In most cases, hard work pays off. It certainly did for the Falls family, who are celebrating 58 years in the cleaning industry.

Falls Facility Services, in southwest Birmingham, Alabama, was founded by Thomas Falls Sr., after he lost his driving job in the 1950s. Thomas started the business out of his family home, recruiting his children for tasks such as emptying ash trays and answering phones.

Today, Thomas Jr. runs the business with his mother, Mary Helen, and his sister, Vanessa, at his side. At its apex, the commercial-cleaning and facility-management company employed roughly 600 workers and cleaned buildings in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida. Today, the company employs between 160 and 170 workers who handle about 80 customers in schools, commercial offices and medical facilities.

For more information on how Falls Facility Services came to be, click here.