Jan-Pro Cleaners Keep Customers Business-Ready

Commercial cleaning is much more complex than it sounds. Most people know how to keep their personal surroundings clean and tidy, but the demands of the workplace spawn a completely different set of tasks and metrics.

Reliability is one of the most critical standards.

"Our customers depend on us in order to conduct their business," notes Grant Pollard, Vice President/ General Manager of Jan-Pro of the Greater Bay Area, which has offices at 3875 Hopyard Road. "In many cases our services are absolutely critical. Imagine walking into a dentist's office where the counter is dirty, a restaurant with water rings on the tables, a health club with black spots on the floor. If we don't do our job at night, our customers are not ready for business the next day."

Pollard takes these scenarios very seriously. In fact, last year the Pleasanton office vaulted to the number-one spot in account retention among the worldwide operations of Atlanta-based Jan-Pro Commercial Cleaning Corp. "Our retention rate is 99.87 percent, which, especially in this economy when companies have cut back or shut down, is a remarkable testament to our franchisees and personnel," Pollard enthuses.

"Commercial cleaning is all about delivering what was sold to the customer," he continues. "Our crews have to perform day in, day out and keep the customer satisfied. When a problem arises, we immediately address the issue and rectify it."

Opened in 2004, the Hacienda operation is a Jan-Pro master franchisee. Throughout the Pleasanton territory - Alameda and Contra Costa counties, the North Bay, and the Central Valley - there are 110 individual franchise owners, "business owners with their own cleaning crews." The smallest franchise might represent a part-time job for a parent helping to put a child through college, while the largest run multiple crews.

Pollard and a support staff of 14 handle all the back office functions and support: account acquisition, invoicing, customer service, operations, training, and field support. The franchisees and their crews handle the cleaning.

Jan-Pro's appeal is bolstered by its status as an Alameda County certified green cleaner. "There are perhaps two cleaners in northern California who have this designation," Pollard points out, "and we are one of them." The company utilizes cleaning techniques that require far fewer chemicals than the industry standards. Not only is the green certification easy on the environment, but it also makes the workplace more pleasant, eliminating harsh substances and unpleasant odors.

Jan-Pro's broad range of customers demands a parallel depth in cleaning capabilities. From time-challenged retail stores that need 7,000 square feet of carpet cleaned in just one hour to meat processors in the Central Valley that have to comply with stringent U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements, the company's training programs teach crews how to handle the most challenging applications. A scheme of color-coded microfiber products and tools reduces the possibility of cross-contamination, limiting the spread of airborne bacteria, essential in food environments.

The master franchiser has figured several times among the East Bay Business Times Fast 50, a distinction for fast-growth, privately held companies. From 2005 to 2007 its growth rate hit 28.2 percent. Without specifying its current growth rate, Pollard remarks that it has "exceeded" its previous high.

For more information, visit www.jan-pro.com/bayarea/.

Photo: Jan-Pro's Grant Pollard outside the company's Hacienda offices.

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