By Viva Lauinger, Marketing Team

Young professionals got together at family-owned and operated Specialized Cleaning & Restoration, Inc. on Thursday, July 31, to learn from owner Jerry Thomas what it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur.

Thomas shared with the group that one of the most important lessons he learned as a young boy was about showing up for work. His father was a hard worker and he pushed himself and his boys to succeed, so that even when they felt like giving up or quitting (and tried to), they needed to keep showing up and working hard.

Having worked in Wyoming and also in the Williston oil patch, Thomas moved to Bismarck in the early ‘90s to eventually break from a franchised cleaning company to branch out and start his own business. He knows the value of hard work, having worked during some hard times after flooding in areas like Grand Forks and Minot, where he would work up to 90 days straight, 12 to 14 hours a day. “For me, it’s never been just a 40 hour work week; you have to work hard and put in the time that it takes to make a business grow and to get the job done…it’s not easy.”

The cleaning and restoration business is not the mop and bucket industry that people think it is- it’s changing and growing, and Specialized Cleaning is on the cutting edge of what the newest technologies and products are. Thomas admitted it can be a struggle to get the word out about what your company has to offer, but the work is out there if you’re aggressive enough to get it, and if you believe in what your business can do for the customers.

“Success and respect are both earned, not given,” stated Thomas. Thomas stated that he’s in “the people business” and firmly believes that no matter what you buy in life, it’s only as good as the person that sold it to you, so that is how he runs his business- providing great customer satisfaction and saving customers time and money.

Thomas also stressed the importance of re-investing back in the business, never having the motto of paying themselves first. He’s always looking forward to what big expenses will need to be planned for as well as the day-to-day operations and expenses that come with each different job. From carpets, upholstery, tile and grout, to smoke and water damage, Specialized provides a wide array of cleaning services for both residential and commercial, and as a leader in the state, they make it a priority to keep up with the most current training and equipment.

For more information about the “the guys in the ugly red trucks,” visit www.uglyredtrucks.com.