Q & A With Mark Poole Of Portland Window Cleaning

Mark Poole of Portland Window Cleaning gives us his story:

We started Waterworks NW based in Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon 12 years ago. With a heavy background in pressure washing after managing a pressure washing company for 6 years I left the company after I found out the owner was cheating customers. With 3 weeks to make our mortgage payment I sold my motorcycle, bought a truck and some equipment and started handing out fliers. Our services included window cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing & roof cleaning. In 2009 we restructured after a slowing economy and with the power of the internet & started Portland Window Cleaning, Portland Pressure Washing, Portland Roof Cleaning and recently purchased Portland Gutter Cleaning. This project took the better part of a year to complete, but the plans are just starting for these companies, whose owners are not old enough to to even watch PG movies yet. We feel very fortunate to have these companies and have big plans as we develop these high quality customer service orientated companies and groom their new owners for the future.



Questions & Answers with Mark Poole:

How long have you been window cleaning – what got you started?
We have been window cleaning for 12 years. What got me started was a desire to have my wife stay home with our children. I had a pressure washing background and helped a friend clean a couple windows part time. He moved and I asked if he would mind me adding his old customers to Portland Window cleaning.

What do you hate/love most about window cleaning?
I love going into a home with dirty windows and seeing the customers face when we are done cleaning them. I hate the feeling of not being able to let go of the work. I am addicted to perfection and need to tell myself to take breaks.

What are your favorite tools in the trade?
Well, I think we are one of the only companies around using water fed poles on residential homes every day. We carry our water on board and have Gardiner carbon fiber poles. So setup and take down is very quick, we simply flip a switch and we are cleaning.

What percentage of wfping to traditional window cleaning do you do?
In the 2 1/2 years since using water fed poles we have cleaned exterior windows on 3 homes using traditional methods only because of old wood frames. 99 percent of our residential and commercial clients enjoy risk free window cleaning and peace of mind knowing we are not on ladders.

In your neck of the woods, it rains a lot – how do you cope with this?
We do not clean windows in the rain, unless it is a regular commercial account. Our residential customers appreciate our flexibility in dealing with the weather. We clean lots of gutters as well as pressure washing. If we can do the work safely, we will work. We can also compress our work weeks if needed to work around the weather. There are many other aspect of the company that employees can work on if it is unsafe to work on homes because of the weather. Money isn't everything, but our safety is very important.

What do you think the best marketing medium has been for your company?
Word of mouth, although the internet is a great marketing tool, quality workmanship and great customer service goes a long way.

What other services do you provide?
We own multiple companies which do a variety of services such as Window Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Pressure Washing & Roof Maintenance.

Who do you look up to in the industry & why?
I don't know many in the industry. There are many that have built large companies and have done a lot for the industry such as Chris and Alex from WCR. I do not really look up to anyone as each of us have our own goals. But certainly I would have to give credit to Kevin Dubrosky who has helped many companies earn more money while working less hours.

What’s gonna be your next biggest purchase for the company?
Well, we just purchased a large commercial pressure washer from Landa Northwest. We need more sprinter vans for our fleet. We will be purchasing more carbon fiber water fed poles for Portland Window Cleaning.

The most treasured piece of window cleaning equipment you have?
The Gardiner water fed pole.

Any family? Are they involved in the business?
I am the father of 3 children, and have been married for 12 years. My wife takes care of the family and our home. Maybe when the kids are older she might want to work for Portland Window Cleaning.

Do you favor one supplier or do you shop around?
We have had our same vendors for quite some time. Landa Northwest being at the top of the list.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Retired.

What do you do to relax?
Golf.

If you could live anywhere & window clean – where would it be?
Hawaii.

Mark Poole & his team have a blog that showcases his work. Mark can be reached on Portland Window Cleaning (503)844-6700.

Window Cleaning BBQ + Other News

THIS SATURDAY Aug 15th 2009: Hillsboro, Oregon: The North West Window Cleaners BBQ is the gathering place for all window cleaners in the North west territory. This is the place where we get together leaving the competitive edge behind, discuss current events and the window cleaning industry. Its my belief by helping one another we grow and better our trade as a whole. Tim Hunter of "Gleaming the View" will showcase Networking, Demos, a Swap-meet & a BBQ. Click here for more details.

A Janesville window cleaning company donates its time and services to area non-profit organizations. The Association of United Window Cleaners, (AUWC) a national organization, encourages members to take part in its two weeks of charitable service. So that's what Xtreme Cleaning is doing. Workers spent the day at Rock Assembly of God Church in Janesville, making sure all of the windows were squeaky clean. "I think it's very important in the struggling economy that we have that we don't forget about the non-profit organizations and the people in need," said Xtreme Cleaning Owner Troy Nelson. Next week Xtreme Cleaning will be in Beloit, cleaning windows at the Hands of Faith Homeless Shelter.

Learning the ropes paves way for new jobs: There was a time when the only people who knew how to abseil down ropes were climbers, cavers and the SAS. However, all that is changing. 'Offshore' industries such as shipping and oil production have realised a trained abseiler can save them an enormous amount of money in regard to inspections and maintenance, and so the demand for high altitude workers has rocketed. Rather than construct costly scaffolding to get up to the area, a trained abseiler can do the job in a fraction of the time. And as the credit crunch has taken hold, more and more workers are seeing the attraction of this kind of work.
With rope access operatives able to earn up to £48,000 for working just six months of the year offshore, it's little wonder there's also been a surge in applications to get that all important qualification. Asked what sort of jobs are available to graduates of the course, Mark replied: "Now there's a lot of wind turbines being built, and there is a new initiative on the Tyne to build more. "People also want to go offshore such as on service maintenance, inspection work and NDT. "There are jobs onshore too; window cleaners, on wind turbines, scaffolders, painters. Anything at height, they could do this course."

Nevada JobConnect launches employment quest: Job seekers in Las Vegas are about to get a burst of new opportunities. The state agency in charge of helping people find employment has launched a major new offensive or, as they call it, a job "quest." It's like a military surge with an army of agents out all around Las Vegas, calling and meeting employers over the next two weeks. The goal of this quest is to add hundreds of new job listings to the JobConnect system. Every day, hopeful job seekers study the listings. But for most of the year, the pickings have been slim: window cleaner, part-time cook, and the occasional skilled position like MRI technician. What the JobConnect office needs is more - a whole lot more - opportunities for the unemployed to get their lives back in business. There are currently 540 job orders posted at the JobConnect office; the goal is to have nearly double that inventory by the end of the week.
But job counselors know that is a tall order. In some cases, a single job listing will generate 500 applications - not good odds at all. But with more postings, the hope is that applicants will start seeing better results. The Nevada JobConnect listings can be accessed in person at the office across from the Boulevard Mall or around the clock via the Internet at the Nevada JobConnect web site. Nevada currently has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the country at 12 percent. Michigan, home of the auto industry, is number one with 15 percent.

MPs' expenses - they just don’t get it! Letters/ Sir, I have just read the letter from my MP Barbara Follett addressing her reasons for claiming, and now paying back, those expenses. I would like to know in view of her explanation, how £1,600 for window cleaning could be considered a justifiable parliamentary expense? Does serving as an MP make one's windows somehow more grubby? Well it certainly appears to make their view on financial morality a tad obscure. Oh dear, they still don't get it, do they?
J Cooper,
Stevenage.

Ever done this? The window-washing mix has a great ad on TV about two crows sitting on a line laughing at the guy who runs into a very clean patio glass door. Of course, it has been cleaned with Windex. Ever seen it? Well, last week I felt really stupid, again, and I would have fit right in if that pair of crows was sitting on a nearby utility line. I happened to be at the Rocky Mount water treatment, or filtration if you like that word, plant. There are two large, heavy plate glass doors at the entrance to the building. On one side, there is an equally as large heavy plate glass window. Turning on my heels and sorta talking back to Bob, I headed out the door in great haste!
I was suddenly stopped when I walked head-on into the big plate glass window with a loud thud! I was reaching to push the door open with my left hand and, of course, I was more than a "shade" off my target. My right hand slammed into the glass, knuckles first as my left hand reached part of the door where the hinges are located. Also hitting the heavy glass was my head! That brought a loud thump. Most of the time I wear a Crooked Road pin at the bottom of my News-Post hat. Well, the pin smacked the glass and the little round back that holds it in place drove a little round hole into my forehead! I reeled backward from the impact to Bob's instant question, "Are you okay?" Still a little stunned from the blows, I assured him I was as I cleared the cobwebs out of my head and looked at my red, aching knuckles. Then it dawned on me that my forehead also was hurting. I checked under the cap but found no blood! I did feel a tiny knot left by the pin's backing. I walked out to where I had parked Goldie, checking my knuckles and sorting out everything. Returning to the building, I thought about the commercial and glanced over at a nearby telephone line. Thank goodness I didn't see a pair of crows sitting there laughing their heads off at what I had just done As I walked back inside, I stopped long enough to check just how clean the glass really was. It sparkled. No fingerprints, smudges or anything else. It would have made an excellent commercial if a crew had been set up ready to roll. The first "take" would have been perfect. It would have to be because I sure wouldn't go for a second take. The next morning, my knuckles were still red and a little swollen. And my head still bore the little broken mark in my skin and the area was sore.

Manufacturers Look for Creative Ways to Climb Back: More than half of respondents to a recent survey said they plan to identify new market segments and jumpstart aggressive sales and marketing efforts when asked what changes their company would likely make over the next 12 months. The unscientific poll taken of Manufacturing and Technology eJournal readers from July 22 through July 28 drew more than 350 responses. Readers were asked to choose more as many answers that applied to their situation. Other top answers include expanding territory to look for new business wherever it may be (more than 36 percent), looking to existing vendors for cost reductions (32 percent) and eliminating underperforming products and services to conserve capital (24 percent). Less than 24 percent said they plan to layoff employees. Other answers include reducing salaries or days worked to cut costs and save jobs (21 percent); staying closer to home for business to cut costs (12.5 percent); asking creditors for extended payment terms and/or grace period (9 percent); selling company assets (9 percent); applying for a business loan (6 percent); and pursuing other options (6 percent). David Velie, managing partner of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Amend Consulting/Techsolve, says there is still time to take meaningful action to stay competitive. When the CEO of one of Velie's clients asked his team to cut budgets, for example, the move meant eliminating the window cleaning service. To set an example, the CEO stuck around after work and cleaned windows himself.