Business Spotlight: Entrepreneur cleans up with Klean-Rite

It's 3 p.m., and David Gertz's house is buzzing with activity. An employee has dropped by to pick up several items, the phone is ringing, and Gertz is busy lining up jobs.

"It gets hectic around here," Gertz said. "I guess that goes with the territory when you have a home office."

At 24, Gertz has more responsibilities than many people twice his age. Gertz owns Klean-Rite Maintenance, a commercial cleaning company that specializes in janitorial services, wood and tile floor work, and carpet cleaning, and he supervises nine full-time and several part-time employees who work in dozens of restaurants and office buildings in Springfield, Branson, Ozark and Joplin.

Gertz first learned the ins and outs of the commercial cleaning business while a college student working part-time for another commercial cleaning company. Believing market demand would increase, Gertz decided to leave school and, with the help of a business partner, founded Klean-Rite Maintenance.

"At first, it was just me, my partner, some cleaning supplies and a couple of vacuums," he said. "We didn't even have any clients lined up because I had signed a no-compete clause when I worked for the other company."

What Gertz did have, however, was energy and motivation. He began visiting local business owners and won several floor-maintenance contracts.

Still, getting the business off the ground was taking longer than Gertz and his partner anticipated. By 1997, Gertz's partner had lost interest in the business, and he sold his half of the company to Gertz.

It was make-or-break time. Gertz dug in and renewed his marketing efforts. He spent hours poring through the Yellow Pages, making notes on which companies might need Klean-Rite Maintenance's services, and calling and visiting local businesses. In the process, he identified an overlooked market segment hair salons.

"At first, we only did a few hair salons," Gertz said. "That segment has grown steadily, though, and now we have contracts with about 35 hair salons here in town."

Before long, Gertz began winning other janitorial and floor-maintenance contracts, including one with a chain of convenience stores. Buoyed by his success, Gertz began marketing Klean-Rite Maintenance's services to other national chains. He soon won contracts to do janitorial and routine floor-maintenance work for several department store chains and national restaurant chains that do business in Springfield.

Klean-Rite Maintenance's employees also began traveling to Branson, Ozark and Joplin to do janitorial and floor-maintenance work at outlet shopping malls and large department stores.

Word-of-mouth referrals helped Gertz expand his client base. After winning a job to do janitorial work at one local law firm, Gertz received calls from other law firms in the area and was able to win several more cleaning contracts.

"The toughest part of doing this is staying organized," Gertz said. "Most of the chains we do work for the restaurants, convenience stores and department stores are open seven days a week, so I've got something going on all the time. Every client is put on a regular cleaning and floor-maintenance schedule, which varies according to their budget and needs. Some of the cleaning and floor maintenance work is done daily, while other work is done weekly or monthly. In addition, I've got to schedule around each company's normal working hours and then send out enough employees to get the job done in the allotted amount of time."

As Klean-Rite Maintenance's client base expanded, Gertz began buying more equipment that allowed him to perform additional services for existing clients. Some equipment, such as the auto scrubber carpet cleaner, costs as much as $5,000. He also purchased three company vehicles, which are used by employees, and rented warehouse space to store his growing inventory of janitorial supplies and equipment.

"I've always funded the company's expansion from within," Gertz said. "The company could be larger, but I've always felt it was important to maintain a healthy rate of growth and not expand so quickly that it compromised the quality of service."

Still, Gertz said, he is considering branching out. Currently he's looking into offering environmental cleaning services to companies that are damaged by fire or water. He's also thinking about buying a machine that would allow him to sweep and clean parking lots, a service used by many local businesses.

More business, however, would mean hiring more employees. According to Gertz, finding quality employees in Springfield's tight labor market has proved to be a challenge of late, and he's selective in his hiring.

"You're only as good as your employees," he said. "I wouldn't hire anyone that I would feel uncomfortable having here in my own house when I'm gone. Still, I don't leave anything to chance. I do background checks on everyone I hire, and the company is completely bonded and insured."