THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 12, 1994 TAG: 9409100451
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY PAGE: 4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GAGE HARTER, BUSINESS WEEKLY STAFF
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Last October, Chesapeake truck driver Curtis Haqq gazed closely at the advertisement.
``WANTED: Man, woman, couple or family to own and operate their own business. Hours flexible. Small investment required. No experience necessary. Build at your own pace.''
Trying to make ends meet and save cash meant Haqq needed more money than his trucking wages. He dialed the number.
Today, he runs the first Hampton Roads franchise of Jani-King Commercial Cleaning Service.
Scores of residents in Hampton Roads have wondered about investing in the various franchises available. Haqq found out.
He goes to his trucking job at 10 p.m., returns home about 6 a.m. and sleeps till 2 p.m. Then he makes his rounds. He has a crew of five and three cleaning accounts.
``Yes, I make a profit,'' Haqq said.
We're the McDonald's of franchise cleaning,'' said Jerry Crawford, president of Jani-King's regional office in Hampton Roads. ``We have 10 to 20 plans to choose from, so we allow our franchisees to keep their daytime job.''
While other companies operate cleaning franchises, a look at Jani-King gives a glimpse into the origin of franchising so basic a chore as office cleaning.
Jim Cavanaugh, Jani-King's founder, drew up the business plan in 1969 when attending the University of Oklahoma. The idea was spurred by an obvious source - a busy janitor.
Cavanaugh worked near campus as a night auditor at a Holiday Inn, where he met Don McGuffin, an independent janitor.
McGuffin complained that he needed to market his service, but managing the cleaning crews left him no time to generate new customers.
Cavanaugh saw an opportunity. He and the janitor struck a deal. Cavanaugh would scout out new business while McGuffin handled the cleaning service. Cavanaugh charged only a finder's fee.
Out of those days mushroomed Jani-King. Entrepreneur Magazine has voted it the No. 1 commercial cleaning company every year since 1988.
I challenge anyone to drive down the road at night and look for the lights in buildings,'' said Ray Batton, Hampton Roads regional manager for Jani-King.
While plenty of crews work under the lights, he said, there's still a need for janitors.
In 1988, 2.9 million janitorial positions were open nationwide. By the year 2000, that number will jump to 3.45 million, a 19 percent increase, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates.
That means opportunity still exists for Cavanaugh and his creation. The backbone of his plan involves the establishment of regional offices. Jerry and John Crawford purchased the rights to operate Jani-King in Hampton Roads.
The regional offices then bring in franchisees, such as Haqq, for a percentage that ranges from $500 to $5,000.
The regional office handles the marketing and sales work, and provides all the accounting and billing. It also leases equipment and gives franchise owners a two-week training program.
Every dollar they make, we make a dime,'' Batton said about the franchisees.
The dimes are adding up. The Crawford brothers plan to put up money and exercise their option for the Jani-King rights to Richmond.
The Hampton Roads office has 16 franchise owners, including Monica Springfield.
She left the Navy after 15 years and, searching for a career, came across Jani-King.
Now her biggest account stands eight stories high and measures 88,000 square feet. She's responsible for cleaning every corner of the Pavilion Center in Virginia Beach.
``It was April 4 when I first cleaned it,'' she said. ``We were here for seven hours with a staff of five. It was just like a maze.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Jim Walker
ABOVE: Jani-King franchise owner Monica Springfield cleans the
office of one of her clients. Springfield joined the cleaning
company after 15 years in the Navy.
RIGHT: Curtis Haqq runs the first Jani-King franchise in Hampton
Roads as a means of supplementing his income.
by CNB