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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Thursday, 08 March 2007 |
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Heidi Muller | for NEXTnc
Mop Boss Mark Turner of Fort Collins shows off his cleaning power.
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Three and a half years ago, Mark Turner dusted himself off — after being out of work for a year — and pursued a brand new career. The electrical engineer and his wife opened a cleaning service business in Fort Collins.
“I decided it was time to do something, so we met with a franchise broker,” he said. “This looked like the best fit. We started it off and there it went.”
With an office in Fort Collins and one in Longmont, Maid Brigade serves more than 150 customers.
“I’ve seen some extremely dirty houses,” Turner, 50, said.
To fight the grime, Turner’s cleaning teams go through about 300 cloths a day.
Prior to Maid Brigade, Turner worked for Hewlett Packard and before that IBM in Vermont. His wife Deborah, 44, has a background in finance. The couple had always talked about owning their own business.
“I like being the boss and not having to play big corporate political games,” he said. “I was never good at that.”
The biggest challenge is to find and keep good employees, Turner said. Anyone who has spent a day scrubbing floors knows cleaning is not an easy job. Because cleaning is such hard work, there is a growing demand for cleaning services.
Turner said he usually sees a growth in regular customers from March to June.
With all the spring cleaning to be done and people moving in the summer, Maid Brigade does a lot of one-time cleanings as well. In addition, there is always a big surge around the holidays.
Within the next three to six months, Maid Brigade will consider going to a cleaning system that is all “green.” Right now, the company does not use bleach or ammonia.
“I’ve always been a recycling kind of guy,” Turner said.
———
VITAL STATS
Name: Mark Turner, 50, of Fort Collins
Company: Maid Brigade, 282.8738
Title: Owner
How long have you worked there? Three and a half years
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IN HIS WORDS
What is it about this job that makes it challenging?
Finding and keeping good employees.
What makes you get out of bed in the morning?
Finding out what types of things we are going to face today.
Things that impress you?
Perseverance, honesty and integrity.
Things that don’t.
People who seem to be more self-centered rather than look out for the team or others.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you do?
Well, if life had taken a different turn, I’d probably still be in engineering.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done to make money?
I worked for Boy Scouts where I was paid to go camping, hiking and canoeing for a summer. That was pretty cool.
Any interesting anecdotes?
The way to clean hardwood floors is with a vacuum, vinegar and water. It works really well.
Name one thing in your life that really prepared you for your job.
The old Protestant work ethic, perseverance and having faith that things will work out.
What do you do when you’re not at work?
I’m at home with my family having family time. I suppose the biggest thing I’m involved in is Boy Scouts. My son and I are doing that together. I have a good time with that. Scouts is an excellent program. In addition to learning to camp and love the outdoors, it’s a great opportunity for leadership.
Pets? Family?
No pets. I have a wife and two kids. Evan is 12 and Carolyn is 9.
Favorite TV shows?
I don’t have a favorite TV show. I didn’t have a TV for 15-16 years. I don’t watch much TV.
Books?
I like history books.
Favorite spot?
Dix Mountain in the Adirondack Mountains.
What Web sites do you have bookmarked?
Not many. Mostly all work related stuff— Mapquest, Google and Maid Brigade stuff.
Where do you go out to eat?
Olive Garden.
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