In the News - Read more about MMMM in our Archived News section.

"Provide What Your Customers Perceive as the Best and You Will be Successful"

BSCAI- SmartBrief - December 2011

Q & A with Board Member Tim Murch, CBSE:

Tim Murch, CBSE, president of Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management (MMMM), has been in the building service contracting industry formally for 33 years, yet it had been a major part of his life many years before then with his father’s previous business. Continue reading to see how his membership in BSCAI has impacted his company’s success, how MMMM handles employee retention and the most important lessons he’s learned in the business.

Some of the major trends I am noticing are the desire for minority participation and also that larger national and international companies are offering a full range of facility services as facility management companies; they are competing head to head with the previous facility management companies who are our customers that manage large owner occupied portfolios. Green isn’t a trend anymore; it is an expectation.

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"How Is Your Company Using Twitter"

Contracting Profits- November 2011

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"MMMM Wins 2010 BSCAI Top Safety Award for Large Companies"

Issue 14 Safety Path- October 2011

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"Tim Murch Elected to Serve for his Third Term on BSCAI's Board of Directors"

Press Release - October 13, 2011

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"GOOOOOOOO......Safetyyyyyyyy!!!"

Issue 13 Safety Path- August 2011

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MMMM Receives 2nd Green Certification

Building Services Management - July 2011 issue

ST. LOUIS, MO – MMMM, service contract cleaning services company, announced the acknowledgement of their honor in receiving the CIMS and the CIMS-Green Building Certification both with honors for the second time by the International Sanitary Supply Association. 

CIMS is the first comprehensive management and operations standard targeting the essential elements of a well-run, client-centered cleaning organization. CIMS applies to an organization’s management, operations, and performance systems. The five core sections of the standard are: quality systems; service delivery; human resources; health, safety and environmental stewardship; and management commitment. CIMS-GB is an optional sixth dimension that focuses on the delivery of environmentally preferable cleaning services. 

Certification with Honors is the highest designation available to those who comply with CIMS and CIMS-GB, indicating that an organization meets 100 percent of the mandatory management requirements and at least 85 percent per section of the recommended developments. 

Tim Murch said “This reinforces our commitment to our customers and prospects that we continue to be on the leading edge of our industry with our standardized unique processes and systems company wide. We are very proud to be one of the few contractors in the world with both of these prestigious certifications with Honors!”.

"How do they keep Busch Stadium so clean? With 'sweepers and pickers"

July 2011

Q. How do they clean Busch Stadium with all the cubbyholes, corners, steps and all? It always seems spotless when I go to a game, but a real mess when it's over. Do they maybe have an enormous vacuum they thread through the seats?
-- Jim P., of Belleville

A. Imagine throwing a party for 46,000 "friends" who couldn't care less if they trash your home.
Their only goal is to have a celebration as they dump a mountain of peanut shells, beer cups, nachos trays and other trash all over a four-level "house" that covers four square city blocks.

That's the headache that faces Mike Bertani -- not just once or twice, but 81 times a year (or, fans hope, more with playoffs and a World Series).

As the longtime director of stadium operations, Bertani probably wishes he could install some humongous Beam central vacuum system that would allow a few custodians to whip out giant hoses and suck up the refuse in a few minutes. After all, in a typical season, the Birds go through almost 1,400 miles of paper towels and 540,000 hot dogs while topping 181,000 pounds of nachos with 32,000 gallons of cheese sauce.

Alas, life is not that simple. Instead, it takes a small army of cleaners working almost from the time the players hit the showers to when the gates open the next night to keep that massive structure clean. Here's how they do it:
About the time you're headed home on I-64, a team from Mitch Murch's Maintenance Management (MMMM) is taking the field -- or the stands, at least -- to attack another massive pile of garbage.

"We used to have our own crew," Bertani said. "But about 1997 or 1998, we felt it was more advantageous to outsource this. It took them a good four or five years to kind of get it down pat. But now that they've been doing it for 15 years, it's done really well."
About 11 p.m. (after a night game), 60 full time "sweepers and pickers" begin sweeping the entire stadium while another 60 full timers clean the restrooms, suites and party-room areas.

Complicating matters is the team's recent emphasis on recycling as much as possible. So for the first couple of hours, the "pickers" have to go through with clear plastic bags and find all the cups, bottles and other recyclable materials so they don't wind up in a landfill.
"We're now up to recycling almost 25 percent of our trash," Bertani said proudly.

After that, the crew throws the rest of the stuff in 55-gallon black trash bags. In all, the cleaners amass four to six tons of trash -- per game!

"Now for Cubs' games, that could go up two more tons," Bertani said in all seriousness.

But they're still not finished. About 6 a.m., another crew of 40 full timers come in to hose down the place. Then, at 8, several window washers spend the day making all that glass sparkle for those fortunate to live it up in the deluxe suites and press box areas.

"The best way to describe it is it takes over 150 full time people at least eight hours each to do all this," said Bertani.  "But like I said, we've got them coming in different shifts so they can stay out of each other's way."

While never an easy job, it really can become a thankless task in inclement weather.
"Last Saturday night (June 25) was the epitome," Bertani said. "If it rains before or during the cleaning process, the picking gets really, really tough because that kind of doubles the weight of everything and takes much longer to clean.

"You should have seen those poor guys here when it poured last Saturday. We had flooding here, and they were only halfway done with the picking. I mean, I felt really sorry for them."

Which makes Bertani even happier to hear you describe the place as "spotless" when you enter. He says he takes great pride in keeping St. Louis' baseball palaces looking regal because he's been part of the Redbird family since 1957. Back then, he was 13 years old and running coins to ticket sellers at a time when tickets were $1.85.

He then worked as a ticket manager for 27 years before moving over to field operations about 18 years ago. The 68-year-old Bertani will step down from full-time duties at the end of the year.

"But I'll do something around here on game day next year," he said. "It's in the blood and I'd rather wean myself off of it. It's been a great life. I've been one of the luckiest people in St. Louis. It started with Musial and ended with Pujols, so it's not bad."

"Don't Cut Corners"

Cleaning & Maintenance Management - June 2011

For a cleaning contractor or an in-house operation that is a providing basic janitorial services, managing floor care projects can be a new experience. Floor care projects require advanced planning, adequate staffing, specialized training and the appropriate chemicals and equipment.

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Sustainability “How-To Guide” Series, Global Green Cleaning

2011 IFMA Foundation - April 2011

It is no secret that a focused, well-defined sustainability strategy is beneficial to an organization's bottom line, whether it is a federal, private-sector, military or nonprofit entity. Sustainable practices are not only the right thing to do for the environment; they also benefit the communities in which they are implemented. Sustainability is the business implementation of environmental responsibility.

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How to Validate Field Work

Field Technologies Online - April 2011

A new mobile data collection solution allows this service provider to ensure that its field workers are doing the work they should, when they should - and has reduced labor costs by more than $112,000 per year.

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Tim Murch on the Benefits of BSCAI Membership

Tim Murch Interview with Contracting Profits Magazine

All Building Service Contractors are affected in unique ways by the economic factors that influence their customers in each of the different market segments.  Customers are cutting back, closing down facilities, and Building Service Contractors have had to adapt, be innovative and become more efficient as a result of the economy.

Watch as Tim Murch, President and CEO, chimes in on the Economic Outlook for 2011 for Building Service Contractors in an interview with Contracting Profits Magazine during the ISSA/Interclean Trade Show.  See what Tim has to say about whether or not the recession is over or not, how the economy affected your business in 2010, and the attitude and approach as we head into 2011. 

To hear the thoughts and opinions of other BSCAI members click here to see the entire video.
http://www.cleanlink.com/video/details/BSCs-Economic-Outlook-for-2011--25719

Team Cleaning With Backpack Vacuums Means Productivity

Cleaning & Maintenance Management - March 2011 issue

Mitch Murch's Maintenance Management (MMMM) is one of the largest janitorial and related service suppliers in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States.

The company employs a team of 3,500 individuals to clean over 100 buildings covering 60 million square feet.

With a daily workload of such immense proportions, MMMM maintains a constant focus on productivity, safety and environmental health.

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Mark McIntosh, Motivational Speaker

"No Piling On" - March 2011

I am wonderfully blessed with two great kids, a 21-year-old son and his younger sister, 14. But let's be honest, parenting ain't an easy job, right? I like to joke, but it's the truth, "I've been a 14-year-old boy; father of a 14-year-old boy, but never the father of a 14-year-old girl, I need some help!"

I'm inexperienced in raising a teenage daughter, determined to improve and have been reading, The 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Children, in trying to become superior to my former self.

I recently digested many pages on a flight home to Denver from Las Vegas where I had spoken to employees, of Mitch Murch's Maintenance Management (MMMM), at their annual operations, sales and awards meeting. MMMM is a St. Louis-based facilities management company led impressively by Tim Murch, a college buddy. In our two hours together, the discussion focused on, especially in challenging times, keeping the faith, leading by example and caring for others, including our selves.

In modern-day America, integrity-based corporate leaders like Murch - he learned well from his dad, the company founder - would love to fret more about expansion of business and less about expansion of employee's waistlines. Our economy is contracting but our bodies are expanding along with the challenging byproducts: high blood pressure, heart ailments and diabetes, to name just a few.

MMMM is dedicated to providing world-class services to its employees, clients and communities. This team is united, but if the employees, which MMMM calls Team Members, don't have their health, it's tough to serve others, isn't it?

As the plane began its descent into the Mile High City I was reading about the importance of, when talking with kids, using "forward-thinking" words and emphasizing the positive. The thinking being if we want to encourage healthy and productive decision-making from kids - and employees for that matter - it's wise to focus on what they're doing right, not wrong.

The author's reminder of that truth took me back to a short conversation I had, the night before, with one of MMMM's star employees as they patted their protruding belly: "I have been with this company for almost 30 years and have expanded along with it."

Focusing on the negative is really counterproductive. Whether it's a Team Member who knows it's time to lose some weight or a parent who can't resist criticizing a child, do your best to avoid it. Take the author's advice and utilize a forward-thinking, positive outlook. 

Quit beating yourself up, okay? Life, with its tendency to throw unexpected, and unwanted, twists and turns our way does a fine job by itself. We don't, through negative self-talk, need to pile it on.

Cost Savings & Conservation: Day Cleaning Offers Sustainability Today

Building Services Management - February 2011 issue

My experience with day cleaning more than 10 million square feet every day is that under the right circumstance it's and excellent value to offer customers and prospets that need cost savings and energy conservation.

A switch to day cleaning is not to be taken lightly, though, as we have found that converting an account from night to day cleaning can be a very challenging, yet rewarding effort.

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TIM MURCH APPOINTED TO THE WFBSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

For Immediate Release - January 19,2011

TIM M. MURCH, CBSE, PRESIDENT OF MITCH MURCH'S MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT COMPANY (MMMM) has been appointed to the WFBSC (World Federation of Building Service Contractors) board of directors. The WFBSC is a dynamic union of national and international associations as well as individual contracting companies, manufacturers and suppliers from around the globe. MMMM is 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.

"The WFBSC is dedicated to achieving universal recognition for the building service contracting industry and to improving the awareness, knowledge and professional competence of its worldwide membership and should compliment regional and national aims."

Tim Murch states "I am highly honored and appreciative of this global role and am looking forward to contributing to move our industry further ahead world wide."

The WFBSC holds a congress biannually, this year it will be held in Auckland, New Zealand in February, where Tim will be installed on the board and attend with other Building Services Contractors from around the world.

Sustainability Guide to Green Cleaning - Feature Story

MMMM is proudly featured in the latest IFMA Sustainability Case Study

The 110,000 square foot (10,200 square meter) LEED-NC Platinum Alberici Constructors Corporate Headquarters in Overland, MO has been cleaned by MMMM, a cleaning contractor, using a green cleaning program since 2006. Prior to Alberici occupying the building, a major renovation was completed to transform the building from a 50-year old manufacturing facility to a single-tenant, Class A office space.

The goal of the current green cleaning program used at the Alberici headquarters is to provide the best cleaning service possible while balancing the triple bottom line (social, environmental and economic factors). The green cleaning program was implemented because of Alberici's and MMMM's commitment to the environment and the safety of the cleaning team members. Key benefits to the green cleaning program include:

• Reduced health and safety risk to members of the cleaning team and building occupants
• Reduced environmental impact from cleaning
  
  Click here to download entire case study.

Continuous Improvement

Building Services Management - January 2011 issue

An alarming statistic from the Bureau of Labor statistics reveals that the building services and maintenance industry can be a dangerous one.

Even though the number and rate of fatal work injuries were down in 2009 to their lowest levels since 1992, the number of fatal workplace injuries in building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations rose 6 percent, according to the BLS, making it one of the few major occupation groups to record an increase in fatal work injuries. This should be of great concern to everyone involved in managing or maintaining building facilities.

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Got Safety?

Clean Link: Contracting Profits - November 2010 issue

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and then some. It's worth the safety of janitors as they go about their jobs, the money saved thanks to low workers' comp and liability insurance premiums, the peace of mind of customers and the knowledge that all facets of a company are on the same page.
For the past 16 years, Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) has been giving out safety awards, honoring a handful of building service contractors each year with the best safety records. This year, 10 companies — in four categories based on hours worked annually — were recognized at the November convention in Orlando, Fla.

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CIMS and CIMS-GB Certified Companies Recognized by BSCAI as Industry Leaders

ISSA Today - October 15, 2010

ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is pleased to announce that seven members who are Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) or CIMS-Green Building (CIMS-GB) certified have been recognized by the Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) as leaders among the industry. These seven certified companies are among the 11 total ISSA member companies recognized in these awards.

“Building owners and occupants are demanding that the cleaning industry become both more professional and more environmentally friendly,” says ISSA Director of Facility Service Programs Dan Wagner. “ISSA has taken the lead in establishing the CIMS and CIMS-GB programs to help give those members a competitive advantage. These seven companies have taken the extra step to become certified, and we are pleased that they are being recognized as industry leaders for their efforts.”

The seven CIMS or CIMS-GB certified companies who were 2010 BSCAI Awards and Recognition Program winners are:

• Bravo! Group Services – 2010 Safety Award, Category C
• Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management – 2010 Safety Award, Category D
• IH Services, Inc. – Best Company Newsletter, Large Company
• Varsity Contractors, Inc. – Best Company Uniform, Large Company
• Bee Line, Inc. – Best Company Website, Mid-Size Company
• The Budd Group – Best Company Website, Mid-Size Company
• Vonachen Services Inc. – Best Company Website, Large Company

CIMS applies to management, operations, and performance systems. Compliance demonstrates that an organization is structured to deliver consistent, quality services designed to meet the customer’s needs and expectations. It sets forth processes, procedures, and supporting documentation proven to be characteristic of customer-driven organizations. Given that CIMS is non-prescriptive, each organization has the flexibility to choose the most effective ways in which to meet its requirements. For more information about CIMS or CIMS-GB, visit www.issa.com/standard.

The CIMS-GB dimension focuses on the delivery of environmentally preferable cleaning service and offers organizations a certification that is closely tailored to provide customers with precisely what they need to secure points under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance—i.e., LEED-EB: O&M—rating system while greening operations overall.

MMMM Awarded CIMS-GB With Honors

ISSA Today - September 15, 2010

Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Co. (MMMM), has recently been awarded ISSA's Cleaning Industry Management Standard Green Building (CIMS-GB) certification with Honors.

CIMS-GB certification demonstrates that MMMM has undergone a comprehensive assessment by an independent, accredited CIMS-GB assessor and has successfully demonstrated a commitment to the delivery of environmentally preferable services that are designed to meet customer needs and expectations and assist with their U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design—or LEED—Certification. MMMM is one of a few contractors in the world to be both CIMS and CIMS-GB certified both with Honors.

About CIMS & CIMS-GB
CIMS applies to management, operations, performance systems, and processes. Compliance with the Standard demonstrates that an organization is structured to deliver consistent, quality services designed to meet the customer’s needs and expectations. It sets forth processes, procedures, and supporting documentation proven to be characteristic of customer-driven organizations. Given that CIMS is non-prescriptive, each organization has the flexibility to choose the most effective ways in which to meet its requirements.

The new CIMS-GB dimension focuses on the delivery of environmentally preferable cleaning service and offers organizations a certification that is closely tailored to provide customers with precisely what they need to secure points under the LEED-EBOM Green Building Rating System, while greening operations overall.

The Standard and GB criteria were created through a true consensus-based process that brought together representatives of the cleaning, facilities-management, and purchasing communities. In total, more than 100,000 constituents were represented in the process, which included a full peer review and was administered by ISSA and the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences.

Cleaning Up: Local commercial janitorial firms know dirty jobs pay off

Orlando Business Journal - September 2010 issue

Meanwhile, Central Florida's largest commercial building cleaner is the Orlando division of Mitch Murch's Maintenance Management Co. (MMMM), a company based in St. Louis, Mo., which employs 561 employees locally.

It's local clients include the Orlando Science Center, Eola Capital, Universal City Walk and CSX.
(Download complete article now).

Maintenance company awarded CIMS-Green Building certification with honors

Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online - September 2010 issue

Tim Murch, president of Mitch Murch's Maintenance Management Company (MMMM) announced that MMMM was recently been awarded Cleaning Institute Management Standards (CIMS)-Green Building certification with honors, according to a press release.

CIMS-GB certification demonstrates that MMMM has undergone a comprehensive assessment by an independent, accredited CIMS-GB assessor, the release stated.

MMMM has successfully demonstrated a commitment to the delivery of environmentally preferable services that are designed to meet customer needs and expectations and assist with their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the release noted.

According to the release, MMMM is one of a few contractors in the world to be both CIMS and CIMS-GB certified both with honors.

Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Company Announces MMMM’s Progressive SafePath™ Certification Program

Building Service Contractors Association International - August 2010 issue

MMMM recently announced its new SafePath™ Certification Program (SCM) for all supervisors and managers within MMMM. Becoming a SafePath™ Certified Manager is considered a noteworthy achievement that indicates the individual actively promotes the MMMM safety program.

The MMMM SafePath™ Program requires that every supervisor and manager lead by personal example and provide resources, tools, training, education, oversight and inspiration required to build and sustain a strong, proactive safety culture. The purpose of the program is not only to ensure accountability, but as a menas to recognize supervisors and managers for leading by example. The successful manager or supervisor shall be formally recognized as a SafePath™ Certified Manager (SCM).

“MMMM REPEATS HISTORY! THE BUILDING SERVICE CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCED MMMM AS THE WINNER OF BSCAI SAFETY AWARD IN 2010”

For Immediate Release - August 10, 2010

Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management Company (MMMM) received formal notification from the BSCAI (Building Service Contractors Association International) that MMMM was selected as the winner of the 2010 BSCAI Safety Award. MMMM has won this BSCAI award 15 out of the past 16 years! Click to download the release.