Jani-King of Manitoba shares their story as the Janitorial Services provider for the latest Government of Manitoba’s Vaccine Supersite.
The Backstory
Staff prepare for the opening of Manitoba’s new COVID-19 vaccination centre in a soccer complex in north Winnipeg, Friday, May 7, 2021. The centre will inoculate thousands of people in it’s first week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
A few months ago we shared the exciting (stressful?) news that Jani-King of Manitoba was selected to be the provider of janitorial services for the new Vaccination Supersite in the fight against COVID-19. The whirlwind in planning, preparing, learning, and practicing overtook the Jani-King staff and left little time to actually absorb everything involved in such a large initiative.
Well, now we celebrate. For more than one reason. Jani-King of Manitoba is achieving success every day and is finally taking the time to realize their contribution. As well, the province is rallying around the reduction of case numbers, transmissions, and deaths related to COVID-19. As the province moves through the reopening stages, we took a few moments to connect with Crystal Bornn, Operations Manager and Franchisee Coach for Jani-King of Manitoba, to talk about the Jani-King team and the project.
The Dialogue
What surprised you about the setup/process/initiative?
The stress during setup! It took about 16 hours to get everything ready and two afternoons of going over the cleaning schedule and expectations. Changes are frequent, sometimes on the fly. So our phones are on 24/7 to stay on top of those changes. We can go from 2 trunks (660 doses) to an open clinic at full capacity (4,000 doses). The schedule and staffing is completely dependent on the vaccine availability and the actual scheduling of appointments.
Was there anything that was unexpected or unplanned for?
Actually, no. There were pretty clear and open lines of communication. We’re experts in commercial cleaning and we built the staffing template based on previous roles we have had – we were able to reduce or ramp-up depending on the scope at hand. Things ran in a pretty straight-forward manner and we knew our approach was trusted.
Who is actually on the ground for Jani-King?
We had one Franchisee onsite – Hailu Below. He and his janitorial staff have a great working relationship with the onsite WRHA staff. There have been some challenges, but Hailu and his staff have been fantastic. It has been a very large load to carry, but the teams that have been assigned to these sites have made it worth every second.
Crystal Bornn is proud of the Jani-King of Manitoba team.
I would say my role is a support system more than anything. I do the paperwork and order supplies. Hailu runs the show. I check in with him almost daily and do weekly walkthroughs. He has been humble and grateful to be able to employ so many people at this site and for their hard work.
If anything, I would say Hailu was the perfect franchise owner for this location. He has put in countless hours and continues to exceed expectations. His work ethic does not go without saying.
What kind of recognition from the public have you received because of your involvement and cleaning services you have provided?
We hear a lot of praise from the clinical workers and their staff. Jani-King office staff have heard many compliments from friends and customers who have been there for their vaccine saying how thorough the cleaning was and how the disinfection services kept the building so clean and running smoothly. They have mentioned to me how they saw the Jani-King team in action, and really recognized their contribution to the whole process.
What do your employees share with you about being involved in such an initiative?
The term I hear every time I am there is – blessed. (sigh)
I couldn’t be more proud. They are truly a great team there and deserve all the recognition for their hard work and work ethic.
Trust your commercial cleaning needs to the King of Clean – Jani-King proudly services over 500 organizations across Manitoba in all business sectors. For inquiries or media opportunities, please call Bill at 204-989-5925 or Contact us through our website.
