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| Jim Stump of Jim’s Cleaning Service of Durango cleans grime Friday from the windows of Caldwell Banker Heritage House Realtors offices at Eighth Street and Main Avenue. |
Mud storm cleanup not so easy: Window cleaner says ‘I’ve never had to deal with this level of grit.’ Since Monday’s storm – when the sky wept mud all over the Four Corners – downtown Durango, usually a showcase of gleaming windows, has struggled to get itself in order. Though on Friday, many cars were still encrusted in a tight mesh of overlapping dirt streaks, looking like they were on the losing side of a desert war, downtown Durango’s buildings were hands down the storm’s biggest victims.
Mark Flores, owner of MFTEnt, a window-washing operation, said that since the storm hit, he’s never been busier in his life. “I am overwhelmed. At first it was a little scary because I am the kind of person who likes to make everybody happy. But I’ve had to turn a lot of work down,” said Flores. One of the big emotional losses Flores has been recouping from is the work he did cleaning windows last weekend. “They all had to be done again,” said Flores. “I have a weather guarantee – it’s kind of like insurance – and I’ve had to go back to a lot of the residential customers I saw last week. So I’ve had to eat it.”
Flores said he didn’t mind the extra labor because he was so eager to please his customers. But he said that many of the cleaning jobs were unusually tall orders. In an interview Friday afternoon, Flores said the building he was currently working on, BREW Pub and Kitchen at 117 W. College Drive, was the worst-hit in town. “They’ve got everything coming in from the west, with soot from the train and dust on top of the mud,” he said. Some windows fared better than others.
Five days after the storm, long trailing arcs of mud still plastered the glass front of Guido’s Favorite Foods, at 1201 Main Ave., which in the afternoon light appeared flaky and brown like giant dried blood spatters. Those windows got off lightly. The Irish Embassy Pub’s exterior looked like shower curtains whose time has come. On Friday evening, the narrow windows on the rear side of City Hall remain coated in an interlacing layer of filth so thick that from across the street it looks like a medieval ruin under siege from exploding cowpat.
Many store owners aborted their amateur attempts at window cleaning on finding the mud was too stubborn. Window washer Flores said that the mud’s intransigence was due to grit. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I have to tell you this storm was phenomenal. I’ve never had to deal with this level of grit on glass,” he said. On the corner of East Second Avenue and Seventh Street, the interior design store Artesanos, which has stunning windows, for the most looked like a large-scale Jackson Pollock rendered in scum.
Linda Hunt, who was managing the store on Friday afternoon, said her husband had earlier tried to clean one side of the building with a hose. “To no avail,” said Hunt, pointing at floor-length glass panels that looked less like windows to the outside world than billowing curtains of mud blur. Hunt said the shop was likely to get professionals involved, saying cleaning them was proving to be a “big project” beyond the scope of window-washing laymen.
Jamie Lister, owner of Jamie’s Fine Jewelry Shop on 10th Street, managed to rub most of the mud from her windows, though the tops of her windows – which were out of arms’ reach – remained speckled with stray sprays of mud droplets. But even after serious washing, they were blurry with swirling circular streaks. “They’re kind of half-cleaned,” said Lister, saying water and soap was insufficient. “They really need to be squeegeed.”
Rod Barker, owner of the Strater Hotel, said such displays of cleaning zeal, while admirable, were a fool’s game. The Strater has more than 200 windows, he said, and they’d been pelted with grime from all sides. “They’re a mess,” he said, “but I’ve seen this so many times. Cleaning them is always a chore. I think it would do a real disservice to everybody if we washed them now, because then, of course, we’d be certain to have another storm. “So it’s better to wait a while – safer for everybody,” he said, laughing.
Mark Flores, owner of MFTEnt, a window-washing operation, said that since the storm hit, he’s never been busier in his life. “I am overwhelmed. At first it was a little scary because I am the kind of person who likes to make everybody happy. But I’ve had to turn a lot of work down,” said Flores. One of the big emotional losses Flores has been recouping from is the work he did cleaning windows last weekend. “They all had to be done again,” said Flores. “I have a weather guarantee – it’s kind of like insurance – and I’ve had to go back to a lot of the residential customers I saw last week. So I’ve had to eat it.”
Flores said he didn’t mind the extra labor because he was so eager to please his customers. But he said that many of the cleaning jobs were unusually tall orders. In an interview Friday afternoon, Flores said the building he was currently working on, BREW Pub and Kitchen at 117 W. College Drive, was the worst-hit in town. “They’ve got everything coming in from the west, with soot from the train and dust on top of the mud,” he said. Some windows fared better than others.
Five days after the storm, long trailing arcs of mud still plastered the glass front of Guido’s Favorite Foods, at 1201 Main Ave., which in the afternoon light appeared flaky and brown like giant dried blood spatters. Those windows got off lightly. The Irish Embassy Pub’s exterior looked like shower curtains whose time has come. On Friday evening, the narrow windows on the rear side of City Hall remain coated in an interlacing layer of filth so thick that from across the street it looks like a medieval ruin under siege from exploding cowpat.
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| Some windows, including this one at 1201 Main Ave., appeared flaky and brown like giant dried-blood spatters after Monday’s dust storm. |
Linda Hunt, who was managing the store on Friday afternoon, said her husband had earlier tried to clean one side of the building with a hose. “To no avail,” said Hunt, pointing at floor-length glass panels that looked less like windows to the outside world than billowing curtains of mud blur. Hunt said the shop was likely to get professionals involved, saying cleaning them was proving to be a “big project” beyond the scope of window-washing laymen.
Jamie Lister, owner of Jamie’s Fine Jewelry Shop on 10th Street, managed to rub most of the mud from her windows, though the tops of her windows – which were out of arms’ reach – remained speckled with stray sprays of mud droplets. But even after serious washing, they were blurry with swirling circular streaks. “They’re kind of half-cleaned,” said Lister, saying water and soap was insufficient. “They really need to be squeegeed.”
Rod Barker, owner of the Strater Hotel, said such displays of cleaning zeal, while admirable, were a fool’s game. The Strater has more than 200 windows, he said, and they’d been pelted with grime from all sides. “They’re a mess,” he said, “but I’ve seen this so many times. Cleaning them is always a chore. I think it would do a real disservice to everybody if we washed them now, because then, of course, we’d be certain to have another storm. “So it’s better to wait a while – safer for everybody,” he said, laughing.
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| A.D. Fuller is featured in the Snowmass Sun in 1982. Fuller worked for Aspen Skiing Co. for 24 years before breaking into property management in 1981. |
Property management a niche for A.D. Fuller (Snowmass Village) — “As a kid, I just loved watching Westerns. The West fascinated me,” A.D. Fuller said when asked why he moved from Boston to Snowmass in 1970. Forty-three years later, he still can't imagine living anywhere else. “I came right after high school,” Fuller said. “I was thinking about moving to New Hampshire to be a ski instructor where I grew up and learned to ski. That had been my secret plan. But a friend who had lived in Aspen in the '50s said if you really want to be an instructor, you've got to go to Aspen.”
Arriving here, he applied to Aspen Skiing Co., completed its training program and became an apprentice kids ski instructor in December 1970. Ski school cost $13 a day, and that included a lift ticket. A kids lunch was $1.25. And a bed at one of the small lodges in Aspen cost $50 a month. “It was hand-to-mouth,” Fuller said, “especially in the summer months. It was dead in the '70s. We would walk around the construction sites and get day labor jobs. And I worked at the Sinclair gas station, which was on the corner where Paradise Bakery is today. “For the first 10 years, I went back home to Martha's Vineyard in the summers until I decided to stay here all year long.”
Fuller worked for Skico for 24 years, moving from a ski instructor to patrol. In a 1982 photo of him in the Snowmass Sun, the caption explained, “A.D. now works for the ski area year-round, enjoying patrolling, snowmaking operations, avalanche control, lift operations, grooming, and Burnt Mountain tours in the winter, and working on a trail crew with Tom Marshall.” Fuller worked his last eight years for Skico in administration in purchasing, accounting and finance.
He cut his teeth on property management in 1981 when he heard a fellow ski patroller say he was moving out of the cabin on the Ziegler family property. Fuller applied and managed the property for 27 years until 2008. “The Ziegler family is like my family, and they always treated my kids so nice,” Fuller said. “The property sits on beautiful land on the valley floor overlooking (Snowmass) creek. You look up at Capitol and Daly.”
Fuller had the skills for property management. “It fits my temperament, and it's just my niche,” he said. He expanded his property-management duties at the Zieglers' by forming his own property-management company, Fuller Management. “I really enjoy working hard for these folks,” Fuller said. “I know some construction, whether or not the heating system is working right. I can take care of places. You get a ‘thank you' at the end of the day, and it makes it all worth it.”
Fuller said that most of his clients mainly want someone watching out for their house. When they return, they want it just like they left it, and they want things to work. Fuller Management provides a range of property-management services from housekeeping to lawn and plant care, snowplowing and shoveling. Fuller Management works with a variety of contract services to take care of a client's home. “One of my biggest jobs is being on the phone,” Fuller said. “I arrange for a lot of services. Contractors. Window washers. I get into all of my properties at least once a week. And I have some of the nicest people you can meet as customers.”
Fuller takes pride in the fact that he is present in Snowmass and can respond immediately to issues or situations at a client's home. “We're here. You're not going to have to wait until the next day if it's something urgent,” he said. “It's the key to my success: answering my phone, responding to problems.”
After 43 years in Snowmass, Fuller still likes it. “The blue skies,” he said. “It's just a great place for me. It fits me perfect.” He and his wife, Claire, raised two sons from the Little Red Schoolhouse through Aspen High School. Oldest son Whit is in the U.S. Navy, and younger son Nick is a junior at the University of Colorado. Fuller is hopeful regarding his business. While some clients cut back during the recession, Fuller has started to see a rebound, and business is beginning to pick up. “We weathered it,” Fuller said. “But now we're picking up properties. We plan to grow the business and be the best we can be.”
Arriving here, he applied to Aspen Skiing Co., completed its training program and became an apprentice kids ski instructor in December 1970. Ski school cost $13 a day, and that included a lift ticket. A kids lunch was $1.25. And a bed at one of the small lodges in Aspen cost $50 a month. “It was hand-to-mouth,” Fuller said, “especially in the summer months. It was dead in the '70s. We would walk around the construction sites and get day labor jobs. And I worked at the Sinclair gas station, which was on the corner where Paradise Bakery is today. “For the first 10 years, I went back home to Martha's Vineyard in the summers until I decided to stay here all year long.”
Fuller worked for Skico for 24 years, moving from a ski instructor to patrol. In a 1982 photo of him in the Snowmass Sun, the caption explained, “A.D. now works for the ski area year-round, enjoying patrolling, snowmaking operations, avalanche control, lift operations, grooming, and Burnt Mountain tours in the winter, and working on a trail crew with Tom Marshall.” Fuller worked his last eight years for Skico in administration in purchasing, accounting and finance.
He cut his teeth on property management in 1981 when he heard a fellow ski patroller say he was moving out of the cabin on the Ziegler family property. Fuller applied and managed the property for 27 years until 2008. “The Ziegler family is like my family, and they always treated my kids so nice,” Fuller said. “The property sits on beautiful land on the valley floor overlooking (Snowmass) creek. You look up at Capitol and Daly.”
Fuller had the skills for property management. “It fits my temperament, and it's just my niche,” he said. He expanded his property-management duties at the Zieglers' by forming his own property-management company, Fuller Management. “I really enjoy working hard for these folks,” Fuller said. “I know some construction, whether or not the heating system is working right. I can take care of places. You get a ‘thank you' at the end of the day, and it makes it all worth it.”
Fuller said that most of his clients mainly want someone watching out for their house. When they return, they want it just like they left it, and they want things to work. Fuller Management provides a range of property-management services from housekeeping to lawn and plant care, snowplowing and shoveling. Fuller Management works with a variety of contract services to take care of a client's home. “One of my biggest jobs is being on the phone,” Fuller said. “I arrange for a lot of services. Contractors. Window washers. I get into all of my properties at least once a week. And I have some of the nicest people you can meet as customers.”
Fuller takes pride in the fact that he is present in Snowmass and can respond immediately to issues or situations at a client's home. “We're here. You're not going to have to wait until the next day if it's something urgent,” he said. “It's the key to my success: answering my phone, responding to problems.”
After 43 years in Snowmass, Fuller still likes it. “The blue skies,” he said. “It's just a great place for me. It fits me perfect.” He and his wife, Claire, raised two sons from the Little Red Schoolhouse through Aspen High School. Oldest son Whit is in the U.S. Navy, and younger son Nick is a junior at the University of Colorado. Fuller is hopeful regarding his business. While some clients cut back during the recession, Fuller has started to see a rebound, and business is beginning to pick up. “We weathered it,” Fuller said. “But now we're picking up properties. We plan to grow the business and be the best we can be.”
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| "I am vice president and oversee day to day operations, including pricing new jobs, scheduling work and ensuring my staff is delivering the quality of service our customers have come to expect from us." |
Five Questions for Stephen Despart: Stephen Despart, 49, is vice president of Action Window Cleaner, a Rensselaer-based window cleaning business. Despart grew up in Rensselaer and graduated from Rensselaer High School. He currently resides with his wife and children in Castleton.
Q Please describe your business, when it was founded and why?
A Our company name speaks for itself — Action Window Cleaning. We clean windows — residential and commercial. We also offer a variety of other services, including pressure washing of the exterior of homes and businesses, gutter cleaning, high dusting and light bulb changes — pretty much anything you need a ladder for, we can do. Action Window was founded by my father in 1975. He was a partner in another company and decided to venture off on his own.
Q What is your specific role at Action Window Cleaning?
A I am vice president and oversee day to day operations, including pricing new jobs, scheduling work and ensuring my staff is delivering the quality of service our customers have come to expect from us. Action has always been a family run business. After my father retired, my wife Lisa and I took over. She is president and handles the CFO and CEO responsibilities. My two sons have worked for the company during their summers home from college and my daughter does some administrative work.
Q How does Action Window Cleaning differentiate from other similar window cleaning businesses out there?
A Our experience. Action Window Cleaner is the oldest window cleaning company in the area. Our employees average over 10 years window cleaning experience, which is unusual in our business. Action Window Cleaner is a member of the International Window Cleaning Association and the International Window Cleaner Certification Institute. We continually educate our employees on the most up-to-date safety equipment and techniques and abide by all OSHA and NYS window-cleaning standards. And, Action Window Cleaner is a good place to work. We know that good employees are key to the success of our company. We value all our employees and offer them the opportunity to participate in our 401K and profit-sharing programs. Lastly, we are the only ones with the red trucks!
Q Please describe some of the challenges you’ve faced as a small business and how you’ve overcome them.
A Healthcare is a challenge. We need it, our employees need it, but it is so expensive for small companies. (I don't know why larger corporations are offered better rates than smaller companies). While the company is able to cover a significant portion of the cost, employees need to make a partial contribution. We found a high deductible plan that we, and our employees, can afford. While it doesn’t have all the “bells and whistles” of many other coverage plans, it should take care of the biggest expenses. Competing with companies who offer lower prices, and, in turn, inferior service, can be frustrating. We may not always offer the lowest price, but we know our business and we deliver it well. On several occasions, we have lost business to a lower price only to be called back when the customer didn’t get the quality they received from us. As is the case with most things, you get what you pay for.
Q Name one of your proudest moments, either as it relates to your business or in your personal life.
A A culmination of proud moments has been watching my three children grow up — and being able to be a part of it. The typical hours of my job are 6 a.m.-3 p.m., which allowed me the opportunity to become more involved in their after-school activities. Luckily, we all share a love of sports and I was able to coach them at one time or another in baseball, football or basketball. It’s hard to remember what I did before they started playing sports. But, with my youngest starting college next year, it looks like I will have some time on my hands.
Q Please describe your business, when it was founded and why?
A Our company name speaks for itself — Action Window Cleaning. We clean windows — residential and commercial. We also offer a variety of other services, including pressure washing of the exterior of homes and businesses, gutter cleaning, high dusting and light bulb changes — pretty much anything you need a ladder for, we can do. Action Window was founded by my father in 1975. He was a partner in another company and decided to venture off on his own.
Q What is your specific role at Action Window Cleaning?
A I am vice president and oversee day to day operations, including pricing new jobs, scheduling work and ensuring my staff is delivering the quality of service our customers have come to expect from us. Action has always been a family run business. After my father retired, my wife Lisa and I took over. She is president and handles the CFO and CEO responsibilities. My two sons have worked for the company during their summers home from college and my daughter does some administrative work.
Q How does Action Window Cleaning differentiate from other similar window cleaning businesses out there?
A Our experience. Action Window Cleaner is the oldest window cleaning company in the area. Our employees average over 10 years window cleaning experience, which is unusual in our business. Action Window Cleaner is a member of the International Window Cleaning Association and the International Window Cleaner Certification Institute. We continually educate our employees on the most up-to-date safety equipment and techniques and abide by all OSHA and NYS window-cleaning standards. And, Action Window Cleaner is a good place to work. We know that good employees are key to the success of our company. We value all our employees and offer them the opportunity to participate in our 401K and profit-sharing programs. Lastly, we are the only ones with the red trucks!
Q Please describe some of the challenges you’ve faced as a small business and how you’ve overcome them.
A Healthcare is a challenge. We need it, our employees need it, but it is so expensive for small companies. (I don't know why larger corporations are offered better rates than smaller companies). While the company is able to cover a significant portion of the cost, employees need to make a partial contribution. We found a high deductible plan that we, and our employees, can afford. While it doesn’t have all the “bells and whistles” of many other coverage plans, it should take care of the biggest expenses. Competing with companies who offer lower prices, and, in turn, inferior service, can be frustrating. We may not always offer the lowest price, but we know our business and we deliver it well. On several occasions, we have lost business to a lower price only to be called back when the customer didn’t get the quality they received from us. As is the case with most things, you get what you pay for.
Q Name one of your proudest moments, either as it relates to your business or in your personal life.
A A culmination of proud moments has been watching my three children grow up — and being able to be a part of it. The typical hours of my job are 6 a.m.-3 p.m., which allowed me the opportunity to become more involved in their after-school activities. Luckily, we all share a love of sports and I was able to coach them at one time or another in baseball, football or basketball. It’s hard to remember what I did before they started playing sports. But, with my youngest starting college next year, it looks like I will have some time on my hands.
Big Job At CenturyLink: Talk about your big jobs. Ever wonder how they clean all of the windows in the CenturyLink Center? That's a lot of glass. It's an industrial size job and one that Fisher Window Cleaning Crew enjoys. The CenturyLink windows are cleaned once a year, but get this, it takes ten days to get to them all. Even with the power lifts. Five days for the outside of the windows, five days for the inside. The Fisher crew tells Channel 6 News the First National Tower is a bigger job and one they have to rapel down the side of the building.
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| Dave Cook cleans one of many glass doors and windows at the Swiftel Center last Wednesday. As owner of Dave’s Window Company, Cook works year-round cleaning windows in all weather, including conditions like last week’s storm. |
A 23-year, squeaky- clean window career: Aurora man washes windows year-round throughout Eastern South Dakota. Aurora resident David Cook has the kind of job where no one really sees his work, they see through it. And that’s what Cook wants – he’s a professional window washer who, with the help of his son, cleaned 100,000 to 125,000 panes of glass last year.
To call window washing a strenuous job understates it: Year-round, Cook alternately freezes and overheats; his muscles are taxed to the limit by repetitive, forceful scrubbing and scraping; he’s on the job while most of us are still sleeping; and he regularly finds himself in dangerous situations. Despite all that, this job has made him a living, and Cook is grateful for the many faithful customers he’s served over the past 23 years in business.
Summer’s Gone But Flies Have Left Their Mark (Tauranga): An eco-friendly Kiwi cleaning company is urging people to rid their ceilings of unsightly fly excrement as our long hot summer comes to an end – before it does any permanent damage to their home. Spot Free owner Colin Dale says the mess left behind by flies during summer months is acidic and can burn through painted surfaces, leaving behind a mark that is extremely difficult to remove.
Dale has invented a unique range of environmentally-friendly tools which can remove fly marks, mould, grease and nicotine from ceilings and walls without using any harsh chemicals. Spot Free also uses ‘pure’ water to clean windows and exterior surfaces such as soffits, spouting, sidings and weatherboards. “At this time of year there are tell-tale signs of flies dotted all over people’s ceilings but trying to rub them off can often make the problem worse,” Dale explains.
“Fly poo is acidic so when you rub vigorously with a harsh cleaner or textured cloth you will actually rub through the top layer of typical matte ceiling paint, leaving shiny rub marks in the surface which are particularly noticeable when the light hits it at low angles. This is infuriating for people who take pride in having a clean home.” Painting over fly marks doesn’t solve the problem either as they often burn back through the new paint. “The average housefly poos every five minutes – they can literally distribute hundreds of fly spots all over your house in a single day. ”
Dale made his first cleaner out of a coat hanger, duct tape and lengths of tube, and he has now created a customised steam ceiling cleaner that will tackle any job. “Our cleaning device lets super-heated, de-ionized steam escape through tiny pinholes in the ceiling mop-head. The result is dirt simply melts. The dirt, grease, mould and fly spots are absorbed by the thick microfiber pad behind the jets without damaging your ceiling or dripping water onto your furnishings.”
The company’s window cleaning services are also in high demand at present, thanks to Spot Free’s eco-friendly, green approach to business. Traditional window cleaning detergents leave behind a sticky soap residue which attracts fresh dirt. But Spot Free filters all traces of chemicals and minerals from the water before pumping it through high reach poles to a specially-designed brush head. “If you wash windows with untreated tap water and leave them to dry, once the hydrogen and oxygen have evaporated, chemical and mineral residues are left on the glass leaving streaks and other watermarks. Our method ensures we leave nothing behind – except sparkling glass,” Colin says.
Pure water also helps protect delicate plants and animals, and Spot Free’s system eliminates the need for ladders and the hazards they pose around the home. “The majority of window cleaners in New Zealand are still using detergents to clean windows, with a potential use of up to half a kilo of detergent in a day. Imagine all that detergent returning to the ground and polluting the water table! Pure water use is the only choice for those who genuinely care about our planet.”
Spot Free began in the Bay of Plenty over six years ago. Colin Dale and his wife, Claire, previously lived in California where they have over 20 years experience of running companies. In addition to ceiling, wall and window cleaning, Spot Free also offers complete exterior cleaning and end of tenancy cleans. The couple plan to franchise their Spot Free system within the next few months.
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| Spot Free offers an affordable and convenient solution using eco-friendly equipment and methods. |
Dale has invented a unique range of environmentally-friendly tools which can remove fly marks, mould, grease and nicotine from ceilings and walls without using any harsh chemicals. Spot Free also uses ‘pure’ water to clean windows and exterior surfaces such as soffits, spouting, sidings and weatherboards. “At this time of year there are tell-tale signs of flies dotted all over people’s ceilings but trying to rub them off can often make the problem worse,” Dale explains.
“Fly poo is acidic so when you rub vigorously with a harsh cleaner or textured cloth you will actually rub through the top layer of typical matte ceiling paint, leaving shiny rub marks in the surface which are particularly noticeable when the light hits it at low angles. This is infuriating for people who take pride in having a clean home.” Painting over fly marks doesn’t solve the problem either as they often burn back through the new paint. “The average housefly poos every five minutes – they can literally distribute hundreds of fly spots all over your house in a single day. ”
Dale made his first cleaner out of a coat hanger, duct tape and lengths of tube, and he has now created a customised steam ceiling cleaner that will tackle any job. “Our cleaning device lets super-heated, de-ionized steam escape through tiny pinholes in the ceiling mop-head. The result is dirt simply melts. The dirt, grease, mould and fly spots are absorbed by the thick microfiber pad behind the jets without damaging your ceiling or dripping water onto your furnishings.”
The company’s window cleaning services are also in high demand at present, thanks to Spot Free’s eco-friendly, green approach to business. Traditional window cleaning detergents leave behind a sticky soap residue which attracts fresh dirt. But Spot Free filters all traces of chemicals and minerals from the water before pumping it through high reach poles to a specially-designed brush head. “If you wash windows with untreated tap water and leave them to dry, once the hydrogen and oxygen have evaporated, chemical and mineral residues are left on the glass leaving streaks and other watermarks. Our method ensures we leave nothing behind – except sparkling glass,” Colin says.
Pure water also helps protect delicate plants and animals, and Spot Free’s system eliminates the need for ladders and the hazards they pose around the home. “The majority of window cleaners in New Zealand are still using detergents to clean windows, with a potential use of up to half a kilo of detergent in a day. Imagine all that detergent returning to the ground and polluting the water table! Pure water use is the only choice for those who genuinely care about our planet.”
Spot Free began in the Bay of Plenty over six years ago. Colin Dale and his wife, Claire, previously lived in California where they have over 20 years experience of running companies. In addition to ceiling, wall and window cleaning, Spot Free also offers complete exterior cleaning and end of tenancy cleans. The couple plan to franchise their Spot Free system within the next few months.
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| Kenny Vint, 52, became a local franchise owner of Fish Window Cleaning, 2100 Goshen Road, Suite 117. |
Fort Wayne franchise owner swaps computer windows for glass ones: After working in the IT industry for over 28 years, Kenny Vint swapped working on HP Windows for literal windows when he became a franchise owner March 18 for the local Fish Window Cleaning at 2100 Goshen Road, Suite 117. After graduating with a bachelor's in computer science and business systems from Taylor University, Vint hired on at Electronic Data Systems, which was bought out by Hewlett-Packard in 2009.
The switch to window cleaning was made when Vint, 52, took an early retirement package from Hewlett-Packard where he said he felt “like a duck out of water” in his management of 50 engineers. Now, however, he has area support staff to call whenever he faces a challenge. Recently, Vint was able to send a picture of an unusual window via text message to a support staff member. Quickly, Vint was told the model and cleaning procedure.
Not everything has been a squeaky-clean transition, however. Surprised by the amount of administration work, Vint acknowledged this as his biggest challenge. From learning how to quote prices to managing more than 500 accounts, he said he “had to take off running.” “I don't know how people start a business on their own,” said Vint who oversees two window cleaners. “It's been a whirlwind…what drives me is that I'm an owner and doing this for my own business.” With a goal to add 500 new accounts by the end of the year, Vint is also looking to hire an extra window cleaner and advertising employee.
While transitioning between jobs, Vint took advantage of the Lee Hecht Harrison talent solutions company. After six months of resume and interview evaluations, and various “self-profile tests,” Vint discovered his aptitude for entrepreneurship. However, being adverse to financial risk, Vint said he could only see himself in a franchise that has “less risk because it's already established.” Pouring through thousands of franchise options through FranChoice, an organization offering free consulting for prospective franchise owners, Vint settled on Fish Window Cleaning. “It had solid processes,” said Vint. “I also liked that I don't have to be present at all times to make money.”
A fourth of his accounts are residential and the remaining are commercial buildings under three stories. The franchise holds more than 200,000 commercial and residential accounts nationwide. Free estimates and customized service plans are tailored to each customer. Ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, Fish has over 240 nationwide locations and has saved veterans over $41,000 in fees as a member of VetFran, as stated in a news release.
Window Genie, the nationally ranked franchise of home services, opens a new location in Moorpark, CA on Monday, April 22. It's that time of year again: spring cleaning. There is suddenly so much to do around the house. Spring cleaning can be a daunting task without a proper game plan. Many homeowners are able to tackle the tasks inside their home, but how many are able to get on a ladder and completely clean their own windows, siding and gutters? How many homeowners are comfortable doing that, and furthermore, have the tools and supplies to do so? Residents and small businesses in the Ventura, CA area don’t have to worry about those chores this spring. Window Genie announces the grand opening of their newest location, owned by Anthony Bernardi, opening in Moorpark on Monday, April 22. Window Genie is the Cincinnati based franchise of home services known to “Clean Windows and a Whole Lot More!” A whole lot more includes window tinting, gutter clean-out and pressure washing.
Before joining the Window Genie team, Anthony Bernardi worked as a sales executive for a manufacturing company that made all weather, outdoor televisions. During some of that time, Bernardi and his wife also ran a soda pop and candy shop franchise for two years. Bernardi said, “I got to a point where I wasn’t satisfied with the work I was doing, it wasn’t fulfilling anymore. I also didn’t feel I was appreciated; the corporate grind was becoming too much. Running the franchise with my wife gave us a taste of what it was like to be our own bosses, so going back into franchising had always been in the back of my mind.”
Bernardi began the search on his own, mulling over all kinds of information on franchising. “I quickly realized that there was an endless sea of options for franchising and that I needed help to narrow down my search. I wanted to find a franchise I could build and grow over the next two decades. Most importantly I wanted to be able to put all my time into it and still make a living that allowed my wife to continue to stay home with our children.” Bernardi found the help he was looking for through The You Network, a franchise consulting agency. He began working with Chris Wright, franchise consultant and Founder of The You Network.
“Chris and The You Network believe in what they’re doing. It’s a very thorough process determining which franchises best fit with my strengths, weaknesses and goals,” Bernardi said of his experience working with Chris Wright. Together they were able to narrow down Bernardi’s options and eventually landed on Window Genie as a top contender. Bernardi said of Window Genie, “What resonated with me about Window Genie was the corporate culture; they encourage all owners to give back and stay active in their communities. Also, the support the corporate staff offers to the entire system shows how much they care about the success of each individual franchise. From my previous experience in owning a franchise, the corporate team wasn’t as solid as they are at Window Genie. Speaking with existing franchisees and attending the Window Genie annual convention in San Antonio validated all the great things I’d read or heard about Window Genie. Window Genie’s growing, expanding and building a national brand. I want to be a part of that and have something I can call my own.”
The switch to window cleaning was made when Vint, 52, took an early retirement package from Hewlett-Packard where he said he felt “like a duck out of water” in his management of 50 engineers. Now, however, he has area support staff to call whenever he faces a challenge. Recently, Vint was able to send a picture of an unusual window via text message to a support staff member. Quickly, Vint was told the model and cleaning procedure.
Not everything has been a squeaky-clean transition, however. Surprised by the amount of administration work, Vint acknowledged this as his biggest challenge. From learning how to quote prices to managing more than 500 accounts, he said he “had to take off running.” “I don't know how people start a business on their own,” said Vint who oversees two window cleaners. “It's been a whirlwind…what drives me is that I'm an owner and doing this for my own business.” With a goal to add 500 new accounts by the end of the year, Vint is also looking to hire an extra window cleaner and advertising employee.
While transitioning between jobs, Vint took advantage of the Lee Hecht Harrison talent solutions company. After six months of resume and interview evaluations, and various “self-profile tests,” Vint discovered his aptitude for entrepreneurship. However, being adverse to financial risk, Vint said he could only see himself in a franchise that has “less risk because it's already established.” Pouring through thousands of franchise options through FranChoice, an organization offering free consulting for prospective franchise owners, Vint settled on Fish Window Cleaning. “It had solid processes,” said Vint. “I also liked that I don't have to be present at all times to make money.”
A fourth of his accounts are residential and the remaining are commercial buildings under three stories. The franchise holds more than 200,000 commercial and residential accounts nationwide. Free estimates and customized service plans are tailored to each customer. Ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500, Fish has over 240 nationwide locations and has saved veterans over $41,000 in fees as a member of VetFran, as stated in a news release.
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| Bernardi said of Window Genie, “What resonated with me about Window Genie was the corporate culture; they encourage all owners to give back and stay active in their communities." |
Before joining the Window Genie team, Anthony Bernardi worked as a sales executive for a manufacturing company that made all weather, outdoor televisions. During some of that time, Bernardi and his wife also ran a soda pop and candy shop franchise for two years. Bernardi said, “I got to a point where I wasn’t satisfied with the work I was doing, it wasn’t fulfilling anymore. I also didn’t feel I was appreciated; the corporate grind was becoming too much. Running the franchise with my wife gave us a taste of what it was like to be our own bosses, so going back into franchising had always been in the back of my mind.”
Bernardi began the search on his own, mulling over all kinds of information on franchising. “I quickly realized that there was an endless sea of options for franchising and that I needed help to narrow down my search. I wanted to find a franchise I could build and grow over the next two decades. Most importantly I wanted to be able to put all my time into it and still make a living that allowed my wife to continue to stay home with our children.” Bernardi found the help he was looking for through The You Network, a franchise consulting agency. He began working with Chris Wright, franchise consultant and Founder of The You Network.
“Chris and The You Network believe in what they’re doing. It’s a very thorough process determining which franchises best fit with my strengths, weaknesses and goals,” Bernardi said of his experience working with Chris Wright. Together they were able to narrow down Bernardi’s options and eventually landed on Window Genie as a top contender. Bernardi said of Window Genie, “What resonated with me about Window Genie was the corporate culture; they encourage all owners to give back and stay active in their communities. Also, the support the corporate staff offers to the entire system shows how much they care about the success of each individual franchise. From my previous experience in owning a franchise, the corporate team wasn’t as solid as they are at Window Genie. Speaking with existing franchisees and attending the Window Genie annual convention in San Antonio validated all the great things I’d read or heard about Window Genie. Window Genie’s growing, expanding and building a national brand. I want to be a part of that and have something I can call my own.”
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| MJF Cleaning. |
Cleaning firm plan to sweep up new business: A North East cleaning firm is hoping to sweep £1m into its annual turnover as NEL investment supports its ambitious growth plans. MJF Cleaning Services is currently based in Darlington but is now initiating a drive to bring in business from Teesside and Tyneside. The company, which provides both daily and specialist cleaning services, is also planning further business development work in North Yorkshire.
MJF has turned to regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers for a £250,000 investment from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund to help provide the working capital required to support its development plans. Part of the investment will aid the recruitment of business development personnel in its two main target markets to help secure new contract opportunities.
David Thomas, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, said: “The MJF management team has a clear vision of how it is going to translate a strong locally-built reputation into wider commercial success, and it’s a vision that offered us a strong investment opportunity.” The cleaning firm currently employs more than 100 people and delivers services to a wide range of commercial and industrial clients in both the private and public sectors.
Set up in 2006 by managing director Martin Ferguson, MJF was originally established as a domestic window cleaning business. After widening its services the firm have now worked with Shepherd Construction on a number of high-profile projects such as the Rockcliffe Hall hotel complex and the new national football headquarters, St George’s Park in Burton.
Martin Ferguson said: “We’ve established strong foundations in and around our home area, and have everything in place to widen a successful business model right across the region and beyond. “Unlike many of our national competitors, our reputation has been built on fully delivering the quality services that we promise to our customers, with an additional guarantee of local accountability to back up everything we offer. “We know that adding a £1m a year to our annual turnover, and creating a substantial amount of new jobs in the process, is an ambitious target, but the opportunities are out there in what we know is an expanding market and we have the resources and expertise in place to make it happen.
“NEL saw what we’d done on the St George’s Park project and initiated a discussion which has been both seamless and very efficient. “They’ve taken the time to listen to and understand our plans for taking the business forward, and working with them has been a very positive experience.” Aimed at regional businesses which are at a development and growth stage, the Growth Fund forms part of the wider Finance for Business North East Fund. Managed by North East Finance, it will see £125m of investment capital injected into the region by the European Investment Bank and the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13 over a five year period. NEL is looking to make around 130 investments over the five-year life span of the Growth Fund, and is actively looking to speak to ambitious north east companies with robust business plans.
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