For Jody Herbus, being a business owner has always been about putting the customer and employees first.
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After years as a disaster services subtrader, Herbus, with a little convincing from his wife, Sharon, decided to start his own business, as his morals and values didn’t always align with those he worked for.
“I don’t want to hear about profits all the time. I wanted to make sure workers are taken care of, and I want to make sure customers are taken care of,” said Herbus, noting he didn’t give himself a salary for the first two years in business.
“As a subtrade, I had a small team of three and my specialty was taking on tasks no one else wanted to do. I think I was the first person in Lloydminster properly trained on cleaning up after human remains or anything where there’s a large amount of bodily fluids at a property,” he said.
BioClean Disaster Services was born on May 1, 2015. Herbus had zero equipment. He did, however, have a want to help people in Lloydminster and surrounding area.
“I was originally thinking more specifically of cleaning as there were several other disaster services companies in Lloydminster at the time,” he said. “I didn’t have a mission statement at the time, but I had a different vision.
“The vision was about making sure the customer was taken care of and giving back to the community. So, I took a chance.”
Now, the company employs 20 hard-working, dedicated individuals who share Herbus’ original vision to put the customer and their needs first.
Looking back at a humble beginning, Herbus couldn’t help but thank the countless individuals who helped him get things going from Day One.
“Our first day, I got an early call. ‘Jody, there’s a flood in Lloydminster, can you help?’ I didn’t have equipment because I was just getting going, but I had money to buy equipment,” he said. “Then I got another call about a flood in Vermilion. I drove to Edmonton with a trailer and started co-ordinating my crews and told them, ‘I’ll be back from Edmonton with equipment by noon.’ ”
In 2019, Herbus “buckled down” with Sharon’s help and came up with a mission statement, which hasn’t changed since 2019.
“The mission is to restore property and provide reassurance using clear, positive communication and customer-focused solutions, helping people get their lives back,” he said. “We want to drive that last part home. Our mission is to help a client get their life back.”
Hiring the “right staff” has also always been a focus for Herbus.
“If your spirits ever left this building, do us a favour and take your body with it,” said Herbus. “That isn’t my saying, but it’s one I tell everyone on their first day working here.
“Helping someone get their life back starts with us as staff. If we take care of ourselves emotionally and physically, we can do our job to help others.”
BioClean celebrated a decade in business on May 1 with a barbecue. Having started the businesses to give back to the community, proceeds were donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters. According to BioClean’s summer student, Maddie, the barbecue raised $371.
“I think she said $571, there’s $200 missing from that total,” said Herbus, who donated $200.
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