Articles

EPSI

Categories: ISSA Member Spotlight

ISSA member company Enterprise Professional Services Inc. (EPSI) is an AbilityOne nonprofit agency (NPA) specializing in custodial, grounds, and hospital environmental services for a variety of facilities, staffing with skilled employees who provide exceptional service.

The company operates in three business lines:

• Healthcare Environmental Services (HES)
• Grounds Maintenance and Arborist Services
• Custodial Services.

EPSI prides itself on being a values- based company, focusing on the core values of caring, integrity, reliability, collaboration, and education.

But it isn’t just about the clients served. EPSI values its employees above everything else, but this value drives success in all other areas of the company. As a nonprofit organization based in Lakeway, Texas, it helps people with disabilities find meaningful careers.

Stephen Saia, president and CEO of EPSI, wants his employees to be the best-trained, best-qualified cleaning professionals in the industry, and his company works to provide every training and certification opportunity possible to achieve that goal.

“Our mission is to provide that career path for our employees,” says Saia. “The way to do that is to ensure that the
quality of work we are providing is something that the customer sees value in.”

But how does EPSI accomplish this?

Furthering education with ISSA

To this end, the company provides and encourages continuing education and ISSA certification so that customers see value in those credentials and the quality of work performed. This leads to greater customer satisfaction, retention, and higher revenue, which keeps the company successful. Investing in education also helps employees see a career path with opportunities for growth and advancement in the cleaning industry, leading to greater employee retention. “We average about 5% turnover, which for the cleaning industry is profoundly low,” explains Saia.

The company initially joined ISSA when they learned that CIMS Green Building certification (Cleaning Industry Management Standard) was a requirement of their very first contract with the U.S Department of Defense hospital for the U.S. Army Medical Command. “I was completely unfamiliar with CIMS at the time, and I was also responsible for ensuring that we got the certification,” recalls Saia. He says he learned a lot about the industry and ISSA through the process of obtaining that certification and came to appreciate and use the other resources ISSA has to offer, such as training for employees entering the cleaning industry as a career path they can embrace.

“If you’re not taking advantage of CIMS, you’re really missing out, and you’re not going to be as competitive,” says Saia, noting that the CIMS assessment process has been as much a tool for growth and development as it has been for evaluation.

EPSI has had the same assessor, Bruce Stark, since joining ISSA, and he has been a mentor to Saia over the years, sharing his knowledge of the industry and providing guidance. Saia praises Stark for his personal touch, taking time with the employees to reinforce the value of CIMS, providing encouragement, and even staying in contact via email throughout the year as a resource. “That kind of support through people like Bruce has been a tremendous asset for us,” explains Saia.

On working with ISSA and the Cleaning Management Institute, Saia asserts that other companies would be foolish not to. “It’s an investment, but the payoff is tremendous.” ISSA helps companies understand where the industry is now and where it’s headed with new innovative technology like green cleaning and robotics.

Growth for employees = Growth for EPSI

What Saia loves about the cleaning industry is that it has a low barrier of entry for employees with plenty of room to grow and advance. This makes a meaningful career in the cleaning industry accessible to more people, including people with disabilities and those with other obligations to consider, like caring for family members or children.

Additionally, EPSI goes the extra mile to ensure that all employees, regardless of their circumstances, have the tools they need to succeed. For employees in need, the company provides transportation to and from the job site, as well as breakfast and lunch, free uniforms, and advanced pay when needed. “They pull themselves up, so it’s not a handout; it’s them working in order to get themselves together and advance,” Saia explains.

Moving forward, EPSI is focused on growth and developing new partnerships with the federal and state government, as well as local municipalities. Additionally, EPSI has a mission to partner with minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and other nonprofit organizations to grow their vision of providing excellent customer service to those they serve.

For more on EPSI and the impact of ISSA’s CIMS program, watch this recent Straight Talk! interview with Stephan Saia company  president and CEO.

About the Author.

For more information, visit issa.com/magazine.