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Started cleaning at a
store when I was 17. Cleaned on and off as a part time job for years
for a nationwide cleaning company. Worked as a building services
supervisor for Alltel, covering buildings in Started our own cleaning company 10 plus years ago and never looked back.
More about Jeff Fillmore and J4K Cleaning
1. When did you get started in our industry and how/why? I have cleaned on and off for years as part time work. About 12 years ago while I was working for the local phone company they went through a buy out and our department was eliminated. We were cleaning one doctor’s office on the side at the time. Not having much luck with new jobs we decided to try our hand at cleaning full time. We got a few big accounts and have never looked back. We still have that original doctor’s office. 2. What do you find to be your biggest challenge on a daily basis? Finding good employees. It seems that for about the last year or so we have not had the amount or quality we used to have when we advertise for new employees. Once we get a good employee we do seem to retain the majority of them, it’s just getting them in the door. 3. If you could personally change one thing about our industry, what would it be and how would you change it? The perception some people have about cleaners. So many times when something happens at an account the finger is always pointed at the cleaner. Or the way some people look down their nose at cleaning people. As with any industry we do get our share of less then stellar people but the vast majority of cleaning people are hard working, caring, good hearted people just trying to make a living. 4. If there was one daily or weekly task that you wish you could assign to someone else, what would that task be and why? Supply delivery. While I do have some help with this task at times it seems like it is all I can get done running from one end of town to the next. 5. If you had a crystal ball, where will our industry be in 20 years? I see our industry moving toward more automation with every thing from customer service to dispatching of employees. Programs and products to make our business run smoother and more efficient. 6. How do you manage the balance between having a business and having a life? I have learned to delegate more and I make it a point to spend time with my family. After all my family is the reason we do what do in the first place. 7. Give us 3 essential core values that govern your business ethics and that you use as the basis for operating your company. Honesty, integrity, perseverance. 8. If you had the financial opportunity to expand tomorrow, what would you do? Add on new services? Acquire a competitor? Expand your territory? Other? I would purchase more equipment such as a truck mount carpet cleaner. I would also expand to some of the small towns around us. 9. How do you feel about the push for Green Cleaning? I think Green Cleaning is a good thing. Using products that are not hazardous for the cleaner, the customer, or the environment are all positive. I am concerned about the future as far as certification for BSC’s and other items. 10. Tell us something about you not related to cleaning. I have been married to my wife Kellie for 16 years and we have 5 great children. I, my wife and one of my boys are all black belts in the ATA.
Age- 44 |
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Questions with an Industry Professional
