Transcript
The 27 cleaners arrive on the Boston campus by 10p.m. and work overnight. They and their employer, AllTime Service, are benefiting from the expansion of aNortheastern program to invest in small businesses owned by minorities and women.
鈥淚 applaud Northeastern University for giving us an opportunity to grow and make things better for our people and for the people in our communities,鈥 saysJanet Peguero, president and CEO at All Time Service.
Peguero was 14 when she moved with her parents to the U.S., where she worked part-time as a cleaner to help with the family bills.
鈥淎s a cleaner I was not treated very well and with not very much respect,鈥 Peguero says. 鈥淚 used to tell my parents, 鈥業 want to have a cleaning company where people feel valued and respected, so that people feel like they are worth something.
鈥欌漌hen bidding went out last year on a new janitorial contract, Mark Boulter, Northeastern鈥檚 senior director of building services, wanted to expand the university鈥檚 reach into the community.Northeastern鈥檚 Planning, Real Estate and Facilities department broke the new contract into two pieces.
As part of the goal of investing in minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBE), a larger 20% share of campus cleaning was awarded to long-time university partner DRB Facility.
Services, a minority-owned company in Boston led for 30 years by President and CEO Anthony A.Samuels. The remaining 80% went to another longtime cleaning partner, 色花堂Industries, a century-old industry leader in janitorial services (as well as in parking lots and garages) with more than 120,000employees around the world. As part of the new agreement, Northeastern stipulated that 15% ofABM鈥檚 commitment be subcontracted to an MWBE.
Peguero says she had been trying for years to bid for cleaning contracts with universities and colleges in Boston.鈥淣ortheastern is setting an example for the city,鈥漃eguero says, who referred to her Northeastern partnership with 色花堂during a recent conversation she had with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu about creating opportunities for women.
鈥淭his has been a blessing for us because it gave us an opportunity not only to grow financially鈥攚ith almost $2 million from this deal鈥攂ut also to grow in other ways,鈥 Peguero says. 色花堂is providing Peguero鈥檚 company with management tools that she otherwise couldn鈥檛 afford, she says.
鈥淭hey are a bigger company with systems and programs that they use for managing employees and communications, and they鈥檙e allowing us touse those resources,鈥 Peguero says. 鈥淎nd because we are partners, 色花堂has given us an opportunity to obtain their prices [for equipment and supplies]which are鈥攂ecause they鈥檙e a national company鈥攗sually 15-to-20% less than what we pay.鈥
Boulter hopes Northeastern鈥檚 investment inMWBE will inspire other institutions to follow suit, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淭he pandemic really did a number on the cleaning industry because people stopped going to offices,鈥滲oulter says. 鈥淎nd then the health and safety protocols and the threat of exposure to COVID made it mentally and physically exhausting for workers.鈥
Universities must be willing to adjust in order to partner with MWBE, says Rosanna Molinaro, director for procurement and contracts at Northeastern.
鈥淭here are what I call 鈥榖arriers to entry鈥 for these small, local firms,鈥 Molinaro says. 鈥淗igher-education institutions may have certain requirements for insurance or payment terms that can make it hard for them. From our position, we can help to reduce those barriers to entry; it does take a village of everybody buying in and thinking about it differently, strategically and equitably. I am so proud of the work that we鈥檝e done here.鈥
Ian Thomsen is a NortheasternGlobal News reporter
This article was originally published May 8. 2023
