Bishop Clean Care Led by Natural Problem Solvers
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Jud and Jenny Savelle were both industrial engineers climbing the corporate ladder in Atlanta when Jud’s mother approached them about buying the 50-year-old family business – Bishop Clean Care, Inc. They decided to try a different path – quitting their jobs in 2008, taking a year to learn the business and then buying the company at the end of 2009.
“Since we’re both industrial engineers we used to talk about working together and we always wanted to try working for ourselves,” Jenny explained.
Bishop Clean Care is now a third-generation, family-owned business. Located in Albany, the company provides cleaning services through three divisions: retail, which includes cleaning residential and commercial floor coverings, upholstery and draperies; restoration, which involves 24-hour emergency cleaning related to fire and water damage, and janitorial, which is the largest division and includes light industrial and office cleaning.
Natural problem solvers tackle small business challenges
Although the Savelles purchased Bishop Clean Care in the middle of a severe economic recession, it has not created major issues. According to Jenny, the new owners were conservative in their budgeting for 2010, planning for a 10 percent decrease in revenues. Actual revenues for Bishop Clean Care were down 8 percent last year.
“Considering it was our first year and we were coming out of a recession, we are happy with our results for 2010,” Jenny explained. “We hear so much talk about the recession, but we try not to let it be an excuse for our performance.”
As engineers, Jud and Jenny are both natural problem-solvers. However, as small business owners, they now face many different challenges that have no neat solution.
“We’ve learned to face the unexpected, to be more flexible in our decision making and to stay focused,” Jenny continued.
A look at 2011
The year ahead holds both challenges and opportunities for Bishop Clean Care. On the challenge side are many new low-price cleaning services that have recently entered the Albany market. Short on experience and popping up with little notice, Jenny calls them the overnight cleaners.
“Our challenge is to coexist until these companies are weeded out. They typically do not deliver high quality service so it’s just a matter of time,” she said.
The opportunity is in educating customers on what’s available and what’s possible. While many Albany residents have heard of Bishop Clean Care, they typically only know about the one service they’ve used.
“People may work in an office and know that our staff cleans it at night, but they don’t think of us for carpet cleaning in their home for example,” Jenny explained.
Bishop Clean Care’s 50 years of experience also presents an opportunity to educate people on what’s possible. According to Jenny, cleaning carpets and upholstery not only provides short-term benefits it also helps preserve items, making them last longer. Often people throw out a stained or dirty rug, thinking it cannot be cleaned when in fact, it can.
“We’d like to educate customers that it’s worth spending money on cleaning even though times are still tight. People underestimate what can be cleaned,” Jenny said.
Seeking long-term growth
The Savelles are always looking for ways to be more lean and green, offering green chemicals that in most cases are more effective than conventional cleaning products. Green practices and lean, efficient processes are two areas the company plans to emphasize long term.
Additionally, the janitorial division has expanded its service area to include nearby cities. According to Jenny, they would consider opening satellite locations in these cities once they are confident they can do it the right way – with excellent customer service and an attractive return on investment.
“We want to do business the right way because we live here; we’re part of the community. That’s what sets us apart from our competitors,” Jenny continued.
More information on Bishop Clean Care is available at www.BishopCleanCare.com.
