In 2008 Anthony Alberino and Ken Wilson, concrete protection experts, and owners of the fast-growing power washing company Pristine Clean, had a vision to create a reputable service company in their hometown of Northeast Ohio. “We had two goals when we launched our company,” explains Anthony. “First, we wanted to establish a strong reputation in the community by both providing excellent service and the best customer experience around. Second, we wanted a stable and secure workplace so that we could provide good jobs for our community.”
A decade later Anthony and Ken are enjoying the fruits of their labor. Pristine Clean has experienced explosive growth and has become one of the largest service companies in Northeast Ohio. What’s even more impressive is the fabulous reputation they’ve maintained, regularly scoring ‘A’ ratings on both Angie’s List and the BBB. Ken reveals the secret to the success of Pristine Clean, “Our customers love us and keep coming back because we have worked hard to establish a customer-first business culture.”
Anthony and Ken have also succeeded in making Pristine Clean a great place to work by offering their full-time staff industry leading pay and benefits that include healthcare and retirement plans. “Unlike most service companies in our region,” says Anthony, “we do not lay everybody off in the winter but keep our senior service technicians and salesmen employed year-round so that they can raise a family while working for us.”
Mike Westerfield is the Service Manager at Pristine Clean and an integral part of the Pristine Clean Team. Mike has been with the company from the beginning and has benefitted from an employment structure that seeks to provide opportunities and promote from within. “I started here as a service technician and was told that if I worked hard, I’d be rewarded. I took up the challenge and the owners kept their promise to me promoting me first to senior service technician and then to Operations Manager.” Anthony insists that the best investment a business owner can make is the investment in good people: “We invested a lot of time and resources into training Mike and he has now become a pressure washing authority for Northeast Ohio.”
Ken’s advice to business owners may be simplistic, but he credits the incredible success of Pristine Clean to this powerful formula, “Take care of your customers, take care of your employees, watch your company grow.”
Fall is nearly here and it’s time for Northeasterners to start thinking about protecting their concrete driveways before the onset of winter. With so many companies offering this service and such a wide array of products to choose from, there is a lot of potential frustration for the homeowner.
Mike offers his professional advice: “There are several things you need to look for when choosing a company to protect your driveway. They need to have professional-grade, walk-behind surface washers that can deep clean your concrete by removing the contaminants from the microscopic pores. If these pores are not cleaned out, the sealant will not properly absorb. You also need to look for a deep-penetrating, 7% siloxane concrete sealer. This and only this is the proper sealant for residential driveways. Stay away from acrylic sealers that form a membrane over your concrete because they will discolor your driveway and wear unevenly over time. Also, be VERY suspicious of companies that are claiming that their sealant will last 5 or even 10 years; although it sounds good and may lead to more sales, it is simply dishonest. Think about it, your concrete is completely exposed to the harsh Ohio weather patterns and destructive UV sun rays; there is simply no penetrating sealant meant for residential use that can last more than 2 or 3 years in this environment.”
It’s obvious that the professionals at Pristine Clean are not just interested in selling jobs but they want to provide an honest and effective service for the homeowner. They are truly concrete protection experts. With certifications in concrete washing and sealing from the PWNA and a decade of experience protecting thousands of driveways in Greater Cleveland, Pristine Clean has the knowledge, the equipment, and the sealant to get the job done right.