About

Populist Cleaning Co. is an independently owned commercial cleaning service provider serving southeast Michigan. Populist began operations in 1980, and currently services facilities which include: banks and credit unions; large and small office buildings; light industrial shops; municipal buildings; medical offices and facilities; and bio/medical research facilities.

Co-owners, Mike Eller and John Wagner, have been with Populist from the beginning and are involved in business activities daily – monitoring supervisors in the area and providing customer service support. As Mike says, "There's an old saying in our business that you're never too far from the mop. I could get a call at any time from a customer who wants us to come over right away. I have no problem with that. It keeps you honest."

Growing from a small “mom and pop” start-up to our current robust local market share, we have built our business with an unrelenting commitment to quality service and strong communication with our customers.

Additionally, in today’s economic environment, change is happening constantly. We can never assume that what we are doing today will work for us tomorrow.

We can help our customers and prospective customers evaluate what is important, what is absolutely necessary, and what can be moved down the list. This process of evaluation and prioritization will almost always result in running a leaner, more cost efficient operation. We find waste in areas of our industry that have not been uncovered before. Waste in frequency of tasks, repeating footsteps through a building, technology of equipment, job routes in buildings, etc. All of these affect productivity and relate to time and money

"You begin to build a certain reputation over the years," Mike concludes. "But you never stop cold calling. You build your business by adding one new account at a time and by taking care of the customers that helped you get where you are today."