History of 4M Building Solutions

From St. Louis roots in 1978 to national leader: The rise of a commercial cleaning powerhouse 

In 1978, in St. Louis, Mitch Murch Sr. founded 4M Building Solutions after being approached by the owners of a 750,000-square-foot Class A office building seeking a higher-performing janitorial partner. Although not operating a janitorial business at the time, Mitch brought prior industry experience from a previous company he had founded. He agreed to step in with a clear commitment to deliver reliable, high-quality cleaning for large, complex facilities.

With a startup loan from a friend, Mitch moved quickly. Within 30 days of launching operations, he secured a second client, bringing the initial portfolio to three facilities. One customer, with two of those original buildings, remains with 4M today, a continuous 47-year partnership that’s a testament to the company’s founding focus on service quality and customer relationships. Originally named Mitch Murch’s Maintenance Management, the company quickly built a reputation for consistent performance and grew to become the largest janitorial contractor in the St. Louis market.

Tim, Mitch’s oldest son, joined the company shortly after its founding, rose through the ranks to CEO, and remains an integral part of 4M’s leadership today.

The company’s original MMMM acronym carried forward into the 4M Building Solutions rebrand in 2014. The core values established in 1978 — customer intimacy, integrity, 360-degree teamwork, and innovation — continue to guide the organization today. 4M now serves clients nationwide and is recognized for its high-touch service model, people-focused culture, proprietary systems and processes, innovative solutions, and industry-leading safety standards.

As part of a five-year “moonshot” initiative launched in 2015, 4M more than doubled its annual revenue, surpassing $100 million by 2020. The company has grown to more than 7,000 Team Members delivering daily, environmentally friendly cleaning across 228 million square feet in corporate, commercial, industrial, education, healthcare, and senior living facilities. Building on this momentum, 4M expects to report 2026 annual revenue exceeding $300 million.

In January 2023, 4M received a significant investment from O2 Investment Partners, a Midwest-based private investment firm, supporting the company’s continued organic and acquisition-driven growth strategy.

In December 2025, Leonard Carder joined 4M as CEO during a planned growth phase, bringing over 30 years of leadership experience in the facility services sector. Tim Murch, in his ongoing capacity as an owner and partner, remains actively involved in 4M’s leadership, supporting its long-term vision, focusing on advancing the company’s M&A strategy, and preserving 4M’s industry unique culture.