Tag Archive for: Mark Harden

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ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services Mercia Complete 5K Walk for Staff with Multiple Sclerosis

The team at ServiceMaster Clean Mercia have completed a 5K walk to raise money and awareness for a member of staff diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

ServiceMaster Clean Mercia’s team and their families recently braved some characteristic British spring showers to complete a 5K walk in support of a valued team member, Donna, who has recently and suddenly been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

This blog post has all the details.

Donna’s Story

In October 2024, Donna went to bed her usual self and woke up the next morning with unexplained tremors on one side of her body. After months of medical appointments and testing, she received a life-changing diagnosis: she has Multiple Sclerosis, a disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves.

In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath covering nerve fibres, known as myelin, which interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Symptoms of this condition can vary widely based on several factors, including the individual, the location of nerve damage, and its severity. Some individuals may lose the ability to walk or move independently, while others may experience long periods without new symptoms between attacks.

Currently, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis. However, various treatments are available to help speed up recovery from attacks, alter the disease’s progression, and manage symptoms effectively. Although Donna is now on such medication, MS has had a profound impact on her life, affecting her mobility, speech, and ability to carry out everyday tasks.

Fundraising to Support Donna

As such, through their 5K walk, the team raised funds for a mobility scooter to help Donna regain some of her independence. Additionally, one of the business’s directors, Mark Harden, along with his close friend Joe McDermott, ran 8.5 miles in the Sutton Fun Run to help with fundraising for Donna. Between these two events, the team raised just over £1,800, smashing their £1,500 target!

“Thanks to the determination and generosity of everyone involved, we’ve raised enough to help Donna regain some of her independence with a mobility scooter! Despite the rain, spirits were high, and the sense of teamwork and compassion was stronger than ever. I’m proud of the amazing team we’ve built — this event was a reminder of what we can achieve together. Thanks again to all those who donated!” says Mark.

Need a new cleaner?

If you’re in and around Mercia and would benefit from professional contract cleaning services from a multi-award-winning business, contact Kevin, Mark and the team on 0300 003 7042 or find your nearest ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services business to see how we can help you today.

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Franchising as a Family Business: Father’s Day at ServiceMaster Clean Mercia

Father and son duo Kevin and Mark Harden discuss being in business together under the ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services brand.

The UK celebrates Father’s Day this weekend, and to mark the occasion, we sat down with father/son duo Kevin and Mark Harden from ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services Mercia to see what building a business together has taught them.

What is it like to build a business with your father/son?

“In a father/son working relationship, it goes without saying that you need to be able to work together effectively, listening to one another’s views, communicating effectively and gaining joint agreement to important decisions. It can also be beneficial that we as a family are very committed to growing the business, and this rubs off on our management team in their approach and effectiveness.”

Kevin

“Working in a father/son relationship can be incredibly rewarding to share in the successes with family.”

“One of the key benefits is our relationship enables a high level of trust and very open and effective communication. This ultimately benefits the business and our employees as we have clear shared values and vision for the business.”

Mark

Kevin, why did you decide to build a company alongside your family?

“Initially, it was just me and 20 or so staff. I was selling, supervising, managing, wages and cleaning when required. Through growth, it came to the point when I needed help, and firstly, my wife Jo joined me, leaving her role in IT with one of the top five accountancy firms, a brave decision. This enabled me to place greater emphasis on selling, and with this came further growth. We reached a point again when we needed help, and Mark joined the business. At the time, Mark had graduated from University and had a good job and career prospects with a large security company.  He joined the business to take on a Supervisory role, looking after several contracts.  Like Jo, this role enabled them both to understand the key elements of the business and recognise what makes a good Contracts Manager or Supervisor.”

Kevin

What’s it like to operate a multi-generational business?

“Personally, I find it enjoyable. We have all placed our full commitment into the business and are enjoying the rewards this brings, both financially and in career satisfaction. I am now past pensionable age, and through investment in our management structure, I’m taking more of a back-seat role.  Jo is still heavily involved in overseeing our payroll, IT & administration. Mark took on the selling role full-time and gained significantly more growth; we are now at the stage of having a full-time salesperson, Contracts Managers and a newly promoted Regional Manager. This has enabled Mark to lead the business with my support.”

“Through my previous career, I have observed the dynamics within family businesses and have been mindful of how we interact with one another. Our emphasis to our staff and clients is that we are a family business, with the personal commitment this brings, alongside the backing of a large corporation enabling us to deliver an excellent professional service through innovative systems, processes and equipment.”

Kevin

“Having Kevin and Jo in the business offers me a great opportunity to tap into their substantial past career experience and in-depth knowledge of the cleaning sector.  This is a resource I utilise not only for my development but for the growth of the business.”

Mark

What legacy are you hoping to leave behind for future generations?

“Mark, in the not-too-distant future, will take on the full running of the business. I’m sure that he will look to develop the business further through growth, acquisition and diversification.”

Kevin

“We are always focused on the future and the need to build on the growth of the business. Being a family business allows us to focus on long-term goals and sustainability rather than short-term gains and profits.”

“Who knows, in the not-too-distant future, it may be my daughter joining the business!”

Mark

What about ServiceMaster Clean made it the right company for both of your careers?

“My prior career involved working for large corporate organisations in Sales, Marketing & Senior Management roles, and then Consultancy. I always wanted to run my own business and be a master of my own destiny. I read somewhere that if you buy a great business, you pay a great price, and if you buy an ok business, you pay an ok price – with the opportunity to turn it into a great business. The opportunity came to purchase an existing Contract Services business that was undeveloped, for which I paid an ok price. But I have turned it into a GREAT BUSINESS through the efforts of my family and our employees alongside the support and backing of the ServiceMaster Ltd team.”

Kevin

“When Kevin approached me to join the business, I was developing a career path within a large national security company.  However, the chance to have a sense of ownership with input over the direction and growth, in conjunction with the support of ServiceMaster Ltd, was an opportunity too good to pass up.”

Mark

Want award-winning contract cleaning?

If you’re in Mercia and would benefit from professional contract cleaning services from a multi-award-winning business, contact Kevin, Mark and the team on 0300 003 7042 or find your nearest ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services business to see how we can help you today.

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Cleaning for the Commonwealth Games

How the ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services Mercia team supported the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The spirit of the Commonwealth Games for Birmingham 2022 was all about inclusion and togetherness. As the first Commonwealth Games with a fully integrated para-sports programme, the games celebrated unity in the city, with volunteers, athletes, and supporters coming together to enjoy weeks of sportsmanship from across the Commonwealth.

The number of people that came to Birmingham to work and partake in the games was immense, and a lot of preparation was needed to get everything in order. Especially as the number of people the city had to house was more than hotels could handle alone. This led to spaces from other sectors, such as Birmingham’s student accommodation buildings taking in athletes, staff, volunteers, security, dancers and more for the duration of the games.

One such property was Onyx, a pre-existing client of ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services Mercia, and one of the largest student accommodations in Birmingham city. Mark Harden of ServiceMaster Clean Mercia sat down with us during the Commonwealth Games to talk about his team’s work for Onyx throughout the event.

The brief

“This is the second year we’ve done the student accommodation cleaning at Onyx,” Mark tells us. The contract for this job came about last year when Onyx reached out for a quote for regular cleaning services. At this point, the building had been recently refurbished, increasing its size substantially.

“[There are] three blocks to it, it’s massive,” Mark says. “Due to our presence in the Birmingham City Centre area, they asked a ServiceMaster Mercia to quote, which myself and Ashley, our business development manager [did].”

Due to careful staff management and the growth of the business, the Mercia team were able to deliver exceptional service and return this year, with the Onyx team putting down the additional challenge of assisting them with cleaning for the Commonwealth Games. In a regular year like last year, cleaning the Onyx premises involves cleaning student bedrooms and kitchens ready for the new students to arrive. But with the building being utilised for the Commonwealth Games, a huge number of rooms had to be cleaned in a tight timeframe.

 “From the 21st of July to the 28th/29th, when the Commonwealth started, we had to get all these rooms cleaned. So, I think we did about 350 rooms for the Commonwealth and about 70 kitchens just in that week!”

How we managed the job

This meant that excellent communication was needed and the Mercia team had to work closely with the building managers and their staff.

“[We] have to work very closely with the Onyx team providing continuous updates and adding value through reporting any important information such as maintenance issues which they can rectify,” Mark says.

In this way, partnerships were a key part of the team getting the job done to the best possible standard, including helping manage the large workload. As Mark tells us, this meant having “At the max … between 35 and 40 staff on-site,” including Mark, and a supervisor running them.

“At that volume of people, you needed a high level of management support [to make] sure the team is set up, the stock is set up, dishing out work and [we are] feeding back to the in-house staff as well,” he explains.

These numbers meant that the team could take a methodical and highly efficient approach to cleaning each room.

“The structure is a team of say 5-6 people who go into one dorm, each one will pick up one room. And then generally, three people will work on a kitchen maximum, so they split it between them.”

The team then used some of our very own ServiceMaster chemicals, which work at the highest standard to return these rooms to the best condition possible before reporting any damage to rooms from student tenants, which might include cracked hobs, induction hobs, faulty fridges, damage to floors, or damage to furniture.

Going above and beyond

The Mercia team has also been helping out throughout the games by cleaning for a facility that is owned by West Midlands Police, which was used to feed athletes and staff during the games. This meant Mark and the team had to be even more flexible with their operation and working times, because of the tight security around the games.

“We had to change our cleaning times with the cleaners to early morning and late evenings that we go in so that we weren’t around because security was so tight, we couldn’t be around when athletes were present. So, we had to prep it ready for evening and morning meals. We did late evenings till about 1:00 am after the athletes had eaten and … then we would return in the mornings so that they could clean after the breakfast period.”

The result

At the close of the job, Mark reflects that the teamwork and unity of the games have been mirrored throughout the entirety of this job, which has left him satisfied at overcoming a challenging clean and feeling closer to the games that have put Birmingham on the world stage.

“It’s been enjoyable to get it done,” he says. “And you do feel connected to the games. In Birmingham, it’s been a great atmosphere. You see all the people and volunteers, and speaking to them every one is enjoying it.”

Need a new cleaner?

Do you have large premises? Would you benefit from regular cleaning by your local professionals? With a team equipped with the best tools and knowledge for the job, backed by a franchisor with over 60 years of experience as an internationally recognised leader in the cleaning industry, Mark and the rest of the ServiceMaster Contract Services Mercia team can help. Get in touch by giving them a call on 0300 003 7042 today for a free quote. Or find your nearest ServiceMaster Clean Contract Services business here.