"If they ask, do the work even if it´s not in the contract," Martin Presser said of the customer service policy his company maintains. "We´ll settle a price later."
That´s what keeps the company rolling ahead — dealing face-to-face with clients and meeting their needs.
"One of our greatest assets is that the customers and employees deal directly with the owners where decisions can be made, not with salespeople," Mark Presser said.
The future: Even though the slumping economy has resulted in some layoffs among cleaning crews — the staffing level typically ebbs and flows with the economic tide — the Pressers plan to continue to build on their company´s tradition of consistently high-quality service.
"We want to keep growth within the realm of things we can keep our fingers on," Mark Presser said. "We like the personal touch."
Euclid Industrial Maintenance relies on recruiting business from clients who appreciate consistency and quality from a homegrown company, Mark Presser said. The company does not release its annual sales figures, but the Pressers admitted the company´s budget is top-heavy with salary costs because of its pool of long-term employees.
There are plans in place to build on the company´s base of long-term contracts, including industrial cleaning for General Electric, which has taken Euclid Industrial Maintenance crews to Anaheim, Calif., Atlanta, St. Louis, New Orleans, Tampa, Fla., and Mobile, Ala.
The future also includes further specialization into areas such as construction cleanup, kitchen cleaning, hood and duct cleaning and maintenance, and a continued reliance on what started it all — window cleaning and janitorial work.
It´s left to be seen how the Presser family will transition the company´s ownership when the time comes. The family business didn´t appeal to Mark Presser´s brother, Gregg, who opted to become a social worker. Mark Presser said his two daughters, ages 12 and 8, are welcome to pick careers of their own as their uncle did or to carry on the family tradition of their dad and grandparents.
But, there´s one condition: "They have to love it," he said. "It´s here for them if they´re interested in it."
This article originally appeared in
Crain's Cleveland
Business profile courtesy of Family Business Strategies.
About the author: Deanna Bottar can be reached at
http://crainscleveland.com.
