Jill Frey: "Take care of your employees and they will take take care of you."
Take care of your employees and they will take take care of you. Surround yourself with the best people you can find. Women support women .
Thirty years ago my parents, who started the company, took a vacation to the Caribbean. They called me part way through their trip and said “Jill, we love it here. We’re not coming back. The company is yours if you want it.” So they threw me in with the sharks and I am so grateful that they did. It has taken a lot of support and work to get where I am today and I couldn’t have accomplished any of it without my amazing team. We had a small number of contracts when I started, in our very small Midwest town, and I am so proud we have grown nationally and had the opportunity to grow with such success. It hasn’t always been easy, but with my team I know we can continue to take anything that comes our way.
What does the cleaning industry need?
The world is changing, we see that everywhere we go, technology is going to really shake up the industry in a good way. Something I am seeing already is the need for standards with the technology. Everyone is making their own product, but they all need to speak the same language to get the most benefits out of your building. This is going to bring great things to our industry, better awareness of your building, cleaning on demand, smart building audits, task completion and more. It is so exciting for me as someone so passionate about our industry to see it evolve into its greatness.
What advice would you give to other women?
Respect yourself in the industry and always fight for your reputation and be ethical. Take care of your employees and they will take take care of you. Surround yourself with the best people you can find. Women support women. I like to have mantras to boost my confidence and those around me, some of my favorite one words are: Fearless, Rockstar, Strong, Thoughtful, Persistent, Intentional, Focused .