Great Northern Cleaning

TILTON — Frank Perkins has been operating Great Northern Cleaning since 1981, having started it right after graduating from high school, though the business he's running now doesn't resemble the operation of even a few years ago. For most of the company's existence, it was a small business with a handful of employees. The company has been expanding over the past few years at a dramatic pace, and will likely employ 60 people this summer.

"We are certainly the fastest-growing cleaning company in the area. Within a couple of years we expect to be the largest cleaning company in central New Hampshire," said Perkins, speaking in the Spartan headquarters building on Route 3, near the Winnisquam Bridge.

Perkins traces the change back to a realization he had in 2009. The company was small, with two employees and operated out of Perkins's home in Belmont. It was a comfortable size for Perkins, with an account at the Spaulding Youth Center providing the lion's share of his revenue. His comfort was shaken, though, when it seemed that he might lose that account, and with it, the stability of the company. So, he decided to expand his client base.

By 2011, he had enough business to require two vehicles. The next year he moved out of his home and into the office in Tilton. His staff grew to 12 in 2012, 30 in 2014 and 48 last year. He expects to have at least 60 employees this year and needs 17 vehicles to support them. It's a family-run business, with sons Josh and Jake assisting with the company.

"One of the biggest things we've expanded on is the residential maid service," Perkins said. Prior to 2009, his business was mostly commercial accounts, with a few residential accounts for window and carpet cleaning. Those areas have since grown, while he has picked up scores of residential service accounts for vacation and rental homes.

"I have a very large advertising budget," is the first answer Perkins gives to explain his growth. He spends to put advertisements in conventional media, such as newspapers, radio programming and on roadside billboards. He also spends part of his advertising budget with Google, and donates to charitable fundraisers. "It's just exposure," he said.

He has also seen how growth can drive growth. He needed to move the business out of his home, and having his business visible on a busy highway helped raise his profile. And, as his fleet of vehicles grew, more new customers called because they saw his phone number painted on the side.

With the growth comes a need to attract new employees. Perkins said competitors for local labor as not only other cleaning companies but also other jobs which might offer similar pay for easier work. "I retain help because we pay well for this market," he said.

Having good employees only helps if he knows where to send them. During the summer, he will likely have about 70 weekly rental properties to clean. Weekly renters have to be out by 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the next week's tenants can move in at 3 p.m. that afternoon, leaving a five-hour window for the Great Northern Cleaning crews to get to all of them. He spends about three hours on Friday figuring out the logistics, and will dispatch 11 teams of four people each to get the work done.

Perkins is busier than ever, and he said he couldn't be happier. He enjoys the opportunity to meet and serve his customers, provide employment for his workers, and now and then, to provide free service to people who are down on their luck. If the current trend holds, he'll be doing a lot more of all of that in the years to come.