Why Waukee Businesses Are Choosing Family-Owned Cleaning Companies Over National Franchises

You've seen them in your inbox. The slick sales emails from national cleaning franchises with branded trucks and corporate headquarters in another state. They promise "professional service" and "nationwide standards." But three months after signing, the quality nosedives, your calls go to voicemail, and you're stuck chasing down a regional manager who's juggling 47 other accounts.

If you're a business owner or office manager in Waukee, you've probably lived this frustration. And you're not alone.

Across Greater Des Moines, smart businesses are making a different choice. They're choosing family-owned cleaning companies that have been serving the community for decades over corporate franchises that treat them like account number 8,347.

Here's why that matters—and what Waukee businesses are discovering about the difference between working with a family business versus a national franchise.

The Corporate Cleaning Franchise Model Is Broken

Let's be honest about how most national cleaning franchises operate.

They're optimized for one thing: scale. They need to sign as many accounts as possible, as quickly as possible, to hit quarterly targets and satisfy corporate headquarters somewhere far from Iowa. That means aggressive sales tactics, low-ball pricing, and a constant churn of both clients and employees.

The typical corporate franchise cleaning experience looks like this:

Month 1: Everything is perfect. The sales rep promised you the moon, and the initial cleaning team actually delivers. Your office looks great. You're thinking, "Finally, a cleaning company that gets it."

Month 3: You notice little things slipping. The trash in the conference room wasn't emptied. Someone missed vacuuming under the desks. The restroom soap dispenser has been empty for two days.

Month 6: You're frustrated. Quality has declined significantly. You've called the main number three times and left messages that never get returned. When you finally reach someone, they promise to "escalate your concerns to the regional supervisor."

Month 9: You're actively looking for a new cleaning company. Again.

This isn't an exaggeration. It's the pattern that plays out in businesses across Waukee and throughout the Des Moines metro area every single day.

Why Corporate Franchises Can't Maintain Standards

The corporate franchise model has structural problems that make consistent quality nearly impossible.

Layers of Management Create Communication Nightmares

When you work with a national franchise, your concerns go through multiple layers: the cleaning crew reports to a supervisor, who reports to a district manager, who reports to a regional manager, who might eventually escalate to corporate if the issue is serious enough.

By the time your "toilet paper hasn't been restocked in three days" complaint makes it through this chain, you've already dealt with the consequences. Your employees have already had that embarrassing moment. Your clients have already formed an impression about your facility standards.

High Turnover Means Constant Training (Or No Training)

The cleaning industry averages 200-400% annual employee turnover. That means if a national franchise has 10 cleaners working in Waukee, they're replacing 20-40 people every year. That's a new person cycling through your building every few weeks.

These companies can't invest in serious training programs because employees don't stick around long enough to make it worthwhile. So you get a rotating cast of undertrained workers who don't know your building, don't know your preferences, and frankly, don't have much reason to care.

Corporate Incentives Prioritize New Sales Over Client Retention

Sales reps at national franchises are compensated for signing new accounts, not for maintaining existing ones. Once you've signed the contract, you become someone else's problem—usually an overworked operations manager juggling dozens of accounts.

The business model depends on constantly acquiring new clients to replace the ones who leave due to declining service. It's a hamster wheel, and your business is just running on it.

What Family-Owned Actually Means (Beyond Just "Local")

"Family-owned" gets thrown around as a feel-good marketing term. But when it actually means something, the difference is profound.

Real Accountability That Can't Hide Behind Corporate Structure

When Zach Vander Ploeg's cell phone number is on every Rodan Cleaning invoice, there's nowhere to hide. If your office isn't clean, you're not calling a 1-800 number and navigating a phone tree. You're texting or calling the person who owns the company. The person whose name is on the building. The person whose reputation in the Waukee business community depends on your satisfaction.

That's not a corporate relationship. That's accountability.

Rodan Cleaning has been serving Greater Des Moines since 1998, when Zach's father Dan started the company. Zach bought the business because he believed in doing this work the right way—with the kind of attention and care that only happens when your name and reputation are directly on the line.

Decision-Making Happens Locally, Immediately

When you need something changed, added, or fixed, you're talking to someone who can actually make decisions. Not someone who needs to "check with corporate" or "submit a request to the regional office."

You need an extra cleaning before a big client visit? Done. You want to adjust the schedule because your office hours changed? Handled. You noticed something that could be improved? Implemented.

Local decision-making means your specific needs get addressed by someone who understands Waukee's business environment, knows your building, and has the authority to actually solve problems.

Investment in People Creates Stability You Can Feel

Here's a stat that should shock you: Every single cleaner currently on Rodan Cleaning's team has been with the company for over two years. Some have been there much longer. Rodan has six team members who work six or seven nights a week and haven't missed a single shift in two years.

Not one missed shift. In two years.

That's almost unheard of in commercial cleaning. The industry average is 200-400% turnover, remember? Rodan's turnover is essentially zero.

How? They pay significantly above market rate. They treat cleaners with respect and autonomy. They invest in training through their Cleaning University program. They build careers, not just fill shifts.

For you, this means the same familiar faces taking care of your Waukee office month after month. People who know your building, understand your preferences, and actually take pride in their work because they're valued employees, not disposable labor.

The Audit System That National Franchises Don't Have

National franchises talk a lot about "quality standards" and "professional protocols." But talk is cheap. The question is: who's actually checking to make sure those standards are being met?

At Rodan Cleaning, an internal auditor's only job is to visit client locations at night, inspect the work, and generate detailed reports. Every account gets audited at least once per month. The audit scores (typically around 95-96%) get shared directly with clients, along with specific notes about what was done well and areas for improvement.

Think about what that means. Once a month, someone other than your cleaning crew is walking through your Waukee office with a checklist, grading the work, and documenting the results. If standards slip, it gets caught immediately—not three months later when you're finally frustrated enough to complain.

When cleaners know their work is going to be inspected and graded, they maintain standards. When clients know inspections are happening regularly, they have confidence. When issues are caught and addressed proactively, you never reach that "frustrated and looking for a new company" stage.

This isn't a "quality assurance program" that exists in a corporate manual somewhere. It's a real person, in your building, checking real work, and sharing real results with you every single month.

25+ Years Means Something in a Transient Industry

Commercial cleaning is full of companies that won't be around in three years. New LLCs pop up constantly, undercut everyone on price, deliver mediocre service, and disappear when the business model doesn't work.

Rodan Cleaning has been serving Des Moines since 1998. That's not just longevity—it's proof. Proof that the business model works. Proof that clients stay. Proof that when you treat people right and deliver consistent quality, you build something that lasts.

Some Rodan clients have been with the company for over 20 years. Twenty years with the same cleaning company. In an industry where the average relationship lasts maybe 18 months, that tells you everything you need to know about what it's like to work with them.

They have deep roots in the Waukee and Des Moines business community. They're not going anywhere. When you work with Rodan, you're not wondering if they'll still be around when your contract renews. You're wondering why you didn't switch sooner.

What Waukee Business Owners Are Saying

Real estate and commercial development in Waukee is booming. New office parks, retail centers, and mixed-use developments are transforming the landscape. All those buildings need cleaning. And the smart property managers and business owners are learning quickly that not all cleaning companies are created equal.

One office manager who switched from a national franchise to Rodan put it simply: "I can actually reach someone when I need something. And when I do, problems get solved the same day. That never happened before."

That's not a testimonial crafted by a marketing department. That's the reality of working with a family-owned business where the owner's cell phone number is your first call, not your last resort.

The Real Cost of "Cheap" Cleaning

National franchises often win initial contracts by being the lowest bidder. They can afford to lowball because they plan to cut corners later: less time per cleaning, less training, more turnover, cheaper supplies.

In the short term, you save maybe 10-15% on your monthly cleaning bill. In the long term, you pay for it in a dozen other ways:

• Lost productivity when employees have to clean up after the cleaning crew
• Lost sales when prospective clients visit a facility that looks shabby
• Lost time chasing down a cleaning company to fix problems
• Lost reputation when leadership or important visitors notice the declining standards
• Lost sanity dealing with unreliable service month after month

Working with a family-owned company like Rodan costs slightly more upfront. But you save exponentially on all those hidden costs that come from unreliable, inconsistent service.

Plus, you get your time back. You stop thinking about your cleaning company because everything just works. That's worth far more than saving a few dollars per month.

Making the Switch to a Family-Owned Company

If you're currently stuck with a national franchise that's declining in quality, switching is easier than you think.

Rodan Cleaning offers free cleaning assessments where they walk your Waukee facility, listen to your specific needs and pain points, and create a custom proposal with clear scope, frequency, and—this is the important part—audit standards.

No confusing contracts. No surprises. No corporate runaround.

Many businesses are discovering that switching to Rodan's office cleaning services means they finally stop worrying about whether the cleaning got done. The team shows up reliably, the quality stays consistent, and when you need something, you call someone who can actually help.

Why This Matters for Waukee's Growing Business Community

Waukee isn't just growing—it's booming. The city's business community is sophisticated, successful, and expects excellence. Companies relocating here or expanding their operations don't want to deal with the headaches of unreliable service providers.

Choosing a family-owned cleaning company with deep roots in the community isn't just about getting better service (though that's certainly part of it). It's about working with people who are invested in Waukee's success because they live here, work here, and build their reputation here.

When you choose Rodan Cleaning, you're not account #8347 in some corporate database. You're a valued client of a family business that's been trusted by Des Moines area companies for over 25 years. That difference shows up in every interaction, every cleaning, and every time you need something addressed.

Ready to Stop Dealing with Corporate Runaround?

If you're tired of the national franchise experience—the declining quality, the phone tag, the feeling that nobody actually cares about your building—it might be time to see what working with a real family business feels like.

Schedule a free cleaning assessment for your Waukee office or facility. See the difference between talking to a sales rep who'll disappear after the contract is signed and talking to the owner who'll give you his cell phone number on day one.

Your office deserves better than corporate mediocrity. Waukee businesses are figuring that out. Maybe it's time you did too.

Ready to experience the Rodan difference? Call Zach directly at (515) 276-1618 or request your free assessment online.

Rodan Cleaning serves Waukee, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, and the entire Des Moines metro area with commercial cleaning services, office cleaning, medical facility cleaning, financial institution cleaning, and construction cleaning. Family-owned and trusted since 1998.