ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a Chicago-based disaster restoration services business that serves areas such as the North Shore, Oak Park, and River Forest, was among 100 U.S. businesses that were recently recognized in the 2021 Best of Small Business Awards ™. The company was ranked #19 on the list.
Presented by Small Business Expo, this special awards program is America’s most prestigious honor that recognizes and celebrates the BEST Small to Mid-Sized Business Visionaries. According to the expo, small to mid-sized businesses make up 99% of the nation’s businesses and make a huge contribution to the growth of our economy. The “SB100 Award” honors the Top 100 Small to Mid-Sized Businesses in the US and celebrates their growth & accomplishments in the previous year.
“As a minority and woman-owned family business, we are proud to have been recognized and included in this impressive list of companies from across the country,” said ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons President Nasutsa Mabwa. “Our leading emergency restoration business has grown thanks to a focused attention of providing excellent customer service, constant innovation of cleaning and disinfection services to both residential and commercial clients, active response to the COVID pandemic and growing knowledge of this industry. All those factors have helped in establishing us as a trusted service resource.”
Companies submitted their nomination in September and public voting took place from November to December. The Best of Small Business Awards ™ is presented by Small Business Expo (a leading Event Organizer with over 100 Successful Business Shows Produced), the nation’s BIGGEST and most attended Business-to-Business Networking Event, Trade Show & Conference, hosted in major US cities. Small business owners and entrepreneurs attend Small Business Expo to engage in cutting-edge business-critical workshops, shop for vendors that can help their business grow & network with thousands of attendees.
About Us: ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, is a SB100 Best of Small Business Award Winner 2021, Bronze Stevie® Award in the Female Entrepreneur of the Year category in the 18th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, recipient of the 2020 Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics, and recipient of the 2020 Skokie Business of the Year Award, Honorable Mention Category. ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons (MBE/WBE) is a family operated, IICRC & OSHA Certified company serving Chicago, Oak Park, River Forest, and the North Shore. We provide commercial disaster restoration services including Water & Flood Damage Restoration, Fire & Smoke Damage Restoration, Mold Remediation and a wide range of interior specialty cleaning including COVID-19 Cleaning Services, Hoarder & Clutter Cleaning, Post-Construction Cleaning, Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning to residential and commercial customers. For more information, call 773-839-5542 or visit www.servicemasterbysimons.com or info@servicemaster-rbs.com
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons is thrilled to announce that our President, Nasutsa Mabwa, was honored by the Daily Herald Business Ledger in their C-Suite Awards Ceremony on June 23, 2020.
Nasutsa was honored for her commitment to her community in the midst of COVID-19. She received accolades for providing cleaning and disinfection services to businesses and homeowners in the Chicagoland area, pivoting quickly to meet the needs of her community even in the midst of confusion and a shut-down world.
More specific information about the award and how Nasutsa was evaluated can be found in the Daily Herald Business Ledger’s press release about the event:
The mission of the C-Suite Awards is to honor executives who contribute to the success of our region’s economic growth and stability.
Consideration is given to the C-Suite’s contributions to their company/organization’s overall growth, commitment to good ethics, and involvement in the community. Candidates must work for a business or organization with a presence in the suburban Chicago region (DuPage County, Kane County / Fox Valley, suburban Cook County, Will County, McHenry County and Lake County).
Thank you for all that you do, Nasutsa!
Find the full list of award winners below.
Mason Awtry, Founder & Presdient of Rightsize Facility located in Naperville.
Karen J. Ayala, Executive Director of DuPage County Health Department located in Wheaton.
Scott Block, Executive Director of McHenry County Mental Health Board located in Crystal Lake.
Mary Davenport, President of TransTech IT Staffing located in Itasca.
Tim Helenthal, Chairman & CEO of National Van Lines located in Broadview.
Melissa Kehl, Owner & President of Rieke Office Interiors located in Elgin.
Mary Lawrence, President of Richards Graphic Communications, Inc located in Bellwood.
Kara Lineal, President & CMO of Plum Grove Inc. located in Hoffman Estates.
Nasutsa Mabwa, President of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons Skokie.
Scott Pauga, Founder & CEO of Second Life Mac located in Skokie.
Kaylin Risvold, President & CEO of Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce located in Naperville.
Steve Ryan, Founder and CEO of RyTech LLC located in La Grange.
Steve Spinell, Principal of Kinzie Real Estate Group located in Vernon Hills.
Joy Symonds, Owner and Director of Community Engagement of Symonds-Madison Funeral Home located in Elgin.
Patricia Szpekowski, APR, President of PR Strategies & Communications and Inc./PmS advertising, inc located in Elgin.
Jeff Taylor, President & CEO of Crafts Technology located in Elk Grove Village.
Michael Viso, CMO of MotherG, LLC located in Itasca.
Kimberly Warren, President of Pilot Services Inc. located in Oswego.
Dan Yunez, CFO of Rose Pest Control located in Northfield.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons panel feature hosted by the Southside Builders Association. We talk all-things COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection for businesses in the Chicagoland area.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons is excited to announce that our very own President Nasutsa Mabwa was featured in a recent panel hosted by the Southside Builders Association. As one of their 2020 featured speakers, Nasutsa shared insights about how companies can keep their premises safe during COVID-19. Check out the video to hear her talk all-things COVID-19 cleaning services for businesses and residential homes. We provide these disinfection and cleaning services to Illinois businesses and families to keep them safe from the Coronavirus during Phase 4 of the reopen.
The Southside Builders Association is a not-for-profit association of professional builders and Real Estate Professionals dedicated to the rejuvenation of Chicago’s historic southside. In addition to supporting its members’ commitment to building superior quality homes, the SBA seeks to provide technical and professional input to the City of Chicago on issues affecting housing. Together with the City and our neighbors, the SBA has long term plans to contribute to the expansive rebirth of Chicago’s great southside neighborhoods. Currently, SBA Members are rental property owners and managers active in the development of hundreds of new construction townhomes and condos as well as single-family homes and mixed-use developments on the Southside of Chicago in neighborhoods such as North Kenwood, Oakland, Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Woodlawn and South Shore.
We’re excited to be featured in a recent Reader’s Digest article. Check it out to learn more about how you can protect vulnerable household elements from excessive water by changing your cleaning routine.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons is honored to announce that our expertise was featured in Reader’s Digest article, 14 Things You Should Never Clean with Water. Our President, Nasutsa Mabwa, gives readers an rundown about why light fixtures should never be cleaned using water:
“This might be a no brainer, but using a wet cloth to clean an outlet cover or light fixtures can lead to risk of electrocution or fire,” says Nasutsa Mabwa, president of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons. “Instead, use a dry duster or dry cloth to clean outlet covers and light fixtures, or unplug the light fixture before attempting to clean it.”
We’re excited to help spread awareness about safety when cleaning with water. Though water can seem like an innocuous substance to clean with, there are some specific and common household elements that pose damage or safety risks when they come into contact with excessive water. To learn more about which elements to avoid cleaning with water, check out the full article here.
ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons is honored to be featured in The Startup Magazine’s founders interview series. Our co-founders, Sam Simon and Nasutsa Mabwa, sat down to talk with the publication about the humble beginnings and exciting future of our franchise. Once more, we are thrilled to share our entrepreneurial experience, and hope that it inspires others to find their calling as well. To read the full story, go here or see below.
Founders Interview: ServiceMaster by Simons Owners Sam Simon and Nasutsa Mabwa
As part of The Startup Magazine founders interviews series, we sat down with entrepreneurs Sam Simon and Nasutsa Mabwa, the co-founders and owners of ServiceMaster By Simons. a woman-owned and a family-run restoration and specialty cleaning business. Their company handles large and small insurance losses and works closely with insurance adjusters, managers, building owners, developers, homeowners and renters.
Importantly, ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons supports and engages in the communities they serve by giving back. The entire company is regularly involved in fundraising and local activities in the Arts, Urban Agriculture, Youth Education, Domestic Violence Prevention and Minority-and-Women scholarships in graduate real estate programs.
By including their staff, sub-contractors and vendors in our community giving programs, Sam and Nasutsa foster and nurture an environment of giving, meaningful service and charity to those in need and the organizations that serve them. This philosophy is deeply ingrained in their company culture and helps set this husband and wife co-founder team apart as leaders and entrepreneurs.
Let’s learn more from Sam and Nasutsa in their own words…
TSM: Describe your product/service in 10 words or less:
Nasutsa: We provide Fire & Water Damage Restoration, Specialty Cleaning, Disinfection and Decontamination.
TSM: With a bit more detail, what does your company do?
Nasutsa: ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons provides rapid response cleanup services for water, fire & smoke damage to commercial and residential properties as well as specialty cleaning services including Biohazard Cleaning, COVID-19 Cleaning, disinfection and decontamination.
TSM: What inspired you to start your company? (Share with us what problem you’re solving)
Sam: Nasutsa and I both had successful careers in our respective fields. She was in commercial real estate development and myself in national television production. Our individual successes came from hard work, which often meant long hours at the job. As we started our family, we quickly realized that we wanted to be more available to our children, which was not going to happen, since both of our jobs provided no opportunity for working from home. Nasutsa and I talked about starting our own business. We thought about buying and flipping properties, which we actually did for several years. We started an urban landscape design business which didn’t quite turn out the way we’d hoped, and didn’t pay very well either.
Then we decided to start a fast-casual street food restaurant called Falafel King. The concept was novel and no one yet had brought this concept to Chicago. We designed the menus, found a location in Chicago’s Wicker Park that worked for us, and we secured funding from a bank. We had $125,000 startup money from a small neighborhood bank near the restaurant’s location. A day later, an acquaintance who owned a ServiceMaster franchise was telling me about his business, his struggles and successes and his happiness in both his personal and professional life as a ServiceMaster owner. I was intrigued. He invited me on board as a junior partner. Nasutsa and I scrapped our plans for the restaurant and we set off on a journey that would eventually lead us to be owners of our own franchise. Problem solved! We now spend plenty of time with our children!
TSM: Please describe your roles in the company. What do each of you focus on?
Nasutsa: I am President of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons and Sam is Manager of Operations. In terms of our roles within the company, as small business owners, we wear many different hats and and are involved in pretty much everything – from estimating and directing crews to customer service and marketing/Web SEO.
Sam: For the most part, we have different roles in the company, however some of our focus is the same, for example, communicating with corporate as we are an independent franchise. I focus on operations – directing the crews, restoration quality control, equipment and fleet management, marketing and so much more! Nasutsa concentrates on human resources, office administration, marketing, finance, customer service and networking.
TSM: Because you are both entrepreneurs, how do you manage your time and balance your responsibilities?
Nasutsa: Because we are a family business, we set our own schedules and are able to divvy up the workload and raise our family. Sam is physically in the office on average more than I am. I have to adjust my schedule and sometimes work remotely in order to drop off and pick up the children from school. We communicate daily to determine which one of us can complete tasks based on workload and schedules.
TSM: How is your company impacting the world/your clients?
Sam: ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons is an IICRC certified firm (Institution of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration) and OSHA30 certified. Our company has been at the forefront of COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection service in the Chicagoland area since the pandemic began in March 2020. Our firm is fully and trained compliant with CDC regulations and guidelines established by ServiceMaster. Additionally, because of our hands-on approach to customer service and our background in social work, we are able to provide customers with a high level of one on one support after COVID-19 positive cases, or the unexpected water or fire damage.
TSM: Are there disruptive factors in your industry that make it a good business opportunity?
Sam: As a disaster restoration company our business tends to thrive in chaos. Whether it is a hurricane or flooding, wildfires or building fires ,COVID-19 or property damage and vandalism, we are at the forefront of recovery and restoration. We are in a unique position of helping people and industry while making a profit in the process.
TSM: You’ve had to adjust your strategy over the years. Describe the company’s pivot point, and its impact on the company?
Nasutsa: When we opened our second location in 2017 to better serve our North Shore customers, the business changed tremendously. Now that we have two locations (Chicago and NorthShore), we are able to better service a much wider territory of both residential and commercial customers in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
ServiceMaster is a cleaning and restoration business which provides us a constant pivot between cleaning and restoration. If we are not restoring a property after a fire damage we are providing cleaning and disinfection services or mold remediation. Owning a ServiceMaster franchise allows us to have business mix that can easily pivot.
TSM: As your franchise company grew, what were the primary challenges? Hiring? Quality control? Capital?
Nasutsa: As our company has grown, one of the biggest hurdles has been the changing restoration industry in our local marketplace. Within the past five years, more competitors have appeared, forcing us to diversify and provide new service offerings to differentiate our company locally.
TSM: Going back to your early career decisions, tell us what factors influenced your decision to be entrepreneurs?
Sam: I was a freelance tv producer and videographer and Nasutsa was a real estate development executive working in the private sector. We always wanted to run our own business and had many frequent creative new business start up ideas. However, we needed the flexibility to be able to raise our family and be present as parents so opening up ServiceMaster, our own independent franchise, was the way forward for us.
TSM: And what characteristics do you have that particularly contributed to your ability to jump from a startup success to a scale up success?
Sam: We are both very driven and creative individuals, but very different personalities. I am the creative idea generator and Nasutsa executes ideas and plans into action no matter how difficult. It is our different talents that make our company adapt, grow and become successful.
TSM: What are some interesting facts about you two that people may not know?
Nasutsa: People may not know that Sam used to be a freelance videographer and toured all over the country with well-known rock groups like Van Halen and shows like “Dancing with the Stars.” In my background, I was Senior Project Manager for a 600 acre mixed use redevelopment project on the former USX steel mill in southeast Chicago along lake Michigan.
TSM: Excellent. We love hearing your story and appreciate your accomplishments. Good luck on your continued success.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons is thrilled to announce our feature on Shalom Klein’s Get Down to Business. During their chat with Klein, President Nasutsa President and Manager of Operations Sam Simon discuss how we’ve pivoted to accommodate the coronavirus pandemic. While we initially struggled at the beginning of quarantine, we identified a growing need to help customers through residential and commercial coronavirus infections. With our background in Social Work, we knew we needed to do our part in supporting our community; and with our expertise in cleaning and disinfection, we knew the perfect avenue to do that was through COVID-19 cleaning services.
We’ve been fortunate enough to grow our business during the pandemic, and we’re excited to share our story in this episode of Get Down to Business. We strive every day to work hard for our customers and deliver the exceptional disinfection services and cleaning services they deserve in a timely, compassionate manner. Coronavirus is a serious, painful virus. We’re honored that our customers choose us to restore their peace of mind and bring safety back to their homes and businesses. For that, we want to thank both our customers and the production team at Get Down to Business for reaffirming our mission.
Check out our interview above to learn more!
Our experts are here to help with COVID-19 disinfection and cleaning services. With rising infection rates and a proven deadliness, Coronavirus is likely not going anywhere, anytime soon. We understand the the health of your family and employees is at stake, and we’ll help keep your home or business safe and healthy for all who pass through. Don’t hesitate: call us at 855-9-SIMONS to schedule your cleaning.
ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons is thrilled to announce that we have been featured by the Daily Herald Business Ledger. Find out more about the post-COVID cleaning services we offer in their piece below.
COVID-19 cleaning has become a vital service in the cleaning and restoration industry, surpassing but not eliminating the regular day-to-day or week-to-week cleaning for a home or business, or the restoration work after flooding or a fire. Because we’re confronting a viral pandemic with no immediate immunizations available, the Center for Disease Control’s (DCD) first step for battling the coronavirus is physical distancing and frequent, routine cleaning and disinfecting.
The demand for specialty disinfecting services has skyrocketed as businesses and employers move forward with reopening following Gov. Pritzker’s state of Illinois Phase 3 of Recovery Plan. As defined by the CDC, there are now strict measures in place that businesses and employers must follow upon re-entry to ensure a clean, disinfected, and healthy work environment.
ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons has been at the forefront of COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection service in the Chicagoland area. The firm is fully and trained compliant with CDC regulations and guidelines established by ServiceMaster. Further, we take customer privacy seriously on-site while donning and doffing personal protection equipment.
COVID-19 can survive on surfaces up to 17 days, and persons infected by COVID-19 may not show symptoms for many days after infection. This makes the virus difficult to track and contain. According to the CDC guidelines for cleaning & disinfection services, it is critical to use EPA registered and approved products that meet the criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The specific cleaning & disinfection steps following a COVID-19 positive case or for a preventive cleaning & disinfection in business follows essentially the same process. Accordingly, technicians:
• Don and doff personal protective equipment
• Clean surfaces before disinfecting with an EPA approved disinfectant
• Fog surfaces and the air with an electrostatic fogging machine using an EPA approved disinfectant
• Use microfiber cloths to clean high touch areas with an EPA approved disinfectant
• Leave the disinfectant on surfaces for the required dwell time so the product is effective
• Clean up any discarded materials and single-use PPE, sealing our soiled materials for proper disposal
It is important to highlight that in addition to our re-entry cleaning & disinfection process, as businesses and employers reopen, another piece of prevention is the essential daily routine cleaning and disinfection of high touch surfaces. Going forward, daily routine cleaning must come from the businesses themselves in order to keep work environments safe and cleaning costs down. For day-to-day “maintenance” cleaning, hiring a professional company like ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons may not always be cost-effective in the long run for small businesses.
Along with the standard recommendations for routine cleaning such as wiping of high touch surfaces is the monitoring and improvement of indoor air quality (IAQ), specifically the air exchange of a confined workspace in an office or businesses. The standard is to open the doors and windows to allow for “fresh air exchange.” In many high-rise or multilevel buildings, offices do not have windows that open. Where windows do not open, it may be necessary to inquire with the building facility manager about the availability of exhausting as a form of fresh air exchange. In the case that these two options are not available, businesses and property owners may need to consider duct cleaning for forced-air heating and cooling systems. Ducts that are not regularly cleaned likely are caked with dirt and dust and can exacerbate the indoor air quality problem.
Overall, the best way to prevent the spread of coronavirus in an office or other place of business is to ensure surfaces are wiped down with disinfectant every day and fogged every several weeks.
There are also specific steps employers can recommend for employees to follow as businesses reopen, including providing every workstation with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes/spray, urging employees to practice frequent hand washing, and encouraging employees to stay home if they feel ill.
Additionally, staggering office scheduling to reduce the number of employees in the workplace and continuing social distancing will help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
To Our Wonderful Customers, the Chicagoland Community, and Beyond:
As an African-American female business-owner, I am saddened by the many, many ways that the oppression of minority groups is woven into the fibers of our country. From police brutality to a justice system that disproportionately affects Blacks, it has been clear for a long time that we have much work to do. Through education, speaking out, donations, and legislation, every one of us is responsible for driving change so that we may see a more inclusive society that values human life equally — regardless of skin color.
Business owners are absolutely not exempt from this responsibility. With customers who are counting on us and employees who look to us to lead, we must actively stand for what’s right in the pursuit of justice for all. For my part, I have made sure that ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons is, has been, and always will be committed to inclusivity and social justice. I strive to maintain an open, transparent, and tolerant work environment so that everyone feels included, valued, and comfortable. Our employees and I remain true to our mission for a racism-free world through our daily actions, our respect for all cultures, and our inclusion of all voices in the room. We lead by example by condemning and addressing systemic oppression, disallowing intolerance to enter our workplace, and challenging our own biases on a daily basis. Above all else, we do what’s right — even if it’s not the easy choice.
Our customers allow us into their homes, businesses, and lives. We know the immense amount of trust this requires, and we are so grateful and honored to be chosen by our customers time and time again for their restoration needs. Now, more than ever, we are committed to serving all of our customers with the respect, kindness and inclusivity that we hope to see in the greater world. During these turbulent times when so many people in our city and country are divided and experiencing feelings of grief, pain, anger, and frustration, we are here for our customers with the kind of quality service and compassion that they deserve.
Changing fundamentally broken social systems is difficult, to say the least. There is no doubt it will take hard work to eradicate the centuries of racism, inequality, racial profiling, and stereotyping that Black and Brown communities (as well as many other minority groups) have endured. But, there has never been a better time to begin taking meaningful steps towards a societal transformation. Now is the time to channel words and feelings into concrete actions that create an awakening and drive lasting, positive change.
Many customers and business owners are asking what they can do to make an impact. While I can’t speak to what will ensure worldwide success, I can share what I’ve done to create an environment of inclusivity in my business and personal lives:
Move away from thinking that small-scale acts of support on an individual level cannot make real difference. This is simply untrue. Every voice matters when advocating for what’s right and just.
Constantly challenge your own biases and encourage those around you (including employees) to do so, as well. Continue to strive for a better understanding of the Black community and how racism/oppression infiltrates daily life in America through ongoing reading and education. Seek out learning opportunities and take them at every chance. To get started, check out this list of great resources, and this list of great books to read.
Donate, if you have the means to. Here’s a great list of organizations that have long been fighting systemic oppression and supporting Black lives and communities. And remember, donating does not have to be monetary: You can also donate your time, energy, and supplies in supporting the cause.
Give attention to Black-owned businesses. While it can’t ensure equality of opportunity that’s on-par with White-owned businesses, your money will make a huge difference in uplifting them.
For employers, make these crucial ten commitments in order to advance racial justice and ensure your workplace is inclusive. The goal is to decrease explicit and implicit bias and discrimination in your commitment to providing an inclusive environment for your employees.
Now, as always, our company stands with those who have suffered at the hands of injustice. ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons will not tolerate any degree of intolerance as we carry out our work. I am personally committed to doing my part in the fight against racial injustice, and I hope you are too. Let’s wake up to systemic oppression and work to end racism, as hate has no home here.
ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons is proud to announce that our very own Nasutsa Mabwa (President) and Sam Simon (Managing Director) were featured in an article by REJournals. In the article, Clean Bill of Health: Remedying Spaces Hit by COVID-19, Nasutsa, and Sam discuss how they’ve used their restoration expertise in residential and commercial disaster cleanup like Water Damage & Fire Damage, to fill a need for commercial COVID-19 reentry cleaning services as workplaces reopen. They also discuss the positive impact our IICRC Certified technicians are having on the community as we provide residential COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection services to households. Read the full article to see what Nasutsa and Sam are saying about our cleaning process and experiences onsite so far.
ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons is honored to offer coronavirus cleaning and disinfection services to homes and businesses in the Chicagoland area. Whether you need professional disinfection after known coronavirus contamination or are seeking preventative and reentry cleaning services as your business reopens its offices — we are standing by to help. Because viral material, in this case, is so contagious and easily spread, the best way to get rid of and prevent coronavirus is with professional disinfection. Our team is equipped with the right equipment and cleaners to get the job done safely and effectively. Call us today at 773-376-1110 to schedule your cleaning.
ServiceMaster Restore and ServiceMaster Clean have provided professional cleaning and restoration services for northeast Illinois for over 65 years.
