Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowRevenue growth FY 2022 to 2024: 84.38%
2024 revenue: $7.20 million
In the beginning: Chris Middleton was tired of working in the corporate world. So when the company he worked for offered a buyout in 2009, he took the opportunity and invested some of his payout into an Office Pride franchise. The commercial janitorial services business, whose official name is CKM Enterprises, experienced “good growth right out of the gates,” he said, and won franchise of the year the following year.
Evolving: Middleton’s business continued to grow for more than a decade—it was franchise of the year again in 2022—but when revenue began to level off, he realized he needed technology to help him keep growing. In 2023, a friend introduced him to Patrick Poer, who wanted to buy Middleton’s business. Middleton had no interest in selling, but he brought Poer on as a contractor. It turned out that Poer is “really sharp,” Middleton said, especially with technology and sales and marketing strategy.
Immediate benefits: Shortly after Middleton and Poer started working together, they won “a humongous contract” that more than doubled their business last year. Middleton said manufacturing and health care tend to be the two areas his Office Pride franchise performs best in. “They tend to be easier to staff because they’re a little bit larger, and I can put multiple people in them.”
Keeping people: Middleton said the biggest challenge in janitorial services is keeping people. The industry turnover rate is typically 150% to 200% a year. He said his operation’s rate is roughly half that because he treats his employees better. As a result, “we have the ability to perform better because we have better consistency.”
Expected growth: Middleton’s Office Pride business has franchise units in Kokomo, Muncie and greater Indianapolis, and it’s moving to a branch management strategy with individuals independently running and growing those operations. He envisions adding a couple of more franchise units in other parts of the state that don’t currently have an Office Pride franchise, and he and Poer have “several things technology-wise in the works that will help us to strategically grow.” There also could be some acquisitions along the way, he said. The goal is to double in size in five to seven years.•
Check out more of IBJ’s ranking of Indy’s fastest-growing companies.
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