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Franchisee Spotlight – Shedrice Banks, Corvus of Denver
In this month’s Franchisee Spotlight Series, we are featuring Corvus of Denver Franchise Owner Mr. Shedrice Banks. Read on to learn more about the standout Franchisee who goes above and beyond to Make Lives Better!
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Mr. Shedrice Banks became Corvus of Denver’s very first Franchise Owner when the market opened its doors in 2009. The standout Franchisee and his wife, Mrs. Shaquana Banks, played an integral role in getting the Denver market up and running, and they continue to be treasured members of the Corvus community.
While Mr. Banks boasts many excellent qualities, it is his ambition that elevates him. The first few years following Denver’s opening consisted of many late nights and early mornings, but Mr. Banks always rose to the occasion. He could be depended upon to show up with a positive attitude and ready to work hard. This determination enabled Mr. Banks and Mrs. Banks to turn their commercial cleaning franchise into a full-time, scalable business. In 2010 Mr. Banks left his other job to partner with Corvus full time, and he has not looked back since.
The vast experience and industry knowledge Mr. Banks has derived from working in the commercial cleaning business for over a decade sets him apart. “He knows how to clean efficiently and in the rare occurrence that one of his customers has a complaint, it is fixed immediately. He does not lose business. He communicates well and just does everything right” says Corvus of Denver Regional Director, Mr. Michael Kerby. This is why he regularly refers to Mr. Banks as an exemplary Franchisee when speaking with potential Franchise Owners.
Over the last several years, Mr. Banks has proved to be just as good a friend to Corvus as he is a business partner. He cares deeply about his Corvus Franchise, which in turn, translates into caring about everyone around him. Mr. Banks has fostered both personal and professional relationships with many Corvus employees throughout his partnership. He texts back and forth with Corvus employees about basketball- one of his greatest passions- and never misses the opportunity to wish them a happy birthday.
Thank you, Mr. Shedrice Banks, for all that you do for Corvus! We are so grateful for your partnership and look forward to watching your continued success.
Environmentally Conscious Cleaning Practices
Earth Day and every day, Corvus Janitorial cares about the environment. Eco-friendly products and practices have been growing in popularity over the years as we learn more about the true impact of traditional ones.
Ranging from eco-friendly cosmetics to cleaning practices, it’s safe to say that this is no longer a trend. And who wouldn’t want to make choices that are better for the environment? But that’s not their only selling point. Did you know that environmentally conscious cleaning practices aren’t just better for the planet, they’re better for you, too?
By implementing eco-conscious cleaning practices in your office, school, or other workspaces, you can ensure a safe and healthy environment for anyone who spends time there. Here are our suggestions:
Evaluating Your Cleaning Products
Not all cleaning products are created equally. Some are significantly better, healthier, more effective, or some combination of these improvements. As part of your new eco-conscious cleaning routine, replacing your chemical-heavy lineup with more targeted and less harsh products is a great first step.
And beyond that, many traditional cleaning products do have expiration dates that many of us tend to forget about. Cleaning products degrade over time, often without providing us with scent changes, texture differences, or visual cues that they may no longer be effective. This means that we could end up using a cleaning product for years after it has expired.
While this last point isn’t exactly an environmental concern, degraded cleaning products may leave you thinking that your space is safe, clean, and healthy when it isn’t, so it’s still worth a mention. Every six months or so, rummage through your supply closet to ensure that nothing needs replacing.
Adopting Greener Cleaning Practices
One of the best and easiest green cleaning practices is swapping out single-use paper towels with microfiber cloths, rags, towels, and other reusables. Single-use paper items like paper towels and fast-food napkins contribute to deforestation, global warming, and pollution. Sturdier rags and cloths can be washed and reused over and over again.
Some other suggestions for green cleaning practices:
• Bring in oxygen-producing plants and dust regularly to improve air quality
• Spot clean with more natural ingredients like white vinegar, lemon, and baking soda
• Buy recycled paper products for the office
• Buy your cleaning supplies in bulk; less packaging means less waste
• Clean any given room from top to bottom, starting from the far wall and moving toward the doorway; this way, you don’t end up cleaning the same area twice
• Employ a daily cleaning task list so that fewer deep cleans are necessary
Get creative with your green cleaning practices. For example, if you don’t have microfiber cloths or old rags to use, what else do you have that you can bring in from home? You can clean with worn-out sheets, ripped or stained shirts, or an old pair of socks. Old toothbrushes are great for digging into and scrubbing small spaces.
If you know that several of your employees live close to one another, suggest having a carpool day once per week. While this isn’t exactly a cleaning practice, it is something you can do to bring the eco-friendly movement into your workspace. You could also switch to motion-sensor lighting to consume less energy after hours when no one is around or when someone forgets to flick the switch off on their way home.
Conserving Water
If you’re looking for bigger ways to implement eco-friendly practices into your workspace, installing water-efficient fixtures is one way to do so. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), water-efficient faucets and accessories reduce a sink’s water flow by 30% or more from the standard flow.
Retrofitting bathroom sink faucets with WaterSense-labeled models could save billions of gallons of water nationwide each year. Installing low-flow toilets, touch-free faucets, and regularly checking for and fixing leaks can also help. But even without springing for fancier fixtures, we can simply be mindful of how much water we’re using and try to reduce it.
Rather than leaving the water running while we’re cleaning, turn it off when it’s time to scrub and turn it back on when you need it again. Informing employees or coworkers about water conservation can make it a team effort and increase its impact.
Water is a limited resource. We can all play our part to use it more efficiently and reduce unnecessary water usage. Conserving water keeps it pure and clean for us and future generations and protects the environment.
Hiring A Team to Take the Guess Work Out of Your Commercial Cleaning
No matter how small it may seem, any step toward environmentally conscious cleaning practices is something positive. And when you’re not sure how to keep your commercial space clean, healthy, safe, and sparkling on your own, we’ve got a team for that.
The incredible and conscious crews at Corvus Janitorial will work with you to determine what your goals are for your workspace and how they can meet them. With convenient and flexible hours, unique cleaning and disinfecting plans, and customized services, you’ll find exactly what you need right here.
What is a Commercial Disinfectant?
Commercial vs. Home Disinfectants
Home disinfectants are regular name-brand products that you can find in grocery stores. They’re used to eliminate bacteria and viruses at home, especially on high-touch surfaces, which the CDC is recommending we pay extra attention to right now. Cleaning and disinfecting with home disinfectants is what most people do to keep diseases, like COVID, from spreading through contact with contaminated surfaces.
Regular cleaning and disinfecting are always a good idea. And many common household products, like the disinfecting wipes put out by Clorox or the disinfectant mist produced by Lysol, are registered with the EPA. But even when a home disinfectant is registered with the EPA as an effective product against hard-to-kill viruses, it might not be enough. Commercial disinfectants take the cleaning and sanitizing process one step further.
Commercial Disinfectant Benefits
While many household disinfectants will kill deadly viruses, they still have their limitations. Commercial disinfectants are stronger than home-grade ones, killing a wider range of transferable infections and diseases. And on top of being stronger and more effective, the techniques that trained commercial cleaners use are more effective and efficient, too.
Techniques like cold fogging and electrostatic spraying are significantly more effective ways to disinfect. These commercial-grade products and methods create a 360-degree mist to target every surface and hard-to-reach corner, ensuring that nothing is missed. This type of high-level cleaning and disinfecting is particularly helpful in sensitive and high-traffic settings where keeping things sanitized and safe is a necessity rather than a luxury.
Where Commercial Disinfectants are Used
Among other places, commercial disinfectants are extremely common in:
– Airports
– Hospitals and other medical facilities
– Senior centers
– Schools and daycares
– Office buildings
– Restaurants and food facilities
– Factories and manufacturing facilities
Because these facilities see a lot of traffic, have many high-touch surfaces, and many house vulnerable individuals, a higher level of cleaning and disinfecting is required. Since the first COVID shutdown, we have all learned the importance of maintaining our health and safety. Commercial cleaning and disinfecting services make it easier to do so. By using highly effective, commercial-grade products, equipment, and techniques, we help our clients ensure that their facility, office, or workspace is safe.
When to Use Home Disinfectants
EPA-approved home disinfects are great to use during routine home and office cleaning. Between professional cleaning and disinfecting services and in a pinch, they are an effective way to slow the spread of germs and infections. If you’re cleaning a high-traffic home, an office, or another workplace setting, you should regularly use sprays or wipes to sanitize high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, handles, desks and chairs, light switches, phones and keyboards, toilets, faucets, sinks, and countertops. Remember to follow the proper protocols to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your cleaning and disinfecting efforts.
And remember that there is a big difference between EPA-approved home disinfectants and homemade natural cleaning products and disinfectants. Natural products are growing in time with the movement for more eco-friendly solutions, but natural cleaning products that rely on ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda are far less effective than household and commercial cleaning products. Health and safety should be the top priority for cleaning and disinfecting procedures, especially during times like these.
Proper Cleaning and Disinfecting Protocols
Following the proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures will both help ensure that they are as effective as possible and that you remain safe while cleaning. Some disinfecting products might be harmful if they’re left on exposed skin for too long; others might only be safe for use in well-ventilated areas. Wear disposable gloves, clean surfaces with soap and water first, then disinfect. Wear clothes that you aren’t concerned about damaging if you’re using products that contain bleach.
Check your home disinfectant bottles for instructions on dwell time, the amount of time a solution has to stay on a surface in order for it to be effective, as well as other important instructions. With some products, simply wiping them with a rag and walking away won’t be enough. Regular cleaning is a good way to help slow the spread of preventable illnesses. But when it comes to getting a deeper cleaning, disinfecting those hard-to-reach surfaces, and finding some peace of mind, commercial disinfectants applied by trained professionals will carry you farther.
Corvus Janitorial Services
Regular cleaning, washing your hands, wearing your masks, and keeping your distance can help slow the spread of illnesses. But when you need something more, commercial disinfecting services will keep high-touch surfaces and hard-to-clean areas clean and disinfected to reduce the transmission on a higher level. Our service providers are trained to get the job done right and done safely. And you can move forward with the peace of mind that comes from knowing that you’ve done your part to keep your facility, employees, patients, loved ones, and community safe and healthy.
Franchise Disclosure Document: What it is and Why it’s Important
What is an FDD?
Franchise disclosure documents were created by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help potential franchise owners gather the information they need to conclude whether they’re making a good investment or not. These documents are meant to protect American consumers and guide them as they search for the right investments to meet their needs. At first glance, a franchise may seem like a good investment, but it’s never a good idea to make such a big financial decision without digging a bit deeper first. Your franchise disclosure document will provide you with details on everything from affiliated companies to dispute resolution requirements.
Why is it Required?
This legal document is an important part of doing your pre-purchase due diligence. The information contained in a franchise disclosure document is essential to potential franchisees who are preparing to make one of the most significant investments possible. In your disclosure document, you’ll read about the roles of each party involved, among many other things. Knowing what falls on the franchisor and the franchisee will help you make a diligent and informed decision. Providing this information is also beneficial to the franchisor, as they now have their legal obligations and promises in writing should a conflict appear later on in the business relationship.
The Federal Trade Commission requires that franchisors provide the document to the franchisee a minimum of 14 days prior to it being signed, or before any money changes hands. This means that the start-up costs and annual licensing fee will be handled after the document is signed. This may seem like a lengthy period of time, but this document contains a lot of information, and you should take your time reviewing it section by section. Once you’ve reviewed and signed, keeping a copy of important documents like these for your records is always a good practice. It may be helpful to refer back to them later.
Why is it Important to Potential Franchise Owners?
When we were young, inexperienced students, we all learned how to make pro-con lists when we were making important decisions. Franchise disclosure documents are essentially the adult version of this useful organizational tool, except they’re put together by someone who already has all of the information we need. Potential franchise owners can use a federal disclosure document to weigh the risks and benefits of the investment they’re considering so they’re not walking blindly into a situation that may not work out for them.
When you’re teaming up with a franchise to access their business knowledge, established processes, trademarks, and more, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting. You’ll need to know which obligations fall to which party, and whether they’ll help you with things like finding the right location, training your team, management guidance, and marketing strategies. Franchises are unique investments in many different ways. For this reason, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons, or risks and rewards, before you enter into this important business decision.
What is Included in an FDD?
Franchise disclosure documents contain 23 specific pieces of information about the franchise you’re looking into, the franchise’s officers, and other existing franchisees. This is an incredibly thorough and important document involved in any franchise purchase. It’s also long, and if this is your first franchise purchase, maybe a bit confusing. It may be a good idea to go through your franchise disclosure document under the guidance and watchful eye of an experienced franchise attorney before you sign.
Below is a breakdown of the items that will be included in your franchise disclosure document, what they are, and why they’re important:
1. The franchisor and any parents, predecessors, and affiliates
All corporate, affiliation and parent company information related to the franchisor should be included here
2. Business experience
Information regarding the franchisor’s management team
3. Litigation
If the franchisor, affiliates, predecessors, or management team members are involved in certain kinds of litigation, that information should be disclosed here
4. Bankruptcy
If any of the parties listed above previously filed for bankruptcy, that would be contained in this section
5. Initial fees
Having a clear outline of both initial and other fees will help both parties avoid disputes over undisclosed costs down the road
6. Other fees
Same as above
7. Estimated initial investment
This section of your franchise disclosure document should give you a range for the expected initial investment needed to get your franchise up and running
8. Restrictions on sources of products and services
This section includes a list of products or supplies that the franchisee needs to buy from the franchisor (or suppliers that they designate). It also included information on revenue and rebates that they earn from this
9. Franchisee’s obligations
As a franchisee, your obligations (legal, termination, etc.) will be listed in a table here
10. Financing
If your franchisor offers their franchisees financing for initial or other fees, you’ll find that information here
11. Franchisor’s assistance, advertising, computer systems, and training
This section will list the types of assistance or training you’ll have access to, advertising requirements, and the systems you’ll need to buy and use within the franchise
12. Territory
Your franchisor will disclose whether you have access to a protected territory, how that’s determined, and situations that will allow them to operate within your territory
13. Trademarks
If your franchisor has trademarks, they’ll include registration (with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) information, status, and related details here
14. Patents, copyrights, and proprietary information
Similar to the section above, here your franchisor will include information on any applicable patents, copyrights, or other proprietary information you may need
15. Obligation to participate in the actual operation of the franchise business
If you are obligated to have any involvement in the daily operations of your franchise, your franchisor will provide the details of that obligation here. Some may require that you work in the franchise full-time, while others have no requirements listed in this section
16. Restrictions on what the franchisee may sell
Your franchisor may limit what you can or can’t sell here
17. Renewal, termination, transfer, and dispute resolution
Your legal rights, renewal obligations, termination process, and transfer details, along with a summary of dispute resolution requirements between you and your franchisor will be listed in this section
18. Public figures
Lists celebrities and public figures (if any) that were hired to promote the franchise
19. Financial performance representations
Outlines information about sales or other financial data. This is not always provided
20. Outlets and franchisee information
A table will be used here to summarize things like the number of opened franchises, the number of franchises that were terminated, closed, or transferred, and contact information for each franchisee in the franchisor’s system
21. Financial statements
Financial statements are one of the most important inclusions in any federal disclosure document. Your franchisor will need to provide three years’ worth of audited financial statements. This will give you insight into costs and cash flow, among other things
22. Contracts
Buying a franchise includes signing several contracts, like your franchise agreement. Others may include financial contracts, agreements made regarding products supplied, licensing agreements, and more
23. Receipts
The last section of your franchise disclosure document is a receipt page that you’ll sign to let the appropriate parties know (and keep a record of) when you received your FDD
About Corvus Janitorial Systems
Founded in 2004 to make people’s lives better, Corvus is a full-service commercial cleaning franchisor that offers cleaning services through reputable local Franchisees. Corvus has been guided by its mission to transform people and transform places by consistently delivering independence, security, and freedom to Franchisees who deliver high-quality cleaning to offices, educational buildings, medical buildings/offices, recreational centers, industrial parks, and other spaces. Visit our website for more information regarding Corvus and the franchise opportunities we offer nationwide.
Disclaimer: This blog is for general information only. It is not intended to advise an individual on their purchase of a franchise and should not be used in place of legal counsel. There are many factors that affect the purchase of a franchise. Any person considering the purchase of a franchise should become familiar with their state laws related to franchising.
