It was all hands below deck when Invercargill Regional Manager Glenn Cockroft received an SOS from Paul Mitchell, one of the directors of Fiordland Charters.

The MV Pembroke, an 18m luxury charter boat that operates in remote Fiordland, was docked in Bluff and was in urgent need of a carpet clean.

The 12-berth boat, which costs $25,800 a week to charter during peak season, is used in Dusky and Breaksea Sounds for private history sightseeing, diving and fishing trips. Dusky and Breaksea Sounds are considered the most premium sounds to explore, with all trips aboard the Pembroke customised for her passengers, including a skipper and chef.

Built for the New Zealand Government in 1962 and weighing over 65 tonnes, the Pembroke is thought to be the oldest charter boat in the Fiordland area.

Operating in such a remote area means the vessel is usually accessed by helicopter from Te Anau, but she travels through to either Bluff or Dunedin by sea every two years where she is lifted from the water for an extensive service and any repairs or updates needed.

“Unfortunately, this trip they were stuck for someone to provide a carpet cleaning service in time for their departure from Bluff to meet back up in Fiordland for the next charter trip to depart,” says Glenn.

“When Paul rang with the ‘SOS’ call to see if CrestClean could assist, it was obvious that urgent action was needed to ensure the vessel could leave on time.”

CrestClean raised the anchor, with carpet specialist Martin De Guzman and his wife Maricel travelling to Bluff to carry out a full clean of all the carpet and fabric walls on the boat in time for it to head back to Fiordland that afternoon.

“Paul was very grateful for the assistance that CrestClean provided in their moment of need,” says Glenn.

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The events, hosted in 17 regions all around New Zealand, mark a stellar year for CrestClean business owners. The team meetings gave managing director Grant McLauchlan a chance to update franchisees on company progress in the last 12 months.

“We’re part way through our tour,” said McLauchlan.

“We started in Invercargill, and we’re moving up through the country, and after a break due to the level 2 situation, we’ve resumed and we are having great turnouts of our hard working franchise owners in each local region.”

As well as a get together, the annual gatherings are a chance for the company’s managing director to personally pay tribute to many long serving CrestClean business owners.

McLauchlan thanked CrestClean’s franchise owners for their commitment to the brand and said the company was in great shape.

“Our foundation is really rock solid and we have the right people, the right systems in place and we are seeing growth accelerate throughout New Zealand.”

He said CrestClean’s personnel represented 58 different nations.

“It’s our diversity that helps to give strength to our brand and our business in the marketplace.”

Long service recipients included personnel who received awards for three, five, seven, 10 and 15 years.

In Christchurch, franchisee Grant Holland was presented a special award for celebrating 20 years as a CrestClean business owner.

An Auckland event, to be hosted at Alexandra Park, will take place in December.

“We are expecting this to be the biggest ever gathering of CrestClean personnel when 380 business owners from the Auckland region come together. It’s a great buzz to see all our people at a business forum, we have a really positive culture at CrestClean, and we consider ourselves lucky to be involved in what has now transpired to be an ‘essential service’ industry.”

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Owning the largest CrestClean business in Nelson keeps Alan Erickson on his toes – but he gets plenty of help from daughter Kyla. 

Kyla, who is one of Alan’s employees, enjoys being involved in the day-to-day running of the franchise and says working with her dad is actually fun. “It’s pretty easy as we have a similar dry sense of humour.”

Alan says his daughter has made a big difference. “She reads my mind as to what I want done, she’s always thinking things ahead.”

“She’s been with me in the business for four or five years and knows exactly what’s required for every contract.”

Alan, who is 69, joined CrestClean after many years working for himself. He has extensive experience across a diverse range of industries.

He has a background in farming, including sheep, beef and deer. He was also involved in sphagnum farming. He’s also been a motelier and once owned a successful dry cleaning business in Nelson.

Since joining CrestClean eight years ago Alan has grown his business, taking on extra help as more customers came on board. He has several part-time employees.

He says owning a CrestClean franchise has been rewarding. “It’s a good business model. CrestClean looks after you. It’s quite simple and if you do the job properly and up to the required standard, you’ll do really well. Having good staff does make a big difference.”

CrestClean’s Nelson Regional Manager Barbara de Vries says Alan has worked hard to build up his business. 

“Alan’s customers are quick to pass on their feedback to me after experiencing the high level of service he prides himself on delivering. He has a great team who work really hard.”

“It’s a good business model. CrestClean looks after you. It’s quite simple and if you do the job properly and up to the required standard, you’ll do really well. Having good staff does make a big difference.”

She says a CrestClean franchise is perfect for families who want the freedom of working for themselves. It’s also ideal for someone looking for a second career later in life.

“You can do this with family and friends and turn it into a large successful business. It’s not just for young people. Cleaning is not hard and can suit people who might want to work past retirement age.”

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The youngsters in class B3 were the latest winners of the Cleanest Classroom Award. The competition is run at many of the 430 schools that are cleaned by CrestClean franchisees. The classroom that is kept the cleanest in the school is awarded a certificate and a prize at the end of each term.

Hastings Christian School Principal Gavin Clark says the competition is very popular with everyone.

“The kids look forward to finding out who is the winner of the award and Jay is always very encouraging. It’s always a lovely way to finish the term.”

“The event creates some friendly competition among the kids and it’s a real highlight for Jay to go along and hand out the prize to the winning classroom.”

Gavin says the competition gives students an incentive to take care of their surroundings. “It’s an acknowledgement that if they take the responsibility for their environment it can come with a reward.”

Tim O’Leary, CrestClean’s Hawke’s Bay Regional Manager, says Jay does an outstanding job of the cleaning and is well respected at the school.

“The event creates some friendly competition among the kids and it’s a real highlight for Jay to go along and hand out the prize to the winning classroom.”

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Recently a team of six Invercargill based franchisees completed a very comprehensive hard floor care training course under the watchful eye of Master Cleaners Training Institute Assessor Dan Pariachi.

The course itself covered all aspects of caring for hard floors and included a hands-on two-day session of stripping, sealing and polishing a large vinyl floor area in one of their local schools.

The school was of course delighted to have their hall floor looking pristine again, as were the franchisees at the completion when they were able to stand back and see what they had accomplished as part of their training.
“A number of local businesses who have had some down time over the COVID-19 lockdown, are stepping back and looking at how their business is presented to their customers,” commented Regional Manager Glenn Cockroft.

“Initially, some businesses found a drop off in customers over the first few months of Covid, but now they are seeing a growth in customers coming into their showrooms. They want to ensure customers come into not only a safe and healthy environment, but one that has a bit of ‘wow factor’ with a highly polished floor,” he said.

“A number of local businesses who have had some down time over the COVID-19 lockdown, are stepping back and looking at how their business is presented to their customers”

A number of Glenn’s customers are seeing the benefits of a newly polished floor. Not only do the floors look great, but business and property owners are happy in the knowledge that the protective coating is increasing the longevity of the floor itself.

All six franchisees completed the course and were credited with a Certification of Completion of the training. Well done all!

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A Filipino Basketball team that CrestClean have sponsored won the Rotorua Basketball Tournament Season 2 Championship, held in Rotorua recently. Tauranga franchisee Cesar Rogacion who is a member of the team said they have all been playing a long time, and are already a family. “This was the first time CrestClean have participated and sponsored us, and all the players were very proud to wear the uniform. Previously they have had to pay for their own uniforms” said Cesar.

From the start the final game was close and all the players felt the pressure and just wanted to get the championship trophy. After a blow out on the fourth quarter, the final score was 59-42, and the team came through with a proud win.

Cesar said “It was also a very humbling marketing experience to be able to hand out CrestClean hand sanitisers and information flyers to the players and even the opponents. They were asking about the information provided on the flyers, so I stopped and explained to them all about owning a CrestClean franchise”.

“It was also a very humbling marketing experience to be able to hand out CrestClean hand sanitisers and information flyers to the players and even the opponents”

The team are hoping that there will be a 2-day league held in the month of December, which they have qualified for after winning the championship, but this will depend on Covid-19 restrictions at the time. Once again they will wear their CrestClean uniforms with pride.

Cesar was very thankful for all that CrestClean have done, “On behalf of the Filipino team, thank you so much. We really appreciate your support and help for the team, and hope that all the people I talked with will pursue their plans of owning their own CrestClean franchise”.

Jan Lichtwark, CrestClean’s Tauranga Regional Manager, says he is very proud that the company sponsored and supported this team. “The Filipino community play a huge part in our Tauranga franchisee team.”

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There’s no mistaking the trio of specialist service offered by CrestClean’s Sam Talwar.

Thanks to the messaging carried by distinctive new branding on his van, Sam has been busier than ever. An expert in Pure Water Window Cleaning, his competence and skillset also extends to Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning, and Hard Floor Care.

Shareen Raj, CrestClean’s Palmerston North/Kapiti Coast Regional Manager, says with summer fast approaching there’s been a renewed demand for Pure Water Window Cleaning.

Using a high-tech water filtration unit, which removes all solids from water, the system produces outstanding results using only pure water to remove dirt and grime from windows. Utilising the latest carbon fibre extendable poles, windows up to 4 storeys are within easy reach.

“Customers have been very interested in checking it out and are surprised when they see the results,” says Shareen. “A major appeal is that no chemicals are used with Pure Water Window Cleaning and the results are windows that are gleaming and free of streaking or water spots.

“As there are no detergents or harmful chemicals involved in the cleaning, it’s economical and also environmentally responsible.”

Sam’s carpet cleaning skills have also been in demand. In particular Palmerston North businesses have been rushing to book a spring clean of their office floors.

“We take before and after shots to show the customer the difference,” says Shareen. “People often do not realise how much dirt will build up in a carpet, particularly over winter.”

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Jaydeep Patel says being on the road all the time as a parcel delivery guy had been a tough job, and had left precious little time for the family. “We have two girls and when you have a job that has fixed hours it’s a problem.

“But with the cleaning you can be flexible in the hours worked and when you want to start.”

Changing careers meant undertaking training programmes. But it’s given him a positive feeling of being in an industry with job security through the new skills he’s learned, says Jaydeep.

“I learnt a lot with CrestClean and after two years the business was going really well.”

Since buying a franchise Jaydeep has more than quadrupled the size of his business. His wife Shaivani lends a hand and Jaydeep has three full-time employees.

Among the many customers, Jaydeep and his team look after the cleaning requirements of five local schools.

Yasa Panagoda, CrestClean’s Christchurch North Regional Manager, says Jaydeep is well respected by his customers. “He’s a great team player and is one of our experts in school cleaning. He works hard and to a very high standard.”

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Under his watch, Regional Manager Yasa Panagoda has seen the number of franchise teams more than double, matched by a big increase in business as more customers put their trust in CrestClean.

“Since I joined CrestClean I’ve never looked back,” says Yasa. “I really enjoy the interaction with customers and working closely with our experienced franchisees.

“They work really hard and do a fantastic job. Their skills and reputation for quality cleaning has provided a pathway to bring on new customers.”

Having worked in the cleaning industry for more than 20 years, Yasa is one of CrestClean’s most experienced Master Franchisees.

But long before he joined CrestClean, Yasa’s career was set to take off in an entirely different direction. While training to become a commercial pilot in Australia it was cleaning that helped him keep both feet on the ground.

He picked up some cleaning work and the extra cash supplemented his living expenses while he studied at flying school. “I started part-time with a commercial cleaning company to finance my day-to-day living,” he says. “While I was with the company I got a promotion as area manager.”

He eventually became Operations Manager for the cleaning company and flying became part time and cleaning became full time, he says.

After moving to Christchurch, Yasa worked for a commercial cleaning company as Customer Services Manager, then Branch Manager before joining CrestClean.

“The biggest reward I get without doubt is seeing our franchisees doing well,” he says. “Many franchisees have worked hard and it’s great to see them get ahead in life and achieve personal goals, like homeownership.”

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A strong sense of a job well done is just one of the many rewards of owning a CrestClean business, says Karl Parker.

“I enjoy the cleaning because you might be doing the same job five nights a week, but you feel like you’ve accomplished something every time you walk out,” he adds.

He gets a huge amount of satisfaction from looking after his Nelson customers. “You go in and it can be in a bit of a mess and when you have finished, and it’s nice and clean and tidy, there’s a feeling of a job well done.”

Karl took advantage of the company’s Move to the Regions Programme when he joined CrestClean. The programme offers various incentives, including $3,000 towards relocation costs for anyone relocating to Nelson or Blenheim to purchase a cleaning franchise.

There’s no shortage of cleaning work in Nelson and Karl, who has a background in supermarket management, has been slowly building up the size of his business.

As well as looking after the requirements of his regular cleaning customers, which include schools, offices and kindergartens, Karl has recently undertaken further training to become a Carpet Care specialist. Other specialist cleaning opportunities available in CrestClean include Hard Floor Care, and Pure Water Window Cleaning.

“Carpet cleaning is a chance for me to grow my business and meet more customers.
There are so many opportunities to grow in CrestClean, and that’s what I like. I knew there would be avenues.”

Karl says being a CrestClean business owner is a world apart from his previous career in retail. He spent 21 years in management and 13 years as a store manager.

“These days I really enjoy the freedom of being my own boss. Working in a supermarket felt like I had a million balls in the air at a time. It was very stressful.

“Joining CrestClean was one of the best decisions I’ve made, on a personal and a business level. I enjoy the rapport you build up with your customers, it’s a really important part of the business.”

He likes the fact that CrestClean takes care of the paperwork, allowing him to concentrate on the practical side of the job. “You own your own business but you don’t have to do the fiddly bits like the accounts.

“The training is fantastic and you have a clear plan of what you need to do and help is there if you need it.

“What I like about the franchise system is that you are part of a bigger organisation than yourself. I know I have the full backing of CrestClean.”

Keeping in touch with his customers is also a very important part of his business. It’s something he particularly enjoys. He schedules time to swing by every month or so for a quick catch up to check all is well.

“I want to ensure my customers are happy with my work and to get their feedback. It’s all part of being a responsible business owner,” he says.

Living in Nelson has given him and his partner an idyllic lifestyle, says Karl. He gets plenty of free time in the day before starting his cleaning work mid-afternoon.

“Nelson is a fantastic area and the people are great and very friendly. It’s very good here for families. At weekends you’ll see a lot of families out enjoying time together.”

Barbara de Vries, CrestClean’s Nelson Regional Manager, says Karl is a very detailed cleaner and is well liked by his customers. “He goes above and beyond what is required and is always cheerful and happy.

“Karl has recently upskilled so he can offer his customers a carpet cleaning service. The sky’s the limit when it comes to how far people want to go with CrestClean.”

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