Dirty deeds: Omega Cleaning rids buildings of debris

Black Enterprise, Nov, 1996 by Tresa L. Chambers

While the idea that anyone would find a positive side to flooded basements, sewage drainage backups or burned-out homes might seem strange, messy situations hold special appeal for Gael "Gary" Monteil, who has developed a successful business out of tackling dirty jobs.

Omega Cleaning Service Corp., which Monteil started in 1993, handles cleanup jobs that no one else wants to touch. The company, which Monteil operates from his home-based office in Queens, New York, serves as a prime example of effective shoestring advertising. While most small companies forego spending money on advertising and promotions, Monteil realized that the expenditure would be key to Omega's success. Monteil started out promoting his little-known service by going door-to-door to private residences and local businesses. He even ran small ads in local papers but did not get the response he anticipated. Changing gears, he implemented an $8,000 marketing campaign that included direct mailings and an ad in the Yellow Pages.

The result? While last year he responded to an average of 20 calls a month, this year his staff makes five service calls a day. Omega, which began with $15,000 and one worker, has now grown to a 10-employee, $300,000 success story. In fact, Monteil has so much business that he has had to hire temp workers. He plans to double his permanent staff and acquire new office space in the near future to handle the additional work and the new business he expects to get from a new $10,000-plus marketing campaign directed at insurance companies.

Although 90% of Omega's business is residential, averaging $1,000 per job, the company also gets referrals from sewage drain cleaning firms like Roto-Rooter, which clear our blockages but do nothing, about the dirt. odors and water overflow left behind. Omega has also taken on heavy-duty assignments for companies like United Artists and Bally's Total Fitness, which generate $3,000-$5,000 per cleanup. And since such work is usually paid for by insurance companies, Monteil rarely gets stiffed on the bills.

But success for Monteil did not come overnight. In 1982, he started a cleaning company that serviced commercial realtors and construction companies. Business had swelled so much that by 1988 he needed a partner to take on the additional work. The economic downturn of the late '80s eventually sank the business and Monteil sought a way to rebuild.

He started Omega Cleaning with the intention of building a residential business that offered basic cleaning services. But to grow, he knew he had to diversify.

Monteil believes that Omega Cleaning will continue to grow because of the high demand for its services and its business philosophy of developing client confidence by building one-on-one relationships.

Omega Cleaning Service Corp., 114-39 212 St., Cambria Heights, NY 11411: 718-740-0300