Date:                April 4, 2006

Contact:           Tim Murch , CBSE

                        (314) 535-2100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“MMMM REPEATS AS THE SAFEST CLEANING COMPANY”

TIM M. MURCH, CBSE, PRESIDENT OF MITCH MURCH’S MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, (4M) a full service contract cleaning services company specializing in quality cleaning of office buildings, corporate headquarters, schools, manufacturing/industrial facilities, entertainment facilities and providing specialized services, recently announced their unsurpassed recognition for their commitment to safety:

            For an unprecedented 12^th consecutive year, MMMM has been recognized for its commitment to safety by the Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI).  The Outstanding Overall Record in Employee Safety and Vehicle Safety Award was presented to Mitchell M Murch, II CBSE at the BSCAI Convention and Trade show in Nashville on March 28^th.  4M was only one of three companies to earn this top industry award out of 2,500 companies world wide.

            4M takes an intense approach to the safety of their workers.  With over 3,000 employees working millions of hours per year this is a great honor to be presented with this award.  Janitorial workers rank as the fifth most likely to be injured on the job.  4M is one of the few industry leaders with their unequally safety record and continues to be committed to cutting edge safety programs, systems and incentives.  Tim Murch , CBSE, President, says the company’s safety success is due to the constant and focused attention 4M pays to safety matters.  4M has a Safety Director and Assistant Safety Director whose sole job responsibilities are to proactively conduct safety inspections and audits, address safety issues and prevent injuries.  4M opens up its weekly executive management meeting continuing to move their company safety programs further by discussing and identifying safety issues along with new progressive and proactive ideas on how to solve any safety issues or potential safety issues ensuring the safety of all 4M employees.  4M’s philosophy is that one injury is too many and they will do whatever it takes to prevent injuries.  4M utilizes safety specific supplies and equipment along with continuous training of their employees on the proper use of supplies and equipment on safe cleaning methods and procedures.  4M employees are taught how to properly use the supplies and equipment through extensive customized training for each job position and facility.  No other company in the world has come close to winning the BSCAI Safety Awards as many times as 4M’s 12 times in a row.  4M takes great honor is receiving this award and is committed to continue receiving them for years to come.  

April 4, 2006

Contact:           Tim Murch , CBSE

                        (314) 535-2100

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“MMMM IS AWARDED THE NEW BUSCH STADIUM CONTRACT”

TIM M. MURCH, CBSE, PRESIDENT OF MITCH MURCH’S MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, (4M) a full service contract cleaning services company specializing in quality cleaning of office buildings, corporate headquarters, educational facilities, manufacturing/industrial facilities, entertainment facilities and providing specialized services, announced that MMMM was recently awarded the cleaning contract of the New Busch Stadium.

            For the past nine years 4M has been cleaning the old Busch Stadium.  Now that the old Busch Stadium has been torn down to make way for the new Busch Stadium, 4M will continue to clean the Stadium.  4M was awarded the new stadium cleaning contract due to their ability to maintain the venue to the highest level of cleanliness that the St. Louis Cardinals have become accustomed to and to keep it the showplace of baseball, which is known and recognized as the cleanest ballpark in the major leagues.  Other criteria that were taken into consideration on the award were 4M’s unequalled operations team and facility specific operational plan along with their state of the art quality control program and their cutting edge industry leading systems and procedures.

            The magnitude and complexity of the project at Busch Stadium present many challenges.  There are, however, some challenges unique to Busch itself (both the new stadium and the old).  One of them is cleaning an open air stadium and the effect weather can have cleaning during all four seasons.  The cleaning team works a combined total of more than one thousand hours a day.  If it rains or snows, that compounds the already many challenges the 4M team experiences.  Unlike cleaning in other facilities where the 4M team members can count on starting and leaving at the same time each day, the new Busch Stadium will require cleaning around the clock on all three shifts.  Not to mention the tens of thousands of pounds of trash generated that 4M meticulously cleans up after each game.  There are 81 regular season home games played at Busch, and each game produces enough trash to completely fill two 40-yard trash compactors.

            4M quickly moved from cleaning the old stadium to starting the construction clean up at the new stadium upon the recent award of the contract.  The project is headed by Ray Allen, the Busch Stadium Project manager for 4M.  Ray oversees more than one hundred and twenty-five 4M employees (some of whom have been there for more than twenty-five years) who come back year after year working together as a team to keep Busch clean to the highest standards.

            There is a great deal of appreciation for all those who help keep Busch Stadium clean and the showplace it is recognized as.  The new Busch Stadium will strive to continue to be recognized as the cleanest venue in all of professional sports – the same recognition its predecessor enjoyed for many years.  4M also appreciates having had the opportunity to keep cleaning such an important piece of baseball history as well as for St. Louis Cardinals fans that are recognized as the best fans in baseball.

            In additional to providing nightly supervised cleaning of buildings, 4M also provides carpet cleaning, power washing/steam cleaning, SaniGlaze tile and grout restoration, construction cleanups, window cleaning, upholstery cleaning and facility contracts management services.  4M operates throughout the Midwest in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, as well as throughout Florida and has 3,000 employees servicing over 350 accounts.

Date:                March 31, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MMMM EMPLOYEE MAKES HISTORY AS BSCAI CUSTODIAN OF THE YEAR

LAS VEGAS – Cleaning professionals from across North America and around the globe filed into the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, March 23rd for the 2004 Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) Convention and Trade Show, which kicked off with  Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Company employee Jose Bucio being awarded the BSCAI International Custodian of the Year.  The BSCAI has 2,500 member companies from 39 countries and Jose was selected as the best custodian in the world!  Motivational speaker Brian Tracy provided the keynote speech, but not until Jose had received a beautiful plaque, a medallion and a $1,000.00 check.  Jose works for MMMM as a utility custodian at the Illinois Agriculture Building .  “Jose Bucio sets an excellent example for all of the employees in our industry,” BSCAI immediate past President Ryan Hendley said to the hundreds of meeting attendees.  Jose is the fourth MMMM Company employee to have won the prestigious award, following Richard (R.C.) Stine of the IAA facility in 1988, Maria Cotton of Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod in 1990 and Ollie Spann of the 10829 Building in 2003.  No other building services contractor has ever had more than two winners.  Jose has worked for MMMM full-time for 8 years and as a custodian for 14 years.  He has never called in sick, and his only days off have been vacation.  When Jose completes an assigned job, he immediately pages his supervisor to find out what needs to be done.  He also has helped train new Hispanic employees and interprets when employee safety and training meetings are held.  Jose always has an excellent attitude and is neat in appearance.  He always says “yes” when asked to fill in for another employee.  Every day he gives his best, whether he is dumping trash, cleaning restrooms, extracting carpet or buffing floors.  Jose’s attitude does not vary with different assignments.  During Jose’s many years with MMMM, he has found and returned many items at the customer site, including wedding rings, billfolds, briefcases and purses.  As a result, he has received many thank you’s and compliments from the customer.  He has also been the main transportation for several MMMM employees.  He not only works two jobs, but sees that employees have transportation to work or to a doctor.  Jose has even opened his home to new employees who need a place to stay until they can get their own home.  This has been instrumental in keeping his work crew together, with low turnover.  Jose’s caring attitude, quality of work and excellent attendance make him an important member of the MMMM team.  Jose and his wife Leticia also lead a Bible study at their home weekly.  Mr. Bucio’s exceptional accomplishments, honesty, dependability, and hard-working attitude, exemplify the employee standards that create success in the industry.  BSCAI and MMMM are very proud to honor Mr. Bucio, and we offer our congratulations for receiving the Custodian of the Year Award.

March’s Building Service Contractors Association International Convention (BSCAI) in Chicago aimed to put or keep building service contractors “On Track for Success.”  Technology has always been an integral part in contributing to a business’s success, or at least easing the process.

At the show, cleaning-supply manufacturers were not shy about showing off their innovations, but they were not the only ones with new tools and toys.

When technology is integrated successfully, a business can run more smoothly with increased productivity; taking care of the basics should be first and foremost.  Brad Winslade, partner for Network Specialists in St. Louis , Missouri spoke at the show about different areas where a business can utilize technology.  Setting up an internal or external network to connect individual employees and branches is a good place to start.  Having all employees connected to the same information helps to increase productivity and ease communication.

“It’s a necessity now, not a luxury anymore,” says Winslade.  “It puts information at fingertips and is much quicker than the paper routine.”

Most businesses have an Internet site, but they also can benefit from having an intranet site.  Intranet works like the Internet except that the former if blocked to the public and only accessible to employees, customers or suppliers.  Companies use intranets to post forms and newsletters instead of printing them.

Internet and intranet sites and connections are great technology additions for a company, but employees on the go may have trouble finding a phone or T-1 line on the road.  For BSCs with a lot of information only available on the Web, wireless Internet is a possible option.

“Wireless technology [is] great for sales and marketing.  It gives you major accessibility,” says Winslade.

But when going wireless, one must remember to encrypt the date.  Otherwise, anyone could pick up the signal.

“Without encryption, you can drive around and pick up other company’s data,” says Winslade.  “You can sit in the parking lot and it will be just like sitting inside their company.”

Encrypting data is a simple procedure.  Encryption, built in to many programs, just needs to be enabled and then set at its highest level.

If BSCs want to integrate technology into their offices, but feel they are not skilled enough to do it themselves, they can outsource it to a technical support company.  Small companies should outsource from the start, says Winslade.  An outsourcing company can set-up and monitor the technological aspects.  Once the company begins to grow, an information-systems staff can be set-up in-house later.

Another option other than outsourcing is to use an application service provider (ASP).  An ASP not only manages the technology, but keeps all the company’s data at their location as well.  Company users log in to the system to access the data.

You’ve just signed and sealed the biggest account your company’s ever seen, beating out several other building service contractors in the process.  But what you do between now and the first few weeks on the job can make the difference between a mutually beneficial contractor-client relationship and a dissatisfied customer.

The time leading up to and through an account startup is crucial in building trust with a new customer.  A smooth transition can set the foundation for a long-term association; conversely, a disorganized, problematic beginning can lead to problems throughout the contract’s term.

“A good [startup] is expected and a bad one is never forgotten,” says Tim Murch, CBSE, president of Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management (MMMM) in St. Louis .

“It’s a huge transition to mass the manpower, the equipment and everything else you need to go in,” adds Paul W. Condie, vice president of operations for PJS of Texas in Austin, a 15-year-old company specializing in educational, office and medical facilities.

But that may be the easiest part of the process, Condie warns.

“You’re dealing with personalities of the new management company, the tenants, and their suppliers, and personalities are definitely the hardest,” he states.  “You’re now in unfamiliar territory.  You have to find out who likes the blinds up, where the dumpsters are located and who wants the doors locked.  If you’re in a building with 3,000 trash cans, there are 3,000 opportunities to goof up, and that’s just emptying the trash.”

Contractors often take over new accounts because the facility manager was dissatisfied with the previous cleaning operation.  This can make the facility manager wary of the janitorial industry as a whole, and grouchy about the process. 

“Whenever facility managers take a bid it’s either because they have to or they really need to make a change,” says Murch. “If we can make that change as seamless as possible it raises their comfort level.”

Whether the first day on the job is a three-ring circus or a well-oiled cleaning operation depends a lot on what’s happened weeks and months between signing on the new customer and Day One.

Beginning the transition

Every contractor has his or her own timeline for preparing to take over a new account.  Thirty days’ lead time is considered an industry standard, but different circumstances call for different approaches.

“We’ve started jobs the next night because somebody bailed,” Murch recalls.  “There have been situations where another contractor was terminated but they just packed up their stuff that night.  It’s challenging, but it’s also rewarding.  We just kick it in to high gear and everybody rises to the occasion.”

Under normal circumstances, however, the sales and operations team have met and discussed the building in detail – before the job is even bid.  There is also a complete staffing break out by personnel, wages and hours, as well as checklists of equipment, uniform and communication-device needs.

“It’s all in the planning,” he says.  “We’ve developed an extremely comprehensive, formalized check-off list.  It covers everything.”

The key to success, says Murch, is when the sales and operations departments work together at all stages.

“There are many companies where sales and operations don’t get along,” he says.  “Sales creates work for operations.  We have an understanding where the teams support one another and they both benefit compensation-wise from growth opportunities.”

Once the teams have determined what it will take to do the job, a bid is submitted.

“We want to be as competitive as we possibly can but we’re usually in the middle cost wise,” Murch says. “That’s good.  It’s a responsible quote.  We show customers how we came up with it.”

By the time MMMM is awarded the job, most of the legwork has already been done.  Operations personnel already know what to order and how much.  The human-resources department is hiring or transferring employees and setting up training classes.

Likewise, at PJS, hiring starts no later than 30 days out.

“We have a very aggressive training and hiring program and we like to have a mix of new hires and veterans,” Condie notes.  “Most people are not going to spend the money to hire a person more than a few days out because they don’t feel the income is coming in.  If we have a person on the payroll two or three weeks before start up, we’re OK with that.”

Condie says his company traditionally assigns these employees to existing accounts during the interim.  It’s a practice he says makes transitions smoother, customers happier, and employee turnover lower.  Years of experience have taught him how to workload a facility and how many employees he’ll need.

John Ten Elshof, president of West Michigan Janitorial in Comstock Park , Mich. , also likes to have additional employees on hand.  He has at least four or five trainees working in other facilities that can be transitioned to new business as the need arises.

Ten Elshof thinks finding the right employees is the toughest part of new start-ups.

“If they’re not successful, we’re not successful,” he notes.

Hiring, training and doing your homework on the building are important.  But contractors have to balance getting new clients and keeping existing ones.

“Getting your ducks lined up is important,” says Condie, “but a customer that’s unhappy, that’s urgent.  The urgent pushes out the important.”

Making the switch

If we start on Monday night, we go in on a weekend and bring the employees in,” Murch says. “We give them an orientation, get all the equipment in place, and walk them through their stations. When Monday comes they know where everything is and they are familiar with the building.”

Condie also prefers starting up on a weekend.

“It gives us a chance to get in and spruce up,” he says. “Often, the company that is leaving just quits cleaning. We like to come in Monday morning and by the time they get from the parking lot to the elevator they know we are a new company.”

That suits customer Eric Conrad just fine. Conrad is national director of facilities for CB Richard Ellis, an international, commercial real-estate firm based in Los Angeles .

“The most important thing is go a little overboard. Spend a little extra right out of the gate so that the first impression will be a lasting one,” he says. “ That’s especially important when taking over from another company.”

Conrad says no news often is good news. If he doesn’t receive any complaints he knows the contractor is doing his job.

“Sometimes you can charge for getting a place cleaned up, sometimes you can’t,” Murch states. “Regardless, you want to make that initial impression.”

Up and running

All of the advance preparation helps new accounts come on line faster.

“After three days it’s running pretty smooth,” Condie says. “By five to seven days it should be fine.”

During those first days PJS supervisors walk every room, every night. Managers team up with supervisors to make certain cleaning tasks are done correctly.

Supervisors are key to a successful job, Murch agrees. He even brings in managers and supervisors from other accounts and territories to help get a new account off the ground. During the first week or so, there is one manager for every two to three employees.

“We check every trash can, soap dispenser, and paper dispenser for the first week or so to make sure everything is being done,” Murch says. “We secure the building and have a little meeting before we leave so that we know whoever was responsible for each floor or zone has done everything they should have and secured the area. Our objective is to get compliments instead of complaints.”

After roughly two weeks, management hours drop and employee productivity typically picks up as workers become familiar with their jobs and their surroundings.

Still, now isn’t the time to slack off. Although the building’s crew can work more autonomously, there still needs to be follow-up. Managers should constantly be looking for improvement.

“Take each job you’ve done,” advises Murch. “Before, during and after sit down with your staff and say, `How can we make it better?` Keep pushing the envelope and raising the bar.”

Reprint from Contracting Profits Magazine, May 2001

It can be difficult for a small or mid-size cleaning contractor to imagine becoming one of the large building service contractors.  Tim Murch, CBSE, President of Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management (MMMM), St. Louis, once felt that way, but he and his management team learned that they could grow as big as their peers and are now competing with companies much larger than they ever imagined.  What’s even better is Tim, who’s regional service company’s revenues are about $30 million, is willing to share his methods for success with others who are just as intimidated as he and his father once were.

From rebuilding the family business to partnering with competitors, the Murch family and their employees have tackled many of the cleaning industry’s biggest challenges, and seem to be reaping equally large benefits.  The company, which started in 1978 with a handful of employees and a few buildings, now employs more than 2,000 workers across five states and in a variety of services.

A second chance

Tim is part of the second generation to run MMMM, but his story is unlike your typical family succession.  His father, Mitch, sold his first cleaning company for all stock in the late 1960s in a consolidation that eventually turned sour, leaving Mitch with much less than his original payout.  In his 50s and having lost money on that venture and a few others, Mitch chose to return to cleaning to rebuild security for his retirement.

At the time, Tim was a senior in college – a strong center on his varsity hockey team, according to his father.  But Tim sacrificed his spot on the team to help his father start his second cleaning company.  It was that sacrifice that proved Tim would be the kind of dedicated leader his father needed to help him rebuild the family business, says Mitch, and so far, that initial observation has rung true.

“I really loved hockey, but I knew that I was my dad’s ticket to retirement and he was mine to realizing my entrepreneurial dreams,” says Tim, who still finds time to play a couple of times a week.

And that entrepreneurial spirit is something Tim has had since he was kid cutting grass, shining shoes and selling tomatoes after church on Sundays, says Mitch.  Something probably learned from his father who refused to be daunted when rebuilding his company.

Shortly after graduation, Tim began his steady climb through various positions at MMMM that would prepare him to eventually become president in 1991, while his father moved on to chairman of the board and into semi-retirement.  All along, Mitch was the spontaneous entrepreneur and Tim was the detail man.

But MMMM’s story isn’t just one of a father and his sons (Mitch II currently works as director of sales) rebuilding the family business.  The company also has helped redefine how BSCs can and should operate.

What really counts

Some companies say that they put their front-line staff first, but the Murch’s have spent more than $579,953 in worker incentives and recognition since 1991 to prove it.  That doesn’t even account for standard wages, raises or insurance coverage.  The company also has a hefty safety incentive program that invest another $174,455 through programs such as safety bingo, which requires potential winners to have a clean safety record in their buildings.

All of this began at a time when the company only was about $10 million in revenues, and before many BSCs were seriously concerned with an impending worker shortage.

“We recognized in the early ‘90s that with the ‘graying’ of America and increasing affluence, there would be less people coming into entry level positions like cleaning,” says Tim. “That’s when we started doing everything we could for employees to recognize them and make MMMM the best possible place to work.”

In fact, the company credits its low turnover rate, which is about one-fourth that of the industry average, to employee programming.

The company also uses it’s employee incentive program and lower turnover rates as a major selling point, even using it to convince customers to allow higher-than-average entry-level wages in their contracts.  Customers often are more impressed than concerned about the higher costs, realizing the benefits of a better work force in their buildings, says Steve Crain, MMMM’s vice president of sales.

Tim warns that such staff incentives aren’t just a good idea when unemployment is low or turnover is high, because contractors always need to keep their best employees from moving on to other organizations or industries.

Among the laundry list of MMMM programs that dole out case are: a “GoodWorks” program that offers a monthly $100 drawing; annual perfect attendance awards of $100; an employee of the month award of $25; a supervisor of the quarter award of $50; and custodian of the year award of $200, which is then entered into the Building Service Contractor Association’s (BSCAI) annual contest that, if won, reaps an additional $1,000.

Maria Cotton, currently a supervisor with MMMM won the BSCAI custodian of the year distinction in 1991 – the first year Tim’s team instituted their aggressive incentive programming – and continues to be one of the company’s most dependable employees.

“And I could say that about quite a few of our service workers,” Tim adds, many of whom have been with the company 5 to 20 years.  In fact, the company’s first employee, Steve Allen, currently is MMMM’s senior vice president and part owner, and someone many employees consider key in the company’s growing success.

“Boy, that relationship has truly made us succeed – Tim and Steve are the nucleus of this company,” says Crain.

Understanding how to expand

Other decisions Tim and Allen have tackled is customer identification and service diversification.

The company has learned from some mistakes, such as a foray into retail cleaning which put employees on third shift when the company’s operations were more set up to staff first and second shift jobs, or a stint in post-construction clean-up shortly before a recession hit in the early 90s.  Through all these experiences, the company learned to hone its customer profile for the best fit.  Currently, that fit happens to be large facilities with built-in supervision.

To reinforce the company’s focus, the sales staff’s commission is based on how closely a new account meets the company’s ideal customer profile and how high the profit margin is in that account, rather than on how much overall sales the account will generate.

This program has worked well according to Crain, but only because he and his staff work closely with Allen’s operations people to make sure that MMMM can make good on any promises they sell customers.  This has led to Crain turning down some accounts, but he says everyone understands that they would only have caused more trouble than profit.

Customer requests for added services, however, are harder to turn down.  MMMM usually is willing to accommodate new services if the client is willing to work with Tim’s staff to make sure they properly learn the new work.

“Because of the advent of total facilities maintenance, we are strategizing to discuss and realm of our services,” says Tim.  “And while some managers were afraid we were spreading ourselves too thin to begin offering unusual services, they were amazed to find out how many additional services we already provide on an individual customer basis.”

Essentially, MMMM has decided that if they can offer something such as pest control, laundry service or even staffing industrial production lines, for one client, then they can offer those same services to others.  It may not be for everybody, warns Tim, but if the customer is willing to work with a BSC to understand the scope of services, or if a trusted subcontractor in the area can do the work, any contractor can expand services responsibly.

Always looking for a new opportunity to grow, MMMM even has spun off an information technology company, Network Specialists LLC after realizing there was a large demand for the same IT services the staff already was doing in-house.  Now, Network Specialists offers needs assessments, value-added reselling, and voice and data infrastructures for other BSCs, as well as companies in completely different service industries, across the country.

One way this company has helped MMMM is by developing customized quality control/inspection program for operations.  MMMM worked with Network Specialists to come up with a program that is part of the BSC’s “Continuous Quality Improvement” process which scores and tracks inspections on hand-held computes that can easily download information to customers or into the company’s own database.

Tim’s advice on technology is to only invest in what you need:  “We’ve bought Maserati’s before that just were driven in first gear and that’s an expensive proposition for any size company.

Covering more ground

The IT business isn’t the only area handling accounts outside of Missouri.  Customers have helped bring MMMM into Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and Kentucky, where the company now has fully operational branches.

The company’s most common method of moving into a new territory is to buy an existing BSC with a solid enough book of business to support the new branch.  Then, the branch manager and sales team begin looking for other facilities to add to its portfolio.

Tim also always is on the lookout for new acquisitions, having purchased about eight or nine firms in the last decade, ranging from $2.5 million to $100,000 companies.  They’re very time consuming to do correctly and every one has different terms, but it just depends on if they fit our needs, he says.

And don’t expect MMMM to sell to anyone anytime soon.  Tim is quick to say he doesn’t want to sell his company as others in the industry have done over the last few years.

“First, I don’t want to, and I think we’re just scratching the surface of the opportunities we have to grow the business and benefit from that in every respect,” he says.

If there’s one thing Tim still takes with him from his hockey playing, it’s a fierce sense of competition.  Add to that his feeling of responsibility for his father’s success and he’s more driven than many other entrepreneurs.  In fact, it has helped put him in the running for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in St. Louis this year.  It also is why, instead of giving in when facing stiff national competition of late, he’s buckled down and gotten creative.

“It may have seemed unrealistic 5 or 10 years ago that we could go after a national account, but now, it’s a reality with the alliances we’ve created,” he says.

What Tim is referencing is the National Service Alliance (NSA), a group of 25 local and regional contractors he helped gather from around the country who together can cover every state in the union.  All told, the member companies generate about $1 billion in sales and openly pool their resources to help one another.  Some even have branches in competing areas.

“When it comes down to it, there aren’t any secrets – you just may do something a little more uniquely or a little better, quicker or more efficient, but by sharing with others it cuts down that learning and implementation curve that can be so daunting to smaller contractors,” he says.

Richard Fowler, one of the NSA founders and president of SunStates Maintenance Corp., Greensboro, N.C., had gone back and forth with MMMM for years sharing programming, training and quality control tips.  Then they realized it made sense to work together to go after business the companies might lose if they couldn’t offer service outside their geographic reach.  Sine the group’s inception a few years ago, MMMM has stepped up again to help out be offering Network Specialists services to create a secure network for members to relay bidding and other data.

How common is it to find a company so willing to open it’s doors and then to continue to offer help beyond what it takes to win bids as MMMM has?  Rare, says Fowler. “It’s very beneficial for companies who want to go to another level and be more professional but don’t understand just how to do it or if they ever could,” he says.

And that’s exactly what Tim says about the many contractors who helped him along the way.  “It’s very scary when you’re at one point and you want to grow, but you just can’t fathom getting to that next level.  We visited with enough contractors who showed us that it is attainable and that with their help we could do it with less of a learning curve.  That’s something no owner can ever measure.”

Giving back

And that support drives Tim’s desire to give back to the industry that helped him, by participating heavily in the Building Service Contractors Association International.  Tim has served on or chaired eight of a possible 17 committees, some more than once, and been on the board of directors for two, three-year terms.  The organization has approached him about a stint as president, but his father says Tim declined so that he can keep his focus on his family and the company’s growth, which are his main priorities.  Instead, Mitch is the one who has been president of both BSCAI and the World Federation of Building Service Contractors, making strides to help contractors from around the world to successfully network as his company has done in the U.S.

Both Skip Marsden of Marsden Building Maintenance, Minneapolis, and Fowler, who have been equally active in BSCAI agree that the time and information people such as Tim volunteer in invaluable for smaller companies in the association.  Tim just considers it payback for the help he’s been given.  And he reminds BSCS that no matter how big they get, humility and humbleness are necessary to stay successful.

“No one likes you if you’re cocky,” he says. “And in this industry, your reputation, and the staff who trust you, can be all you’ve got.”

Finalist – Entrepreneur of the Year

St. Louis Business Journal, June 22-28, 2001

Even in grade school, Tim Murch’s talent for business was obvious.  As a fifth grader, he sold vegetables on the street corner, and as he grew older he continued to start his own businesses to earn money.  Then in his junior year in college, his father approached him with the idea of starting a janitorial service, Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Co.  After his father retired in 1993, Tim Murch took over as president. 

“I knew I always wanted to do something on my own and to be in control of my destiny,” Murch said.

Growing up, he watched his father struggle with the operation of two businesses, a janitorial company and an ice rink.  When his father asked Murch to go into a new business with him, Murch saw that he could make this work because they’d be working together.  That was more than 22 years ago.

The company’s policy of offering built-in supervision qualified management is one method used to ensure quality to clients.  The company also offers employee benefits designed to attract and keep a higher skilled staff.

Starting with 100 employees, the business has grown to more than 1,700 employees and subcontracts work for another 300 workers.  Although the company has more than 250 local competitors, it is quickly becoming one of the largest janitorial services in St. Louis and the country.  Servicing more than 200 accounts in 350 buildings, the company has branched out from Missouri and now reaches into Illinois and Indiana.

It has also used connections with other janitorial companies to keep up to date.  Joining the Building Service Contractors Association International, which is made up of 2,500 companies from around the world, has given Murch the opportunity to develop friendships with a diverse group.

“My continuous involvement in the association, along with key members of our management team, has allowed us to…network and share information,” Murch said.  “This has been our company’s biggest reason for our success as we can model what is working best for others.”

A secondary group that the company shares ideas with is the National Service Alliance.  Murch formed this group of 25 janitorial contractors across the country with a friend from North Carolina.  The companies discuss business strategies in this network and negotiate national purchasing contracts with suppliers that give them a cost advantage.

Inside the company, a formal strategic planning process keeps the operation running smoothly.  At these meetings, all key managers gather to prioritize strengths, weaknesses, and key needs for improvement.  “Everyone involved is a part of the process and is on the same page and committed to what needs to be done to continue to improve (the company),” Murch said.  “Everything we commit to accomplish is shared with every employee throughout the company.  This a very constructive and powerful process.”

As Murch looks to the future, he predicts the company will continue to grow.  He would like to acquire more companies in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.  He also contends that providing additional services by partnering with more service providers will attract more customers.  Because Murch would then assume the role of a general contractor, he said it would be easier for clients to pay one invoice for all the work.  These additional services include grounds care, parking lot maintenance, filter changing, lighting maintenance and food service.

Network Specialists Stands On Own As MMMM Continues Rapid Growth

St. Louis Business Journal, December 4-10, 2000

            When Brad Winslade came to MMMM – Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management – his job was to update the voice and data infrastructure for the building maintenance company.  MMMM was growing and had been outsourcing its payroll to ADP.  Winslade came on board in 1991 to update a system that included one server and five workstations.

            Tim Murch, president and co-owner, was expanding his company, adding branches in Bloomington, IL; Indianapolis; and Columbia, MO., a branch he later sold.  Today, MMMM has more than 2, 000 employees.

             Network Specialists was formed in 1996 to provide turnkey solutions to companies seeking voice and infrastructure design and implementation.  The specialty was growing so rapidly that on Jan. 1 of this year, Network Specialists was incorporated as a separate company; the company expects to have $3 million in sales in 2000.

            Winslade, 31, came to MMMM after graduating from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville with an accounting and information services degree.  He brought in Eric Alvarez, 29, another SIUE grad in 1996 as a partner.  MMMM owners, Murch and senior vice president Steve Allen, are silent partners.

Four full-time engineers with combined experience of more than 30 years form Network Specialists.  Tony Colucci, senior network engineer, has eight years of data experience, and Dave Hancher, network engineer, has three years of voice and data experience.

            Network Specialists formed National Service Alliance, through a friendship Murch had developed with Richard Fowler, owner of Sunstates Co. in North Carolina.  The alliance began with four members and has grown to 26 building maintenance companies.  It allows janitorial companies in an area to compete for business on a national basis.

            For instance, MMMM might not be competitive if it went after work for Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, because it wouldn’t be able to offer a national rate for work at all of the brewery’s plants.  But with the alliance, companies can offer a lower bid for the portion of the business each wants to do.

             Network Specialists’ primary software is provided by Microsoft and Citrix.  Local area network gear is provided by Dell, HP, IBM, Compaq, APC and 3Com.  Wide area network gear comes from Cisco, Adtran, Nortel and Wyse.

             Network Specialists does the voice and data implementation and design from start to finish, training IS personnel and providing support after the fact.  With the focus on Microsoft, NS provides e-mail servers as well as Web servers, firewalls and upgrades fiber optic networks.

            “A lot of companies make software, but a lot of them don’t have the hardware backups,” Winslade said.  “We do all of the infrastructure that makes the software run to its potential.”

             A growing area of business has been school districts, which constantly build labs, averaging a new lab every six months.  Network Specialists’ job has been to link elementary, junior high school and high school labs.

             In 1992, MMMM had six phone lines; today, it has 80.  This in a building constructed in 1965.

             Network Specialists is part of the over-all growth at MMMM, which has more than 200 maintenance accounts with more than 500 locations.  One account encompasses 71 buildings.

             MMMM has about 200 competitors, and finding and keeping employees is a constant concern.  To encourage loyalty, MMMM instituted a series of reward programs, including service employee of the month, supervisor of the quarter, custodian of the year, a “good works” program with a monthly cash drawing, recruiting referral bonus and attendance awards.

St. Louis Business Journal, June 1-7, 1999

Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Company known in many circles as MMMM or the 4M’s, is branching out into other areas.

Founded in 1978 by Mitch Murch, the firm, now headed by Murch’s son, Tim, has grown to be one of the largest maintenance companies in the area with more than 1,800 employees and $22 million in revenue.

MMMM recently expanded with the debut of Network Specialists, a consulting company consisting of the firm’s management and MIS managers.

“MIS is something we have been very good at,” Tim Murch said, “to the point that I was getting requests from contractors around the country who had needs in this area.”

Network Specialists provides consulting and implementation services to companies that need to establish or expand voice and data networks.  A team of engineers conducts needs assessments with clients, make recommendations for changes or additions to existing infrastructure and offers the services required to carry out the recommendations.

The company targets the building maintenance and security guard industries, but is expanding to include corporations that need network solutions, either locally or over a wide area.

Meanwhile, the window cleaning operations of MMMM merged with SuperClean Inc. Window Cleaning Service.

The new corporation for window cleaning, named MMMM-SuperClean Window Cleaning Co., has become the largest window cleaning company in St. Louis.  The merger was effective April 1.

Jerry Barklage, Chris Lang, Steve Allen and Tim Murch are owners.  Barklage and Lang, who has owned SuperClean, will run the day-to-day operations, and Allen and Murch will oversee administrative functions.

Among the company’s window accounts are Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. world headquarters, NationsBank are Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. world headquarters, NationsBank Tower, the Equitable Building, Railway Exchange, Mercantile Tower, St. Louis Place and A.G. Edwards world headquarters.

In addition to the latest ventures, MMMM has instituted one of the newest methods used in cleaning, known as CO2 Blasting Technology.  It replaces cleaning processes such as grit blasting, steam cleaning, solvents or manual scrubbing.

  The technology is being widely used in industries such as food processing, nuclear power, automotive, aircraft maintenance, aerospace, electronics, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, steel, foundries, plastics/rubber and printing.

MMMM Shines In The Dirty World of Contract Building Maintenance

St. Louis Post Dispatch, May 19, 1997

Picture the mess at Busch Stadium after a game:  sticky concrete stairs from spilled Bud Lights, abandoned nacho trays crusted with cheese, and peanut shells – pile of ‘em.  Now, widen those eyes and say “MMMM…”

This reaction may not be unfounded.  MMMM stands for Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Co., which contracted last month to clean Busch Stadium.  This is yet another sweep ahead for 4M, which claims to be the metro area’s largest and most successful contract building maintenance company.

The contract generated some controversy in the St. Louis area last month.  Cardinals management fired 55 union workers after they refused to accept lower wages.  Then management hired 4M.

The workers ended up settling for lower wages negotiated by the union and the Cardinals and 4M agreed to hire them.  The company’s employees are union members, 4M said, and the set wages are above average for downtown maintenance employees.

“Nobody was misplaced,” said Tim Murch, president and chief executive of 4M, 2827 Clark Avenue.  “Nobody lost their job.  We always like to hire the good people, the people the customers like, who have been in St. Louis for a long time, providing good service.”

4M itself has been in St. Louis for a long time, providing cleaning service to office buildings, school districts, manufacturing and industrial facilities, and even the St. Louis Arena until it closed.  Murch’s father, Mitch Murch, founded the company in 1978 after conducting an “imaginary” experiment in a customer’s office.  The elder Murch, who sold janitorial supplies at the time, had listened to the customer’s complaint about the quality of maintenance workers.  The customer asked if Murch could help.

“So my father went into an office after the employee had cleaned in the middle of the night,” explained Tim Murch, “and cleaned what had already been cleaned.  He wiped out an ashtray that had already been wiped, emptied a trash can that was already emptied, and vacuumed a carpet that had already been vacuumed, so he could figure out how long it would take.  He ended up getting the account.”

From there, said Mitch Murch, “I grew the company, and my wife grew the kids,” Though Murch’s three daughters pursued other careers, sons Tim Murch and Mitch Jr., director of sales, work at the company. 

4M had sales of more than $20 million last year, Tim Murch said. 

4M employs more than 2,000 people, and has contracts to clean more than 20 million square feet of space.  “That’s a lot of trash cans, a lot of dusting, a lot of toilet paper rolls, a lot of situations we have to make sure are all right on an everyday basis,” Tim Murch said.  “And we can’t go around checking overnight.”

What 4M does, said that Murches, is provide the right training and reward employees whenever possible.  Since 1991, the company has paid out nearly $300,000 in safety and incentive programs.

4M employees receive a Safety Bingo game card in their paychecks, and can call a hotline for the day’s bingo number – and a safety message.  If bingo winners can repeat the messages, they can double their winnings.  One worker won $8,000 for covering all her spaces and repeating the safety messages.

“What we want to do is find people doing things right and really recognize that and promote it,” said Tim Murch.  “Every compliment that we get, I write a handwritten note of appreciation, and that is presented to the employee and their crew and I get the customer involved.  We want to promote as many positives as possible.”

Murch also showed off a typical employee newsletter, filled with “Service Worker of the Month” listings, and employee birthdays.  “Who doesn’t like to see their name in print?” he asked.

The good treatment pays off, the Murches believe.  Last year, said Tim Murch, the company gave out 308 perfect attendance certificates. “And that doesn’t include any gray area at all, like if they had car trouble or baby sitter problems.  They were either here or they weren’t.”  The company’s turnover rate, Murch said, is half the industry average of 300 percent.

4M provides on-site job training, and prides itself on the use of “green,” or ecologically safe, cleaning chemicals.  The company also uses a new Back Pack, four-filter vacuuming system, which, the Murches said, actually cleans the air.  “We were the first people in St. Louis to implement the use of the back pack vacuums,” said Tim Murch, “and it does a fantastic job.  It’s an extremely effective tool, and it’s versatile.  It’s much more productive than an upright, which translates into cost-effectiveness.”

The company recently bought a turbo-charged, chemically injected, five gallons-a-minute blasting power washing truck, which can be used for entry plazas, dumpster areas, poultry houses, or anything else that needs a shot of shine.

If 4M has so many eager employees and the latest cleaning technology at their disposal, one question remains: How clean do the Murches keep their own homesteads?

“Mine can always be cleaner,” Tim Murch said sheepishly.

His brother gave an all-knowing, raised-brow look.  “Immaculate!” he exclaimed.

Murch cleans up

St. Louis Business Journal, October 30 – November 5, 1995

Business Activity: Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management is a full-service company that has grown into one of the largest cleaning contracting firms in the St. Louis area.  With more than 200 accounts, MMMM services include janitorial, window, carpet, drapery, upholstery, fabric, light fixture, concrete and awning cleaning as well as high-power washing, emergency cleanups for fires and floods and temporary or permanent personnel services.

Executives:  Tim Murch, 37, is president and runs the daily business of the company.  Tim is a member of the board of directors of the Building Service Contractors Association and has served on the board of directors of the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA.)

            Mitch Murch, 68, Tim’s father, is chairman of the board and the founder of the company.  A native of St. Louis, he was one of the founders of the Building Service Contractors.

            Steve Allen is vice president and general manager and was the first employee hired by Mitch Murch.

Company History:  Mitch Murch had two failed business ventures before launching the present company in 1978.  In 1953, Mitch Murch established a contract cleaning company in the city. Murch sold stock in the company, which plummeted from $24 to just over $2 a share.  After his first attempt at contract cleaning, Murch built an ice rink in Columbia, MO.  This turned out to be his second mistake as agreements with the three schools in Columbia – the University of Missouri, Stephens College and Columbia College – fell through when the economy turned sour and the colleges pulled out of their agreements to use the ice rink.

            Mitch Murch returned to St. Louis and established Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management in October 1978.  It started in the Pierre Laclede building in Clayton and moved to the city of St. Louis 10 years ago.

            Two cleaning contracting companies have been bought by Murch’s Maintenance – one in Central Illinois and one in Columbia, Mo.  Tim’s brother, Mitchell, 27, runs the Columbia operation.

            Two years ago, the logo for the company was redesigned to MMMM and all trucks and vans were redesigned to reflect the change.

Revenue:  1995 revenue is expected to be about $18.5 million, up from $15 million in 1994.  Tim Murch said his business is affected by the real estate market and was hurt by the downturn in the market in the late ‘80s.  With leasing of real estate improved, MMMM’s business has improved although Murch said there is a lag from the time the real estate market gets healthy until the maintenance business shows improvement.

Employees:  MMMM has 1,500 employees, about 75% of whom are part time.  The company has a six-person human resources department and two recruiters.  Tim Murch said there is a real shortage of people today, primarily due to the low unemployment rate.  He said the shortage is especially acute in the suburban area.  His company must compete with fast food restaurants and retail stores for unskilled workers.  In order to compete, Tim Murch said workers are paid well above minimum wage and are provided a variety of benefits – some monetary and some recognition awards for safety and performance.  MMMM has $15 million in insurance coverage and $250,000 per employee in bonding coverage.

            Employees are given pre-employment drug tests and automatically tested for drugs if there is an accident.  There is also a workers’ compensation background check.  MMMM will provide full-time temporary/permanent employees for corporations with the employees on the MMMM payroll.

Clients:  MMMM says it cleans more than 20 million square feet nightly, including offices, schools, retail and industrial facilities.  The Pierre Laclede Center and headquarters buildings for Ralston-Purina, Anheuser-Busch, May Department Stores, Mallinckrodt Medical and Monsanto are some of the larger offices served by MMMM.  Contracts are usually one to three years and renewed annually.  Tim Murch said with about 200 cleaning contractors in the area, it is a constant challenge to compete and bid on projects.

Professional services:  Boatmen’s is the company’s banker; Asledge and Kieffer is the accountant, and two law firms handle work for MMMM:  McMahon, Berger, Hanna, Linihan, Cody & McCarthy and King Koster King & Hellmich.

Many publications, such as Services magazine, Contracting Profits, Commerce magazine, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, have run articles or stories featuring MMMM. Recently, we were featured in European Cleaning Journal, in an article entitled "Don’t Slip Up" which chronicled a few of the world’s successful safety programs among building service contractors. Following is an excerpt from the European Cleaning Journal:

Safety Bingo

Having recognized the importance of safety and the need to communicate that importance to employees, one American company implemented a highly effective method of accident prevention. Employees at Mitch Murch's Maintenance Management (MMMM) benefit from cash incentives for performing safely. The numerous incentives the company runs include the Safety Advocate Program, where employees make a pledge in writing that they will do their jobs in the safest possible manner. Provided they make good their pledge they are eligible for quarterly raffles where they can win $100. The most popular program at MMMM is Safety Bingo. Each employee gets a Safety Bingo card with their paychecks. Played like normal bingo, Safety Bingo features a new number being drawn every work day. Employees call a hotline number, said Mitch Murch II. They get a recorded safety message as well as the new number. If someone wins a row, either vertical, horizontal or diagonal, they receive $75. If they can repeat the safety messages they double their money.