The Story of Jessica Bunge and City Commercial Cleaning - Written by Sara Galvan
First, Some Acknowledgements...
Firstly, we thank all of our dedicated staff, from those that have placed their trust in us since the beginning to those who have joined us in recent years. Thank you all for your hard work and time spent with us. You’ve been with us as we experienced change in the commercial cleaning industry and stuck with us when we made some structural changes. We understand that the adjustments weren’t always easy, and that it took time for us all to become accustomed to. City Commercial Cleaning would not be where it is now without you.
Secondly, we would like to extend our most heartfelt gratitude to all of our clients, current and previous, who gave us the chance to prove ourselves as an exceptional cleaning vendor. We are committed to excellence in our performance and will always strive to better ourselves and serve you better. Your recommendations to others is the highest compliment we can receive and we are grateful for your partnerships with us.
And a huge thank you to Dominic, Leticia and our family that gave us love and support through all these years. While it is important to be on great terms with the staff, at the end of the day, no work can be done without your family cheering you on. We would not be where we are today without you.
How City Commercial Cleaning Came to Be
Our founder, Jessica was originally a fashion major and always had the entrepreneurial mindset. She worked hard, earned her degree, and even started her own ready-to-wear clothing line. She learned after investing in her fashion line that the industry wasn’t as beautiful or glamorous as she had imagined, and even more difficult to navigate financially.
Her foray into cleaning began as a side hustle to make some extra revenue to support herself. She purchased a steam cleaner and started a pop-up car wash at the intersection of Highland and Barham. Around the same time, she gained a mentor and decided to observe him as he ran his business. After time spent going on calls with him to walkthroughs and watching him manage his staff, the thought “I could easily do this” occurred to her and she never looked back after her mentor helped her find her first staff member.
The Journey Forward
Through a previous contact she had met at a social event, she got her first commercial cleaning job at The Vault in downtown Los Angeles. A huge first step. She managed to find another job in Burbank. Having only a few dedicated staff on the team meant Jessica herself was still doing a lot of the cleaning jobs. “I remember this job… when I first got it, I had to rush there after a night shift gig and I maybe had enough time to get there, park, and take a 20 minute nap before I had to change into my day porter uniform and get to work again.” Lots of effort goes into nurturing a long lasting relationship with your clients.
Of course, starting a business in the cleaning sector is never without its difficulties. Her own staff as well as those that worked at the venue that they would have to cooperate with all spoke Spanish. A language barrier that is incredibly common in Los Angeles. While she managed to find solutions for the short-term, it was only a matter of time before errors started occurring due to miscommunication. Mistakes that as a budding business, couldn’t afford to be made.
Finding Star Players for the Team
Jessica and her little team managed to maintain 3 buildings consistently, even with the language barrier over the course of 3 years. These 3 initial buildings are still loyal clients of City Commercial Cleaning to this day. Jessica met Leticia, one of her best work confidants and arguably one of her greatest assets in 2012. Leticia helped Jessica gain more employees and helped with communicating to all of those who only spoke Spanish. Leticia still works with us today and truly is one of the most hard-working, wonderful humans we know.
Enter…Dominic Saldaña
He had been working in music and event production in the festival and nightlife industry when he and Jessica first met. Together, they brainstormed what it meant to be “the best cleaners in LA.” Was it about the products used, the techniques employed, or something else? Striving to be “the best cleaning service in Los Angeles” is a large undertaking and City Commercial Cleaning continues to reach for this title every day. With Dominic taking the role as Chief Financial Officer, the two learned hard lessons in managing a team, meeting new people and expanding their arsenal of services by slowly investing in industry grade tech that would help them to accomplish deep cleans, carpet cleaning and pressure washing.
Being business partners itself is already quite the challenge. Throw love into the mix, and it could either be the most difficult or the most incredible relationship of a lifetime in which you grow as business owners, learn to support each other, cover one another’s weakness, learn how to split priorities and realize you always have someone in your court no matter what. Luckily for them both, the latter is what happened. Dominic and Jessica are married and have a beautiful daughter to whom they would love to eventually teach the way of the business (should she so choose in the future).
Then the world shut down…
2020 was a tumultuous year for all businesses and people of all working classes. Aside from first responders and essential workers, the world gradually ground to a near-halt as Covid-19 became a world pandemic. Jessica recalled this time being interesting and challenging as a commercial cleaning company. While it was advised for as many as possible to stay indoors, cleaning of apartment and condominium complexes as well as essential businesses was still needed. But, the safety of herself and employees had to be ensured in order to continue operating.
As soon as things began to close down, she and Dominic had the idea to make a very large investment into an electrostatic machine, a way of truly disinfecting and cleaning. Because they were able to offer full disinfection services, they were able to continue to provide work for their staff and to make sure they would not have to face the pandemic with no source of income. City Commercial Cleaning stood strong through the entire pandemic while helping to keep the environment of Los Angeles clean and safe, one disinfection job at a time. They were called on by schools and office buildings to name a few essential environments that would need to be taken care of in order for the world to get ready to continue life as we know it. Their dedication during the pandemic left a lasting impression and resulted in more loyal clients and referrals.
Looking into the future
I asked Jessica what she thought the future would hold for CCC. “Shoot for the stars. I want us to be THE commercial cleaning company to call on in Los Angeles, and from there who knows? Maybe we’ll become a state-wide service with multiple offices, and maybe even one day, nation-wide.”
From the time of its inception, CCC has gained over 30 team members, expanded its services offered and has gained new happy clients thanks to our new Partnerships Manager, Michael. He has been in sales for over 15 years and his knowledge and skills has increased the possibilities for expansion for City Commercial Cleaning tenfold.
Our reputation remains untarnished by time and due to the dedication of the staff who continue to perform to the highest standard in all tasks and all jobs we take on. After pouring her entire being into this company, she wanted to ensure a legacy to eventually leave to her little daughter (should she choose to continue in the family business).
To this day, City Commercial Cleaning continues to strive for excellence and for the elusive title of “Best Cleaning Company in Los Angeles.” And beyond after that. State-wide, maybe even a national chain someday. Jessica and Dominic continue to educate themselves on not just how to run a cleaning business but how to better themselves and their team to shoot higher. To dream bigger, be more ambitious and never compromise quality.
Thank you for sharing your story with me, Jessica.
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