Company History:
Made in South Korea, as he likes to say, Charles Cho considers himself a lifelong learner. This thirst for knowledge led him to gain a diverse set of skills in electrical engineering before he immigrated to the U.S. Eager to learn a new trade, he decided to try his hand at the cleaning services industry. It was here that he began what was to become his biggest achievement – Tidy Building Services.
Mr. Cho built Tidy from scratch in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1980. He went door to door with an offer of “quality service, prompt service, and prompt communication”. This became the motto that Tidy still stands by today. He learned everything he could about cleaning methods and the application of chemicals by working on job sites himself alongside his crew on both day and night shifts.
Though he didn’t get much sleep, he quickly picked up on many things that were lacking in building services at the time. He noticed that other cleaning crews did not always pay attention to detail. Tidy set itself apart by giving its customers something better.
He found creative ways to solve tricky problems – even fashioning a vacuuming device that could be hoisted on his back long before the backpack vacuum was patented! His innovation and work ethic impressed his local customers. Purely by word of mouth, Tidy grew into a nationwide company.
Most companies tell their crew what to clean, and perhaps how. Mr. Cho thought it was just as important for his crew to understand why they should use certain methods. Tidy still teaches what, how and why in its training program and has all crewmembers take comprehensive tests to prove their understanding.
Tidy Pride:
Because we are not a franchise, each and every member of Tidy feels like they have a personal stake in our business. We know all of our supervisors personally and form strong working relationships with each and every customer. Based in New Orleans, we were honored to be one of the few cleaning crews to stay behind and help with the cleanup of the city after Hurricane Katrina.
We are well-known for our quick response time in dealing with customer concerns– a Tidy representative can be reached at any time, day or night.
The wide range of different types of customers we serve has taught us many valuable lessons. Knowing that we can help a spa feel more luxurious, a hotel look more elegant, and a hospital more comforting gives us a true sense of pride.
