Jon Denney is the President of NightRider Janitorial Services in Latham, NY. NightRider Janitorial Services has been operating in the Capital Region since 2017 & specializes in commercial & residential cleaning & disinfection services.
Jon began his business career in the Capital Region in 1997 when he founded Camelot Legal Copy in 1997. In 2000, he sold that business to his partners & then moved to Central NY where he founded Avalon Copy Centers, a digital printing company that served the entire state. During this time, Jon became a Certified Professional Business Coach & eventually sold Avalon to a couple of his key leaders so he could further expand his coaching practice. In 2012, Jon became President of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance, North America's premiere alliance of independent business coaches. After five years at the helm of the PBCA, Jon moved back to the Capital Region & founded NightRider Janitorial Service.
After 5 years of working as a consultant, Jon realized how much he missed having his own team to lead. So why a janitorial service? "It's a reoccurring revenue model," Jon said, " It's relationship based. You get a customer & you keep a customer." Jon tried to purchase a janitorial service from a business owner in Syracuse. She declined, but did offer to consult with him for one year, under the agreement that he would never compete with her. After a year, knowing he couldn't open this service in Syracuse, the next logical choice was to return to the Capital Region to be closer to his family.
When NightRider began, they were focused on commercial cleaning. While Jon had a plan for NightRider's services as they grew, the one service he hadn't planned for was "disinfection" which he added in 2020. It quickly became an important service offering for their business & includes preventative disinfection services & emergency disinfection services. They are getting almost 1 emergency disinfection service each day, even now - 2 years into the pandemic. In 2021, he added a division called "DayRider" which is their house cleaning service. Their move into residential was part of the original business plan.
It's no surprise that COVID had a significant impact on his business. In addition to the new disinfection service offering, the company had to pivot on everything from the work flows, protocols, supplies, to equipment. Jon is thankful for the strong leadership team he has who quickly became experts for their customers.
NightRider began operation with Jon & 1 other employee. By the end of the first week, they added a 3rd employee & have since progressed to 72 employees today, 22 of which are full time. They find it important to invest in their people, and offer a base pay, for someone with no experience, $15/hour to start. They also have a Leadership Training Program for emerging leaders, providing professional advancement opportunities to people who may have never had them before.
One thing Jon loves about the Capital Region is the willingness to try new things & create new relationships. While consulting, Jon found that some areas were not as receptive to these concepts, and that if you weren't from the area, you weren't going to break in. The Capital Region is a great opportunity for that.
NightRider has spent the last 4 years investing in their own growth, but still finds it important to give back. They have several charitable organizations that they clean for & provide free services, including disinfection services. Now that the business is starting to mature, being even more involved in the community is a focus of theirs for 2022.
Listen to the full interview below to learn more about Jon Denney & NightRider Janitorial Services.
Connect with NightRider Janitorial Services below: