It’s a wonderful thing to have friends and when you can take friendship and develop it into a business venture, you have (in this case) a win, win, win formula. That’s what three men, who became friends over 20 years ago, discovered while working on Chicago’s West Side.
Nathan Williams, Louis Pagan and Charles Thomas decided to expand their friendship into a business venture. The firm they started is called 3 Men Cleaning, an all-service maintenance business.
One of 3 Men Cleaning’s specialties is floor-buffing, stripping, and carpet-cleaning for large businesses, such as hospitals, office buildings, and hotels as well as residential establishments. After stripping and waxing a large hospital complex one year, the building owners told the threesome they could use the floors in winter as a skating rink for children. When they cleaned the carpet at a wealthy couple’s condo, the owners refused to let anyone wear shoes during visits from then on-and that included their grandchildren.
When each man was asked why they enjoyed working together and doing the work they do, they responsed as follows:
Charles Thomas – “I like working with Nate and Louis because they are, first of all, great individuals, and they take pride in the work we do. We all enjoy working with the public and seeing the joy and smiles on a customer’s face is very rewarding. As our slogan states:’There is no job too big or small.’ This is a true statement. Nathan and Louis are my two best friends, and it is so easy to work with them. The three of us together as a team have accomplished a lot and plan to accomplish even more. The 20 years of friendship and working in this field have made our bond stronger.”
Nathan Williams – “What I like about working with 3 Men Cleaning is, number one, the guys are honest, and they take pride in their work. Also, we believe in quality, and there is never a job too small or too large. It is a rare thing to have friends you trust and believe in who you can also have a business relationship with. I think one of the things that drew us together was we all have the same work ethic. We believe in doing good work, meeting the clients’ needs, being honest and fair. Besides our business relationship, I know I can count on Charles and Louis in my personal life.”
Louis Pagan – “One of the things I like about working with 3 Men Cleaning is we are all hands-on kind of guys. For example, when we strip floors, we make sure all the wax is off the floors and the base boards. We put enough wax so that when the floor is shining, people can say, ‘Hey, you’ve done a great job.’ One reason I like working with Nate and Charles is because they put 100 percent in anything they do. I take pride in doing my work, and I believe in pride and excellence. We communicate with our clients, and we always want to provide the very best we can. As friends, we occasionally get together and do some fishing or have a barbecue. There is nothing like ending your day with good friends, family and good food.”
People say Westsiders and Southsiders don’t get along, but these three men have proven it doesn’t matter what side of town you’re from. It’s how you treat your fellow man. Nate, Charles and Louis met on the West Side, but their business includes the whole Chicago area. 3 Men Cleaning is bonded, licensed and insured. To contact 3 Men Cleaning, call 773/782-4296.
