When the home of American powersports vehicle manufacturer Polaris Inc. was looking for a new cleaning company in Roseau, Minnesota they turned to Jani-King.
Founded in 1954, Polaris began exclusively manufacturing snowmobiles. After many years of success, they began launching additional product lines including motorcycles, ATVs, and neighbourhood electric vehicles. Today, Polaris Industries Inc. is a global powersports leader, providing some of the best-selling brands in the industry.
The 1 million square foot Roseau Facility is located south of the Manitoba border in the small-town the company was founded in.
The impressive manufacturing and R&D plant includes:
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- 100,000 square feet of office space
- 15,000 square feet of lunch rooms
- 8,000 square feet of washrooms
- Over 200 paper towel, soap, and toilet tissue dispensers
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A project of this magnitude has its challenges, the biggest being location. Even though it’s less than a 2-hour drive from the Winnipeg office, the account is located in a different country. “Canada and the United States have an amazing trade relationship and our cultures are very intertwined with each other. However, there is no getting around the fact Polaris is in the US and we’re in Canada,” says William Cole, President and Regional Director of Jani-King of Manitoba.
Taking on a project outside of Canada requires careful planning and coordination. “There were four major items we had to figure out before we could start servicing the Polaris account,” Cole explains. “We needed approval from Jani-King Canada and Jani-King International, insurance coverage in the US, an American supply partner, and a Franchisee capable and willing to tackle the project.”
Once the right Franchisee was chosen, they were then responsible for hiring 12 full-time American employees to ensure the cleaning schedule is adhered to. All employees are required to participate in Polaris safety training and 3 weeks of on the job training. “Making sure we follow US laws and guidelines on payroll, hiring procedures, Workers Compensation, and insurance requirements is extremely important to us,” says Cole.
“Cleaning the Polaris facility is major undertaking. Our team is onsite 5 days a week from 6:30am-1:00am. We provide daily cleaning of the washrooms, cafeterias, and entrances. The cleaning schedule includes vacuuming, hard surface care, garbage removal, dusting services, and much more. We also perform monthly and quarterly services like strip and waxing and carpet shampooing.”
“I am incredibly proud of the entire Jani-King of Manitoba team! Everyone has worked together to make this project a huge success. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Polaris, and applying what we’ve learned to future opportunities.”