Growing up, Jason Klein knew he always wanted to own his own business, just like his dad.

A year after graduating from Coe College, he heard about a carpet cleaning franchise opportunity and thought it might be the right fit.

Jason Klein with Klein Chem-Dry cleans a carpet at a client's house in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette-KCRG)

Sixteen years later, Klein, a Cedar Rapids native, still owns and operates Klein Chem-Dry, a carpet and upholstery cleaning business based in Cedar Rapids.

“It started out with just me and an old Astro van with 150,000 miles on it,” Klein said. Today, Klein Chem-Dry has clients in and around Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the Dubuque area. “We put in a lot of miles.”

Chem-Dry works with many residential clients, but also a number of commercial clients, including office buildings, doctors’ offices, banks and call centers who appreciate the quick drying time.

While the majority of their work is cleaning carpets, Klein noted that they also clean upholstery, mattresses and rugs, as well as boats, campers and airplanes. Klein Chem-Dry is also a certified restoration company, helping clients recover from fire, flood and mold disasters.

“We consider ourselves a full service shop,” Klein said.

He said the process is non-toxic and is safe for people and pets, as well as environmentally friendly.

“Plus, there are no scents and the process doesn’t leave a residue so carpets stay clean longer,” Klein said.

Busy times at Klein Chem-Dry come and go, sometimes depending on the weather. “This past year we cleaned a lot of carpets from April to December, then we were dealing with water damage from frozen pipes,” Klein said. “But if we aren’t busy we are creating scenarios to train on so we better ourselves.”

As the owner, Klein handles all aspects of the business, including scheduling appointments and going out on service calls himself.

“Delegating your time can be challenging,” he said. “Running your business is not for everyone.”

Klein has three staff members, adding he keeps it small so he can focus on quality and emphasize customer needs.

“I’ve learned that you can grow and grow and grow, but at some point you can’t focus on the customer service level you want to provide. You are overwhelmed,” he said. “I’ve been overwhelmed before so I took a step back to focus on quality. We want to maintain the highest level of customer service.”

Name: Jason Klein

Title: Owner

Company: Klein Chem-Dry

Address: 118 11th St. SW, Cedar Rapids

Phone: (319) 390-1931

Website: http://www.chem-dry.net/klein.ia

NEW YORK, Mar 11, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- ABM , a leading provider of facility solutions, announced today it has been selected as the official cleaning services partner of the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC). Owned by the City of Los Angeles and operated by AEG Facilities, the leading sports and entertainment venue operators in the world, LACC is one of the largest convention centers in the United States with more than 720,000 square feet of convention space and 147,000 square feet of meeting space to go along with a 300-seat theatre.

Under the multi-year agreement, which began in December 2013, ABM is now responsible for providing day-to-day janitorial and maintenance services, along with potential event housekeeping and janitorial support for the LACC and its clients. ABM is proud to add the LACC to its portfolio of high profile AEG affiliated venues located in Los Angeles including STAPLES Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, The GRAMMY Museum and L.A. LIVE.

“Our global partnership with ABM continues to expand because of their shared commitment to provide our venues, and ultimately our guests, with the highest quality of services and professionalism,” said Nick Baker, Sr. Vice President, AEG Global Partnerships. “One of the first things we did after acquiring the management rights for The Los Angeles Convention Center was to reach out to our partners at ABM to engage their industry leading services for this important facility not only in AEG’s portfolio but Los Angeles’ home of Citywide conventions as well as special events, trade shows and gatherings that are so critical to our City’s economy, tourism and hospitality industries. We know that from this day forward, ABM will ensure that this venue will exceed all expectations as the cleanest and most sustainable Convention Center in our nation

To date, ABM has partnered with a number of notable AEG venues throughout the world including The O2 in London, United Kingdom and the O2 World in Hamburg, Germany, StubHub Center in Carson, CA, Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO, BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, TX, Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA; and Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA.

“We are delighted to extend our relationship alongside AEG as we strive to provide services that will enhance AEG’s continued growth in the sports and entertainment market across the globe,” said Charlotte Jensen-Murphy, ABM Senior Vice President, Onsite Sales. “We look forward to leveraging AEG’s best practices to ensure the LACC’s guests enjoy a memorable experience.”

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) is one of the most technologically advanced convention and exhibition centers in the world. Operated by AEG Facilities, the LACC attracts more than 2.5 million visitors annually and is renowned internationally as a prime site for conventions, trade shows and exhibitions. An integral economic component to the Southern California area, total sales from client secondary spending tops $1.1 billion annually, generating and sustaining over 12,000 local jobs. LACC is a model environmental-friendly facility, holding the prestigious US Green Building Council’s LEED-EB GOLD Certification. LACC is also a Bronze Level recipient of the California Award for Performance Excellence (CAPE), Eureka Award. For more information, please visit lacclink.com.

ABOUT ABM

ABM ( NYSE: ABM ) is a leading provider of facility solutions with revenues of approximately $4.8 billion and 110,000 employees in over 350 offices deployed throughout the United States and various international locations. ABM’s comprehensive capabilities include facilities engineering, commercial cleaning, energy solutions, HVAC, electrical, landscaping, parking and security, provided through stand-alone or integrated solutions. ABM provides custom facility solutions in urban, suburban and rural areas to properties of all sizes undefined from schools and commercial buildings to hospitals, manufacturing plants and airports. ABM Industries Incorporated, which operates through its subsidiaries, was founded in 1909. For more information, visit www.abm.com .

ABOUT AEG

AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or is affiliated with a collection of companies including over 100 of the world’s preeminent facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), Best Buy Theater (Times Square, New York), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia) and The O2 arena and entertainment district (London, England). Developed by AEG, L.A. LIVE is a 4 million square foot / $3 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, & entertainment district featuring Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, Club Nokia, and a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination. In addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, assets of AEG Sports include franchises such as the LA Kings, LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo and the Amgen Tour of California cycling stage race. Along with AEG Facilities, other global divisions include AEG Live, the world’s second largest concert promotion and touring companies comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions and AEG Global Partnerships, responsible for worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships, naming rights and other strategic partnerships. In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH environmental program featuring the industry's first sustainability report while in 2011, AEG introduced AXS a comprehensive entertainment platform serving as the company’s primary consumer brand including AXS Ticketing which provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets directly from their favorite venues via a user-friendly ticketing interface, Examiner.com and the AXS TV network. For additional information, visit www.aegworldwide.com .

SOURCE: ABM

Media/ABM:Chas Strong, 770.953.5072 chas.strong@abm.com orInvestors & Analysts:David Farwell, 212.297.9792 dfarwell@abm.com orMedia/AEG/LACC:Michael Roth, (213) 742-7155 mroth@aegworldwide.com

Clean-Slate Janitorial Services (http://www.clean-slate.ca), a Greater Toronto Area-based professional cleaning company that specializes in commercial office cleaning, retail maintenance, floor restoration, carpet cleaning, and construction site cleanup, is pleased to announce it has added the NaceCare TTQ3035 floor scrubber to its list of advanced janitorial products to better serve its clients in the GTA.

“Because businesses use different types of carpet, flooring, and tiles, it’s important to be as up-to-date as possible with the most advanced cleaning products and techniques,” says Sam Panousis, owner and operator of Clean-Slate Janitorial Services. “When it comes to having office floors cleaned, regardless of their size, nothing is as quick and efficient as the NaceCare TTQ3035 scrubber.”

With spring just around the corner, Panousis notes that many businesses in the GTA will be looking for convenient, affordable ways to get their offices professionally cleaned. That’s why Clean-Slate has incorporated the NaceCare TTQ3035 scrubber, which is designed to be compact, easy to operate, and exceptionally manoeuvrable. Its deep scrubbing action ensures optimal deep cleaning performance and is ideal for all types of floors, including grouted tile, which is often found on office floors and walkways in stores, shops, and restaurants.

Panousis explains that advanced industrial, commercial, and retail floor cleaning equipment such as the NaceCare TTQ3035 is designed to maximize productivity and minimize total operating costs.

“At Clean-Slate Janitorial Services, we know the importance of maintaining a clean office or retail space; it’s the first thing a customer sees when they enter a place of business,” Panousis concludes. “Our addition of the NaceCare TTQ3035 was done to better serve the needs of our clients, something we’ve been doing successfully in Vaughan, the GTA, and the surrounding areas for almost 10 years.”

Clean-Slate Janitorial Services has been serving commercial customers in the Greater Toronto Area, including downtown Toronto, Vaughan, Mississauga, Brampton, and Markham, for eight years. Services provided by Clean-Slate Janitorial Services include commercial office cleaning, retail management and janitorial services, floor restoration and buffing, carpet cleaning, window and blind cleaning, and construction site cleanup. To learn more about Clean-Slate Janitorial Services and to get a free quote, visit the company’s web site at http://www.clean-slate.ca or call 416-509-7454.

You see the labels in the supermarkets: toxic, poisonous, hazardous. All things that end up on countertops or poured down the drain, and these chemicals can put the health of you, your family, and your local ecosystem in danger. But is it possible to clean your house effectively without these hazardous chemicals?

Green Maids is a cleaning service based in York Harbor, Maine, that is making strides towards greener cleaning practices on a daily basis. Large name-brand cleaning products can be corrosive and damaging to humans and animals. Organicconsumers.org reports that these chemicals can cause both acute and chronic symptoms, ranging from respiratory irritation, headaches, and allergies to even contributing to the development of cancer. In addition, chemical cleaners that are washed down the drain often do not break down organically and end up in our water supply, affecting our drinking water and aquatic wildlife.

Owner John O’Brien said he is committed to providing a kid, pet, and earth-friendly cleaning service with Green Maids. “Dust, pet dander and things like that can aggravate allergies; I cannot stress enough the importance of a clean home when it comes to good health,” said O’Brien. “Keeping up with your home or cleaning it in a professional manner will really help to keep it maintained to improve the overall health of your family.”

O’Brien says that chemicals like 2-butoxyethanol, phosphate and ammonia, chemicals commonly found in traditional cleaning products, are linked to conditions like allergies, asthma, liver and kidney damage, blood disorders, and more. Green Maids uses products that employ the natural cleaning properties of fruits and vegetables. If the maids leave your home smelling like lemon or orange, you’ll know it’s not a chemically synthesized scent – the actual oils and peels of these fruits are in their cleaning supplies.

“Lots of our products are completely plant-derived, from corn, coconut, lemons or limes,” said O’Brien. “They’re hypoallergenic, they’re not tested on animals,  none of our products are going to contain anything that would harm you or your family in any way. Everyone who uses our service can rest assured of that.”

For the discerning homeowner who wants their living space to be free from dangerous chemicals that may be harmful to their pets or children, he said Green Maids has the right equipment and the right mindset to get it done properly. For O’Brien and his staff, this is all part of their environmentally-conscious mission. In fact, every facet of their business is  use all biodegradable, non-toxic cleaning products. Not only that, but its employees wear organic, recycled cotton uniforms, and rely on hybrid vehicles to get them from one job to the next. If you have a child that suffers from allergies or asthma, Green Maids makes the extra effort to eliminate those allergens with the intention that their cleaning service doesn’t just clean your house, it cleans the air you breathe every day in your home.

“A lot of people call me that say their kids have asthma or allergies,” said O’Brien. “They’ve tried other cleaning services, but most don’t eliminate allergens like we do, both with our hypoallergenic cleaning products and our focus on improving the general health of our clients.”

Green Maids does more than clean houses – it’s ready to help clean wherever there is a need. It recently teamed up with Portsmouth’s Blue Ocean Society on Earth Day to clean up Hampton Beach, collecting over 25 pounds of waste and properly disposing of it.

Green Maids partners with the Green Alliance and offers discounts for Green Alliance members. To find out how you or your business can save on cleaning services, go to www.greenalliance.biz.

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