Yesterday, I had the opportunity to present to our management team as we celebrated an important milestone: 50 years in business at Stathakis. Reaching half a century as a company is an achievement in any industry, but in commercial cleaning—where performance is evaluated every single day—it is especially meaningful. More importantly, I wanted to share three simple reasons why we have been in business for 50 years and why those same reasons will drive our future.
Stathakis is a commercial cleaning company providing janitorial services to large businesses across Michigan and Ohio. We clean industrial plants, educational campuses, office complexes, healthcare environments, and other demanding facilities where cleanliness, safety, and compliance are non-negotiable. In our industry, we’re only as good as last night’s work. That reality keeps us grounded. It also reminds us that staying in business for five decades requires constant flexibility—being able to pivot quickly as client needs, labor markets, regulations, and economic conditions change, without ever losing sight of our standards.
That expectation isn’t unique to our industry. Any company that wants to survive in today’s world of rapid communication and advancing technology must be able to make fast, informed decisions. Service failures are visible immediately, and reputations can change overnight. But despite all the tools, automation, data, and technology available, our business has always come down to something much simpler and more human.
We are in a people business, successfully managing people so they can serve other people. Our teams are the ones who show up at odd hours, work around production schedules, protect sensitive environments, and handle the details most people never see—but everyone notices when they’re missed. When we hire well, train thoroughly, support consistently, and lead with respect, our people are empowered to take care of our customers’ facilities as if they were their own.
When you look at it that way, leadership becomes clearer. It’s not just about dashboards, contracts, or procedures—it’s about building a culture where doing the right thing is expected and supported. No matter how advanced your technology is, how big your team is, or how large or small your company may be, long-term success still comes down to a few fundamentals that don’t change with the latest trend or economic cycle.
There are no shortcuts to success (3 rules):
1) Do the work – Show up, follow through, and be willing to tackle the hard, unglamorous tasks that keep facilities clean, safe, and operational.
2) Do it right – Take pride in quality, pay attention to the details, follow the process, and never cut corners—especially when no one is watching.
3) Do it repeatedly – Deliver the same level of service day after day, shift after shift, year after year, so customers know they can rely on you.
That’s what 50 years in our business really looks like: consistent effort, done the right way, over a long period of time. And it’s the same formula that will carry us into the next 50 years.