Wednesday, November 28, 2001

Tyrone businessman does his part for Sept. 11 clean-up

The losses ­ of life, property and innocence ­ were more than most Americans could handle after the attacks of Sept. 11. In order to begin the road to recovery, the nation, mentally and physically, had to pick up the pieces.

For ServiceMaster Clean, the first step was to undertake a restoration effort of historic significance.

Experts from the ServiceMaster Recovery Management team were summoned to the nation's capital to provide assistance at the Pentagon, site of one of the terrorist attacks.

One local ServiceMaster Clean company, got involved in the effort firsthand.

Jorge Valdes, franchise owner of ServiceMaster Total Cleaning in Tyrone, was called in as part of the ServiceMaster Clean global franchise network to help with the effort, one that left a lasting impression.

"For me, it was a natural reaction to want to help out. We were all searching for a way to contribute and we are glad we were able to do so," said Valdes.

Valdes joined ServiceMaster Clean franchise owners and technicians from across the country to participate in the restoration at the Pentagon. The project was a challenge as workers faced emotions, ogistics and security issues.

"The process of moving large groups of people into the building amid safety and security concerns made it a daunting task, but for us, it was just another day on the job," said Brad Key, director of ServiceMaster Recovery Management at the home office in Memphis.

"I never doubted the strength of our teamwork and the support for our country."

Over the last two months, more than 300 company employees have worked around the clock removing soot and smoke residue from the affected halls, corridors, lobbies and offices of one of the country's largest office buildings.

Through teamwork and endurance, ServiceMaster Clean worked around the approximately 25,000 employees still working at the Pentagon.

For many of them, returning to their daily work schedules was not an option, but rather a necessity.

"It was vital for these employees of our nation's defense system to get back to work as quickly as possible, even more so after a disaster such as this," said Key, who also helped in the restoration and clean up effort after the bombing at the World Trade Center in 1993.

"ServiceMaster Clean employees are able to work quickly and efficiently, as we would in any disaster situation."

It's not always easy for companies to bounce back after a disaster of any kind, Key said. One thing companies can do is implement a contingency plan to ensure immediate action is taken in the event of an emergency, just as the Pentagon did, he added.

Lives and property can be saved, damage can be minimized and downtime can be lessened if the company is prepared, Key said. "While there was obviously no way to prepare for this act of terrorism, it is important that companies are aware of what steps to take if and when disaster strikes," he said.

ServiceMaster Clean has been in the restoration and cleaning industry for more than 50 years.

The company, a subsidiary of The ServiceMaster Company, has more than 4,000 franchises worldwide. ServiceMaster and its subsidiaries serve more than 12 million customers in the United States and in 40 countries around the world.

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