We recently connected with Gregory Wyles and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gregory thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

At GMW Quality Cleaning Solutions, dba Hospitality Cleaning Solutions, LLC we pride ourselves on doing a quality job at highly competitive prices. We use our Six Sigma training to cut out ineffective steps in the cleaning process which saves us time and money which enables us to pass on this savings to our customers. We strive to make a difference in consumers lives through our service. Most clients without hesitation have given us 5-star ratings. Which leads us to what to date is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for us. The Port Houston not only acknowledged our high-quality rating but took it a step further by featuring us in the small business Spotlight section in the Spring 2017 issue of their Navigator Magazine. That was a very exclusive honor for our company as well as our employees that serviced the location. This prestigious tribute did not go unnoticed to us since there were several hundred small businesses that were employed by Port Houston at that time. However, our services stood out and earned us the Spotlight in their magazine. They also nominated us for the 2018 very prominent SBA (Small Business Association) annual small business of the year award. Even though we were not selected as the winner for this award, we still felt like winners for the amount of exposure and our exceptional service being highlighted. Below are some direct quotes from the above-mentioned article:

“When you walk into the doors of the Port Houston’s Executive Building, you see nice, clean floors and a warm, yet professional environment. The one behind-the-scenes of the tidy offices and lobby is Hospitality Cleaning Solutions (HCS). When port employees leave in the evening for the day, the HCS team is just getting started. The premier commercial janitorial company based in Spring, which is owned and operated by Gregory and Monica Wyles, began its services at the port in 2014.”

“Port Houston has been most satisfied with the level of service from the cleaning company,’ said Adrian Price, Office and Building Services Manager for Port Houston.

“HCS went through a competitive bidding process to get our contract, and we have been very pleased, ‘ Price said. “they have also gone the extra mile to get involved with our organization through our Small Business program, which says a lot about their passion for what they do.”

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am from Georgetown Guyana (South America) and I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I started my career as an Electrical Engineer and worked for Carnival Cruise Lines aboard the cruise ships for 8 years. I spent 3 years in the Engineering department and 5 years as a Housekeeping Manager. That is where I met my wife, Monica Wyles, and we fell in love. She is a native Houstonian and is the reason I moved to this beautiful city which I have called home for the past 22years. My Housekeeping management experience from the cruise ships helped me to start a new career in the Hotel industry as a Director of Housekeeping. I did extensive periods with an upscale resort, Marriott Hotels, Westin Hotels, Sheraton Hotels and Wyndham Hotels. Due to the competition in the cleaning industry, I observed that the quality of cleaning we were receiving from our contract cleaners was declining. The reason for the decline was because most companies were focused on making their cost highly competitive by sacrificing quality. That is when I saw the need for a cleaning company that would be able to focus on providing a great service with competitive pricing without sacrificing quality. My years of management experiences and Six Sigma training had prepared me for such a challenge. I begin to look at ways to improve the process and cut expenses without affecting quality.

So, in May 2012, GMW Quality Cleaning Solutions dba Hospitality Cleaning Solutions was registered. We spent the next 5 months putting the structure in place and in November of that year, we got our first contract. It has taken years of networking and attending workshops/seminars to gain the knowledge necessary to own and operate a successful company and how to do business with the government and private sector. All of our efforts are paying off as we are now doing business with several government entities, schools districts, the State of Texas and private commercial businesses. Hospitality Cleaning Solutions’ success is driven by our stability, combined education and perspective experience in our fields.

For cleaning companies, our staff is our business. Therefore, hiring the right employee who will deliver exceptional service and best represent our company remains the greatest challenge. So, the hiring process can be costly and time-consuming. After finding them, our next challenge is to properly train and create a healthy working environment to retain them.

Hospitality Cleaning Solution is a premier Commercial Janitorial services Company who helps to protect the first impression of buildings throughout the city of Houston. We are the brand that caters to your expectation of a healthy environment. We offer complete, detail cleaning and floor care services that prolong the life of your assets, and gives you the joy of a clean space.

Some of our Janitorial services are:
1. Office and Restroom Cleaning
2. Day Porter Services
3. Final Cleaning services
4. General and Detailed Cleaning

We are best known for providing quality Janitorial Services at a reasonable rate and also for our exceptional floor care services which includes the following:
1. Tile and Grout Cleaning
2. Carpet Cleaning
3. VCT Stripping and Re-finishing
4. Granite floor cleaning
5. Laminate floor cleaning
6. Vinyl floor cleaning

Our proudest moment we would have to say was getting the Port Houston Authority Janitorial Services Contract after being in business a little over 2 years. At several of the seminars and trainings we attended during our start-up up period, we were told that it could take between 5 to 10 years to acquire a contract such as the Port Houston Authority. So, you can imagine how proud and blessed we felt to be awarded that contract so early in our tenure.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My cofounder/business partner happens to be my beautiful wife, Monica. We met in 1998 on the Carnival Cruise Lines ship, the Celebration. We will be celebrating 21 years of marriage in April of this year. Monica is a degreed accountant with an MBA and over 24 years of experience in the accounting field. With my technical background and her business acumen, we knew success was inevitable. To add to our successful union, we have a 15-year-old son who is an exceptional student and avid basketball player.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The initial capital to start a janitorial service company is considerable low when compared to other businesses required initial investments. This enabled us to utilize our personal saving for the start-up cost for Hospitality Cleaning Solutions (HCS). This investment was used for legalities, insurance policies, equipment, supplies, labor, and marketing. We minimized our fixed cost by not investing in brick and martyr. In addition to the financial investment from our savings, I also kept a full-time job for the first 2 years of operation to allow the business to grow. We started off with small contracts and used the profits to scale up. After 4 years of operation, we were able to secure a line of credit from Capitol One bank who is a very good advocate for small businesses. With this line of credit, we were now in a position to take on larger more profitable contract with the added certainty of being adequately funded. My advice to anyone thinking about starting their own business is “patience is the key with any entrepreneurial venture”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hospitality-cleaning.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hosp2012/

Image Credits
Copyright 2019 Tony Wyles all right reserved.