Corporate Conscience

Many high-level executives are good at what they do: budgeting, managing their workforces, major and minor decision-making, planning for the future and executing goals.

But there is a moral aspect to leadership that goes beyond keeping a business successful. It speaks to the core of what a company believes and stands for, and is one of the most important ways a company can be judged by peers, customers, employees and the communities it serves.

Having a corporate conscience and practicing charity and altruism, many building service contractors agree, is great for business. It’s a way for contractors to differentiate themselves from their peers in the field, a great avenue for networking with local businesses and community leaders, a tactic for increasing employee pride and job satisfaction, and it contributes to a positive reputation for their companies.

Create positive associations

“Cleaning companies want to be part of something that reflects positively on their business specifically,” says Debbie Sardone, president of The Maid Coach and founder of Cleaning For A Reason in Lewisville, Texas. Cleaning For A Reason is a nationwide nonprofit organization through which residential cleaning companies can donate services to women with cancer. “I believe this foundation, and being associated with it, is literally elevating the way cleaning companies are viewed in the public’s mind. They’re noticing us. Cleaning companies have never been in the media unless there was some scandal that none of us wanted to be associated with anyway.”

Involvement in philanthropy shows customers a company is committed to doing more than making a dollar, Sardone says, and it takes a special company to give away services in addition to having the ability to write a check. When a company earns a reputation of being a good corporate citizen, customers see it in a different way as well.

“Statistics have shown that the public is willing to choose one company over another if they believe that company is making a difference in the community,” Sardone says. Cause marketing and corporate benevolence are very powerful, she adds.

At Newton, Mass.-based UGL Unicco, one of the largest BSCs in the country, the basic philosophy toward corporate responsibility is to do good things for those in the communities the company services, says George Lohnes, vice president of marketing.

“I think at the end of the day, you want these things because it’s the right thing to do, but there’s no denying the fact that there’s some positive element of brand recognition to be associated with some of these fantastic organizations,” Lohnes says. “You just have to be careful that that isn’t a driver. It’s a nice side benefit, but it isn’t the root of why we do it.”

Whether it’s building homes for Habitat for Humanity or reducing a carbon footprint, buyers of a BSC’s service want to know they’re working with a good corporate citizen that’s doing the right things in the community, Lohnes says.

Some companies organize events or charity drives of their own. Others have formed internal committees dedicated to allocating funds and coordinating involvement in charitable organizations.

K-tech Kleening Systems Inc. in Schofield, Wis., does both, with an annual golf tournament that raises tens of thousands of dollars for the fight against breast cancer as well as a nonprofit arm.

For Craig Kersemeier, president, the urge to get involved and “give back” was triggered by the sudden illness and death of his 8-year-old niece and the subsequent scholarship in her honor. In the 10 years since, K-tech has been involved in a number of efforts, whether service or fundraising is involved, such as adopting highways and cleaning churches and the local Ronald McDonald House at no charge. The company was doing so much that they started K-tech Charities about four years ago to handle the workload and better control donations. Also, those who donate tend to be a bit more generous when they know they’re getting a tax deduction, Kersemeier notes.

Many BSCs who strive for community involvement are recognized locally or regionally for their achievements and efforts. Those awards aren’t what motivates the company do be a good corporate citizen and employer, Kersemeier says; they’re a result of the effort put in.

“You want the recognition to actually come to validate that all the hard work is noticed,” he says.

Lee’s Summit, Mo.-based Magic Touch Cleaning, has earned awards including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Central Midwest finalist and Kansas City’s 25 Under 25. For President Gary Walker, giving is a faith-based endeavor.

“We’re always dedicating at least 10 percent of our time, our talent, our treasures,” Walker says, to causes in three areas: the arts, battered women’s shelters and the environment. And personally, Walker volunteers weekly as a mentor at the Boys and Girls Club.

Walker and his wife, Trish, are chairs of an upcoming walk/run for clean air benefiting the American Lung Association — and participation was based on the fact family members have died of cancer and suffered from asthma. That type of personal tie to an issue is what drives many BSCs to be involved in certain efforts.

The health angle is what initially led Walker to become interested in green initiatives. Now the self-proclaimed “King of Green Cleaning,” he believes contractors need to educate themselves and then proactively initiate change toward green practices when dealing with customers.

“There’s so many things that they could be doing and the net effect of that is, obviously, having a much more global outlook on your community,” Walker says. “Once we understand the cause and effect, then we need to make change because we have that knowledge.”

Going green, doing good

Green and sustainable practices are also included under the umbrella of corporate responsibility, putting BSCs in a unique position to not only integrate practices internally but also provide services that help customers meet their green goals.

“What our carbon footprint is bears very little significance to how we deliver our services to the customer,” Lohnes says. “But yet, as consumers themselves and as members of the community themselves, they care about the fact that we’re responsible stewards of the environment and I think it all goes back to being a good corporate citizen.”

One BSC — at the request of a customer — has taken additional steps toward measuring and reducing its carbon footprint with involvement in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a nonprofit organization that encourages public and private organizations to reduce emissions and climate change impacts. More than half of Fortune 500 companies participate in the CDP’s annual survey. GCA Services Group, based in Cleveland, is in its first year of participation, and in an industry in which business and environmental efficiencies go hand-in-hand, the project is giving GCA an opportunity to quantify practices.

“This has opened up a really great internal dialogue on that and a lot more analysis of how we do things,” says Karen Quagliano, administrative manager.

The survey is comprehensive in its examination into policies, practices and programs that affect greenhouse gas production, she says. GCA looked at employee and company travel as well as power usage, as well as how the company’s green program fits into the picture.

Though it’s been hard for the company to measure external benefits thus far, the process has confirmed its commitment to being part of positive environmental change. Now, it’s the company’s goal to communicate what they have learned and look for the best way to produce the best result, says Quagliano, “not just for the bottom line but for the overall health of our clients and their employees and our employees — and utilize the opportunity to expand upon that and maybe bring some good practices into some areas.”

Good for employees

When companies participate in good causes in their communities, employees are often tapped to play a role, whether it’s volunteering, staffing events or fundraising. And while a contractor must be wary of pushing participation on employees, some encouragement is often all staff members need.

Though UGL Unicco had established a charitable donations committee to handle its numerous requests for donations, the company felt it was missing a connection to employees. So it started seeking organizations that employees would feel a connection with, such as the Office of the New Bostonians, which serves a largely immigrant population, and the Jimmy Fund, which supports the fight against cancer.

Giving money “frankly, is the easy part,” Lohnes says. “We are also in the process of organizing our people to actually volunteer in the English as a Second Language classes and courses that they teach and that’s what we’re trying to do as a company, is do a better job of linking our volunteerism into the charities that we’ve chosen to support.”

K-tech and UGL Unicco help spread fortune to others by providing scholarships; in the case of K-tech, scholarships go to local students, and UGL Unicco’s scholarships are earmarked for the children of employees.

“We give out usually 20 to 25 scholarships a year, to anything from a trade school to a four-year college, and that’s recognizing that not all of our employees’ children are going into a traditional education,” Lohnes says. Since many of the children are first- or second-generation Americans, it is very rewarding for the company to be able to provide assistance to them, he says.

Involving employees in events and projects can give them a sense of purpose as well, and give them life lessons they might not otherwise get.

“Last Christmas, we delivered 150 food baskets,” Kersemeier says. “And I’ll be honest: out of all those people, probably none of them are going to be my customers. But it’s the right thing to do. ... And it’s neat to see, with my younger employees, because I think it was eye-opening for them. I know it was for my sons. They were like, ‘Holy cow, Dad.’ When you see how these people have it, you want to do it. We’re very fortunate.”

Encouraging employees to be involved in efforts gives them something to get excited about and feel good about. It also provides opportunities for team-building and for camaraderie to grow.

“It’s great to see my associates get involved because you know how good it feels and you know that they’re experiencing the same joy of giving back,” Walker says. “It just makes us better community members. The benefit way outweighs the cost to us.”

For BSCs who are contributing to the well-being of their communities, they want their business to be a reflection of who they are and what kind of company they run. Some are driven purely by money, but the ones that stand out are driven by the happiness that results from delivering good deeds to others.

“It’s a belief that we have that it’s not what you take out of a community — it’s what you put back in,” Kersemeier says. “At the end of the day, I look at what did I accomplish, what did we get done together. It means more to me than saying, ‘How much money did I make?’”

CleanLink: Additional Info CleanTips Smart Podcasts For The Commercial Cleaning Industry Craig Kersemeier of K-tech Kleening Systems Inc. discusses the company’s dedication to local charities, its recent creation of a charitable arm, and the benefits of doing so in the podcast, Commitment To Charity.