Franchise Cleans Up On Service Awards

(Thursday, September 24, 2009) - Jerry Winkley tries to bring his ServiceMaster Clean in a Wink employees together on Fridays with at least one common thread to all of the meetings.

"Any letters we receive, anything a customer has written, I read for the entire team," said Winkley, owner of the Wichita cleaning service and ServiceMasters in Derby, Hutchinson and Winfield. "I want the message to be that the difference you make in people's lives, they always appreciate it."

Customers haven't been the only ones recognizing Winkley and his staff in recent months for quality service. The franchise was among 11 in the United States and Canada that received Expert Awards at ServiceMaster's national convention in July. Employee Wanda Pierce, a fire restoration cleaning supervisor, received one of four National Service Partner of the Year awards at the convention.

Earlier this year, the Kansas Small Business Development Council chose ServiceMaster Clean in a Wink as its 2008 Existing Business of the Year.

Such awards weren't Winkley's motivation for starting his ServiceMaster franchise in 1988.

"I used to work for Berry Tractor as a diesel mechanic," Winkley said. "But I was color-blind, and it was a time when they started color-coding everything. I figured my days of being a high-end mechanic were pretty limited."

Winkley's strongest persuasion for a new career came from the late syndicated radio commentator Paul Harvey. Winkley and his wife, Lisa, were avid listeners to Harvey's daily program, during which he endorsed ServiceMaster. Winkley sent off for franchising information and tossed it into the trash when he received it.

A day later, he retrieved the packet and looked it over.

"I've always enjoyed working with my hands and with people," Winkley said. "It looked like a nice blend of the two.

"I'd never sold anything in my life, never run a business in my life. ... I thought, originally, if I'm really successful, I might eventually have two or three employees and a couple trucks."

Today, Winkley's businesses employ 65 people and include "about three dozen" service vehicles. His expansion included a commercial and janitorial cleaning service in January.

ServiceMaster's Wichita facility includes a training center that offers specialized classes in residential and commercial restoration. Their business services range from periodic cleaning to disaster restoration.

"All of our staff has the ability to walk into a bad situation and help people get their lives and businesses back in order," Winkley said. "The quicker we can get them back in business, the better chance they'll have to succeed.

"We feel like we can deliver peace of mind."

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