Tom Scalera, President & CEO, Stanley Steemer of South Florida

In an interview with Invest:, Tom Scalera, president and CEO of Stanley Steemer of South Florida, discussed the company’s strategic expansion into the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market and its shift toward health-focused cleaning services. Scalera also emphasized the company’s 18% growth since 2021, driven by demand for air duct cleaning, mold remediation, and commercial services. “We’re running full speed ahead, believing that with continued hard work and ethics, we will achieve great things,” Scalera said.

Stanley Steemer of South Florida recently expanded in South Florida. Why did you make this decision and why was it the right time to make this decision?

When we were approached by Stanley Steemer International to see if we’d be interested in acquiring the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market, we jumped at the chance. This acquisition added 45 employees and 30 service vehicles to Stanley Steemer of South Florida, making it the largest Stanley Steemer franchise in sales volume in the nation. It was a huge honor to be trusted by our corporate parent company to not only take over this territory but to know that we will continue to grow it. This expansion allowed us to expand our core services from Homestead to Sebastian. These residential and commercial services will include carpet and floor cleaning, water damage restoration, mold remediation, air duct cleaning, dryer vent cleaning, furniture cleaning, and fire remediation. No matter the residential or commercial project in South Florida, there is no job too big for our team. Overall, what has the past year looked like for Stanley Steemer of South Florida.

We’ve been very fortunate, experiencing 18% growth since 2021. Our company has grown tremendously since COVID opened the world’s eyes to the importance of cleanliness. While previous years have been uncertain in the business community, I am very bullish about economic growth opportunities. With this expansion, it will allow us to run at full speed and continue to grow and achieve great things. It wasn’t long ago when Stanley Steemer was just known for carpet cleaning, and now our reputation is as the leading cleaning service provider which includes air ducts, indoor air quality, water and mold remediation, and tile & grout cleaning for both residential and commercial properties.

With your expansion into new services, which ones are now driving the most demand, growth, and profitability for Stanley Steemer of South Florida?

We are known as a company that cares about the health of our clients. There is a reason why the majority of our clients are repeat customers. People and businesses are much more health conscious now seeking cleaner and healthier indoor environments. While South Florida is considered an older market, we are finding that younger families also care deeply about their family’s health. We clean everything inside homes, from furniture to flooring. Our biggest expansion has been in indoor air quality and air duct cleaning, cleaning entire air conditioning systems, including coils and blower motors to create healthier indoor environments. We are the largest indoor air quality and cleaning company in South Florida, operating over 95 trucks daily, with almost half dedicated to indoor air quality.

In what ways or to what extent have you expanded when it comes to your commercial services?

While our stellar reputation in residential cleaning services continues to grow, it was our entrance into the commercial cleaning sector that was a challenge. We’ve been the best-kept secret in commercial cleaning, but the secret is getting out. We just became the official cleaning and restoration sponsor of the Florida Panthers, allowing us incredible exposure and the ability to bid on larger projects. We’ve also hired professional salespeople to target the commercial market for services like mold remediation, fire remediation, water restoration, and structural tile cleaning on any size building. With 95 trucks, we can handle extensive projects, from residential high-rises to large arenas. Our rapid expansion into the commercial cleaning division represents our greatest future opportunity, demonstrating we can handle anything.

How do demographics affect the demand for your services?

The amazing thing is that our services meet the needs of older Americans and younger families. The key is getting them to try us out. We’ve created multicultural media to advertise to diverse groups, aiming to show we’re good for everyone because we treat everyone with respect. We hire for values: people who care about others, who treat our customers and their homes with respect, and take pride in their work. Everyone relates to quality, respect, and getting the job done right the first time. The biggest challenge in the tri-county area for any company is being relatable and likable, which we achieve by hiring people with universal values of care, pride, and dedication to a great job.

In terms of hiring, what would be your recommendation to other businesses that are struggling with recruiting and retaining good talent?

Plain and simple… compensate your employees well. The future is bright for our employees. I hire for values, train well, and reward people. I’m proud to pay the highest wages in the business. I want all our people to make a lot of money, have pride, love what they do, and support their families. It’s not easy to support a family in South Florida anymore; it’s no longer inexpensive. So, when you find good people who do the work you need, pay them well to retain them.

What are the biggest challenges that your industry is facing, and how is Stanley Steemer of South Florida working to overcome these industry challenges?

Every industry has its own challenges, the key is how you adapt, evolve and tackle the issues. Years ago, we saw the trend of homes replacing their carpeting with tiles and flooring. We evolved and adapted and became a bigger organization because of it.
We’ve shifted from a “want” business to a “need” business, especially evident during COVID when we excelled at disinfecting homes and businesses. If you can focus on providing the best service, stand behind your work, and properly train your staff- you will become a leader in your industry.

Looking ahead, what are your key goals for expanding into new services, markets, or other growth opportunities?

We are always exploring relevant new services. We are looking into providing residential and commercial air conditioning services in South Florida. Every day we clean air ducts systems and some need to be replaced. Instead of another company doing that work, why not use our expertise and provide this service? It is exciting to expand your services. Never get stuck or satisfied with the status quo. If we only did carpet cleaning, we’d be out of business, as it’s shrunk to 5% of our work due to fewer locations having carpet. Expanding our base is vital. We’ve grown 18% over the last five years and we expect this growth to continue.