The stunt coordinators for ”Poltergeist III” had rigged the scene at an Oak Brook office complex for a one-car explosion; what they got was a blaze involving several cars. That left one big mess. Who were they going to call?
The mess busters!
In this case, that was Program Service Group. It`s not the most dynamic name in the world, but it`s one that brings great comfort to those who have gotten themselves into another fine mess.
For 10 years, managers of some of the biggest buildings in Chicago and the suburbs have been relying on the Elmhurst-based company to lend a hand in everything from washing windows to cleaning rock gardens.
”I`m very impressed with the work they do,” said Eric Nelson, property manager for Frain, Camins and Swartchild Inc. ”They`re always very good about asking me what I need. They come back to make sure things are done well. Those guys are really terrific.”
The guys Nelson is referring to are Tom Trinen, his father, Bill, and Kurt Krueger. The three who began on the outside of the industry windows looking in are now peering out as multimillion-dollar company owners.
While placing their stock in the American work ethic, the three at the helm have made a concerted effort to steer their ship clear of the murky industry waters and into some uncharted territory.
”We think our objectives are unique to the industry,” said 33-year-old Tom. ”One of the reasons we started the company is that we found a need for personalized service. And that`s what we provide. After 10 years we could sit back and let our managers deal with the customers, but we don`t. We see all our customers regularly.
”We think of ourselves as their problem solvers. If they have a problem, they can count on us.”
That`s exactly what management at the Oak Brook office complex did when the one-car explosion turned ugly because no one checked the gas tanks of the surrounding vehicles. When smoke began filtering into the building atriums, management knew they could count on Program Service Group not only to clean the windows but also to not gouge them under the unusual circumstances.
”We got the call at 6 a.m. and we had 17 people out there as soon as we could,” Bill recalled. ”They just said `Bill me.` They know it`s us. They know we were not going to screw them to the wall.”
The company, which has offices in Des Plaines, Elmhurst and Chicago, was formed a decade ago when Tom and Kurt, disenchanted with their employer, decided to venture out on their own. At the time the two were working for a window cleaning company and a boss they didn`t like.
”The guy we worked for just did not care for people at all,” Krueger said. ”His philosophy was `Screw the employee, just get the work done.` ”
After pooling their pennies the two started their own company. That meant long hours and hard work.”
”We didn`t take a salary for two years,” said Tom, who has a business degree from Western Illinois University. ”We funneled everything back into the company. And in addition to selling, we were also cleaning. It took quite a few years to get it going.”
”My advice to anyone who wants to go into business for themselves is
`Forget how to eat, live with your mom and get rid of your car,”` added Krueger, who claims to have graduated from the school of hard knocks.
Although Krueger`s advice may still be valid, his outlook is vastly different today. Perhaps that has something to do with the estimated $3 million the company made in sales last year. Or maybe it`s because he and Tom are no longer hanging high above the city, sandwiched between their squeegees and water buckets. They now delegate those positions to their 135 employees.
Or maybe it`s that Tom`s 59-year-old father, who has a business degree from Loyola University, came on board after the company`s second year. The elder Trinen, who was already involved in the maintenance industry, added maturity to the fledgling company.
Although many things have changed since those early days, some things remain the same. The three are still no-nonsense guys who refuse to use pretentious titles. They continue to work 12-hour days, and their offices are far from extravagant.
According to Tom, there`s a reason for the humble surroundings.
”Nobody brings their buildings to us,” he said. ”We don`t need to impress anybody.”
While the business has grown, so, too, have the Trinen and Krueger families. When the two became partners, both were carefree bachelors. Now they have wives, children and mortgages, which keep them tied to more cautious lifestyles.
”I don`t know if I would take the risk and start the business today,”
said Krueger, 30, who lives in Mundelein with his wife, Laura, and 2-year-old son, David. ”But at the time it was the right thing to do. We couldn`t have planned it better.”
No amount of forecasting could have prepared them for the explosive construction boom of the 1980s. Each new structure that was erected became an apple just waiting to be plucked by one of the three partners` eager fingers. And providing they could keep their customers happy, they realized each new client represented years and years of work.
”Our average account is five to six years old,” Bill said. ”They know they will receive professional service from us.”
By providing a decade of top-quality service, the company has been able to broaden its horizons. It has branched out to include three divisions
(Program Window Cleaning, Program Maintenance and Program Metal Maintenance), which specialize in window cleaning, janitorial services and metal maintenance.
A refinishing shop is located in the Chicago office, where on any given day, workers can be found polishing everything from antique chandeliers to brass door handles.
Much of the company`s business comes from word of mouth or through people who had positive experiences with the group in the past and have since moved on. As managers move from location to location, in the tentacled world of building and property management, they tote along with them their trusty Rolodexes, which often include a card with Tom, Bill or Kurt`s name and number scribbled on it.
”I`ve used them for the past nine years on the five buildings I`ve been associated with,” said Jim Couston, Lincoln Property`s chief engineer in the northern suburbs. ”I recommend them all the time. They bend over backwards to complete the work in my time frame.”
A few years ago, Couston hired the group to clean the outside of an office building in Vernon Hills. Couston admitted he was leery at the time of allowing the group to try a new procedure, something they called a building wash.
”At first when they said they were going to do a building wash I didn`t think it would do much,” Couston said. ”But they did a test patch on the back of the building and the difference between the clean area and the dirty part was simply remarkable. I was very impressed.”
There`s no doubt about it, Program Service Group aims to please, but the owners make no apologies about the fact that their prices can be higher than their competition`s. One reason, according to Krueger, is insurance. He said the company`s biggest expense besides labor is insurance, and he added that few others carry as much insurance as Program.
”If you want to stay at the lower end of building maintenance you can lie about having insurance. You can do jobs where no one cares. They won`t check it out. They will just go with you because your prices are lower,”
Krueger said. ”But the upper level companies, they care. You better have legitimate insurance because if you don`t you`re not even considered for the job. And good insurance can be extremely expensive.”
When bigger companies with comparable insurance bid alongside Program Service Group, Tom said his company is always in the running.
”For the most part, as long as we`re competing against a legitimate contractor, all of our costs are basically the same, the only thing we can do differently is either offer more service or be more efficient, and that`s what we do,” Tom said.
The money crunch of the `90s, however, has building management scrambling to trim as much fat as possible. But those at Program said trimming them would mean cutting into the lean, because if building managers look elsewhere for service they usually regret it.
One maintenance chief who regretted the switch to a competitor was Ray Weimer of Trammell Crow. Weimer said when management made what it thought was a cost-effective move and went with a lower-priced company, all they got were complaints.
”Tenants were calling us and saying the guys we hired looked like gorillas swinging around the building,” Weimer said. ”We threw those guys out almost immediately and went back to Program.”
Horror stories abound from others who switched to lower-priced competitors. Jay Swanson, the building engineer for 1 Hawthorne Place in Vernon Hills, said his experience with another window cleaning company was ”a gut-wrenching nightmare.”
”They didn`t have a clue about how to do this building,” Swanson said.
”They did some of it and then claimed they had done the whole thing. We lent them rags that were still blowing off the roof and plugging downspouts months later.
”I want someone who does a decent job at decent prices and doesn`t give me headaches. That was just a fiasco.”
In order to avoid fiascos, those at Program Service Group believe quality employees provide quality service.
”You can`t start with a good customer and then go out and get employees who will work out,” Krueger said. ”We figured if we get good people and pay them decent wages we`ll be successful. You have to have a reputation within this industry as far as employees.”
Tom mentioned that the company hires five or six people to get three workers who meet their expectations. Workers attend training sessions, conducted in the Chicago office`s meeting room, and they are expected to pass tests and read the company manual. They must also behave professionally at all job sites.
Employees who take their jobs seriously are rewarded with promotions.
”Everybody has the opportunity to move up. Everybody, I don`t care who they are, has an equal shot,” Bill said.
Jeff Spino of Palatine serves as a testament to Bill`s words. Spino, who began as a window cleaner five years ago, has climbed down from the scaffold and into a comfortable, but non-pretentious, managerial chair at the company. His positive attitude made the move with him.
”When I was washing windows regularly I considered it a challenge to get the job done and get it done right. It really gave me a sense of pride,”
Spino said.
Shirley Jensen, who manages Program Service Group`s Chicago office, shares Spino`s commitment.
”I love this company. I get here early and leave late. I just love coming to work,” Jensen said.
Over at the Elmhurst office, the manager, Joan, has nothing but good things to say about the business, but she may be biased. That`s because Joan`s last name is Trinen, and she is Bill`s wife and Tom`s mother.
”I`m proud of the men in my life,” said Joan, who along with Bill raised Tom and his sister Cathy in their Elmhurst home.
When Tom was growing up he never thought he`d be doing what he`s doing today. Neither did Kurt, who grew up in Park Ridge and worked at his father`s printing shop as a youngster. Although that job may be a far cry from what he`s doing today, Krueger said the integrity he learned from his dad has remained with him.
”From my dad I learned a lot of resourcefulness and how to deal with people,” Krueger said. ”I would see how he would deal with people when they came into the shop and I really respected him for how he was with them. He also taught me how to deal with problems and think on my feet, two things that are very important in this business.”
Tom said he learned a thing or two from his father as well. Mainly he learned to be driven, to strive to be the best and to set goals. Tom recently reached one of his goals when his wife was able to quit working. Tom said that wife Michelle stays home in Palatine now and cares for their 1-year-old son, Alex.
Now that Bill`s family is grown and he has no plans to retire in the near future, his goals are more elusive. What keeps this product of Chicago`s South Side in motion is the thrill of the chase.
”This is a challenge,” Bill said. ”What keeps me going today is the challenge. It`s the excitement of being able to say, `Yes, we can do it.”`
