extensive security measures were already in place. Federal guidelines mandated that all aviation service contractors screen any potential employee by performing a 10-year employment background check.

For employers, this rigid hiring policy meant that contractors needed extra people on their payroll to cover absenteeism or employees who resign without notice, because it could often take about two months to recruit and fill a position. After 9/11, the federal government has made the job of the aviation services contractor a bit easier. Through its tighter security procedures, the government now expedites the background checks and directly gives the OK for new hires. Now, the entire process takes no more than three weeks.

Five or 10 years ago, the aviation services industry was way ahead of its time. Everyone was planning three, five, 10 years ahead. Now, we laugh at that notion because we’re now planning 24 hours ahead! Whether you’re talking about government restrictions, pricing, possible airline bankruptcies or airline partnerships…all together, these factors make it very difficult to plan ahead.

Bob Allen, CIE (Certified Indoor Environmentalist)
• President, Video-Aire EnviroMold, Fort Worth, Texas
• President, International Association of Mold Remediation Specialists

People always say, “mold’s been around for millions of years, so how come it’s a big deal now?” I think there’s been a lot more public awareness of the link between mold and health issues. Even the Centers for Disease Control says if you have mold, remove it. It’s not enough to kill it — dead mold is as bad as live mold. Dead mold can still get into the air ducts and spread through the building.

What’s going to happen is that air-conditioning contractors, plumbers — anyone doing cutting, repairing or working near a water source — must be more specialized. They need to protect the area and the workers. They can’t just cut into walls or wipe surfaces without protection.

The same thing will happen with janitors. I know of cases where water leaks in janitors’ closets turned into big mold problems. Janitors are our first line of defense, and they need to recognize the problem, or else they’ll infect an entire property.

I think, since there’s such a high safety need, there will be specialty remediators for a long time. But there’s a case to be made for a large janitorial company to have a few workers completely trained in mold abatement so they can do the work themselves. This is probably going to be bigger than asbestos, and OSHA regulates asbestos abatement — requiring training and licensing. The same should be true for mold.

It’s actually not expensive to remove the contamination — that myth comes from the fly-by-night companies, who did landscaping yesterday and mold remediation today.

Steve Allen
• Senior vice president, Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management, St. Louis
• A non-family member in a family-owned business

I was hired by Mitch Murch as a supervisor in October of 1978 to run his biggest account — three high-rises. I was the first employee he hired. I did that until I was able to grow into the operations manager position, and on up the line.

I think the family business was decided by Mitch from the outset. His older son, Tim, was in college, and I think it was apparent that Tim would come into the business and be the head of the sales department. I’m not sure if it was expected at the time that Mitch’s younger son, Mitchell, would come into the business too, but he’s in now. I think Mitch made it clear upfront that Tim would eventually become president, and that there was a tremendous opportunity for me.

I’ve never looked back on that with any animosity. I don’t really feel like an outsider — through good times and bad, I’m completely involved.

I think the future bodes well for us. I don’t know what the long-term will hold — whether Tim will stay in the business and bring his kids into it. I know I’ll retire here.

As for others in a similar situation, the thing to do is to have an understanding with the family owners, from the beginning, on what your role is in the company. It can be win/win for anyone in my position.

Dannette Young
• Vice president of marketing, United Building Maintenance, Inc., Dallas
• Sales & marketing expert

As large businesses continue to lay off workers, BSCs are seeing a “rush” by property managers and facility managers to cut costs. The market is being driven based on the bottom line rather than on the quality of service; however, at the same time, the customer wants good service. At this point, there is no “new” business at hand. Companies are not moving into new areas or building new buildings, and they are downsizing their workforce. BSCs are simply trading accounts, and most are being won or lost based upon cost.

Salespeople should, pardon all the cliches, keep their ears open and to the ground to see what the going price in their particular market is at any given time. Then, take a hard look at the company’s profit line and see if they can provide even a temporary reduction at that level — taking less for new business is better than not getting the business.

Part of keeping the company going during hard economic times is keeping the existing accounts. This is not the time to let the customer or competitor find a weakness in your service level. A property manager will change vendors for a $.001 per square foot price break right now, so we shouldn’t give them bad service as ammunition against us.

From the trends I’ve observed over the last 20 years, I firmly believe we are on the down side and may fall just a little more before coming back up. We seem to have a 7-year cycle. Hold on, and we’ll get through this time.


Dr. Michael Berry
• Research professor, University of North Carolina , Chapel Hill
• Health expert

Cleaning is tremendously important — it allows people to use space over and over. It’s good insurance. It prolongs the life of materials. There’s a whole list of things that cleaning does to promote comfort, security and productivity indoors.

But in terms of health, we’re stuck in a rut. A lot of lip service gets paid to “cleaning for health,” as well as a lot of exaggeration for the sake of making a sale, such as the case with mold. It’s nice they’ve discovered mold — it’s only been around for four billion years. Mold’s important, but in terms of risk, it’s contact with bacteria indoors that puts people’s health at risk. Health should be an automatic with cleaning — you put things in their proper place, remove exposure to harmful things, and health improves. If you’re cleaning properly, you reach a sanitary state.

I stand back in amazement and watch the industry try to define cleaning. It’s actually going on, but it’s a little late. What is clean? Who’s going to answer that question — the industry or the regulatory agencies? I hope it’s the industry.

The industry needs some kind of value-based definition of cleaning. But what’s happened, in terms of science, is that special interests don’t want things to change. They’re comfortable in their market niche, and that’s understandable.

From my point of view, we should approach cleaning as a science — not superficially or fabricated by salespeople to generate revenue. We need to measure and go through a defined process of reducing exposure to things. That’s got tremendous value — and that can translate into marketing materials that elevate the value of cleaning.

Bruce Charboneau
• Vice president and general manager, commercial division, UNICCO Service Co., Newton, Mass.
•  $600-million, 20,000-employee facility service provider

In a tough economy, our customers need to focus on their core business. [Building service contractors are] the real pros at maintaining facilities. It is our sole focus. We have the processes in place, we’re expert at the details, and we have the purchasing power to save dramatically on facilities supplies.

I can’t speak for [all of the large companies], but UNICCO remains committed to doing the job well. Quality is not a new way to do business, but it still works the best. What is new is the value that technology brings to improving efficiencies and reducing costs. We’re using hand-held computers and wireless PDAs to conduct inspections and to open and close work orders. Preventive maintenance really suffers at facility-services companies that don’t have the technology tools.

What’s wrong [with large companies] is low bidding just to get the work. They can’t deliver and everybody gets hurt. Low pricing doesn’t allow a company to reinvest in itself, its people or its technology — which adversely affects not only them, but also our industry. Quality is what makes the successful companies.

There’s a definite place for small businesses in niche markets and services for things that are more project- oriented. We partner with smaller minority- and women-owned and disadvantaged businesses and have established formal mentoring programs. It’s a win-win thing. With a little help, they do a really good job, and customers recognize our commitment.




POSTED ON: 1/1/2003