Stephen Camps of Pro-Care Janitorial Services has been serving the people of Gainesville with ultimate cleanliness for 33 years.
Camps grew up in a clean home with parents who taught him how to sanitize and limit the spread of germs. He has always been cautious of germs and worked in the cleaning business with his father while at college. In 1987, he was rear-ended by a drunk driver and was immediately sent to the hospital where he was told he would no longer be able to walk again. One year after the accident, he recovered and is now a walking miracle.
With the help of his wife and cousin, Camps started Pro-Care Janitorial Services from his hospital bed and hasn’t stopped serving clients since. Pro-Care is Gainesville’s only full-service company that offers commercial, industrial, residential and construction janitorial services.
During a worldwide pandemic, cleanliness has been at the forefront of people’s minds and has led to a spike in his business. Pro-Care has been able to provide a safe and sanitized space for businesses and their employees. He trains and treats infections, such as COVID-19, to help companies receive full sanitization so they can be back open for business within 24 hours.
“One of the positive things that has come out of this whole ordeal is that people are being much cleaner, they are being more concerned with what they touch, and to me, that’s a good thing, we needed that anyway.”
Camps said to improve cleanliness, people must wash their hands, disinfect areas, take off their shoes before entering their house, leave dirty clothes in the garage and shower once they’ve arrived at home.
“Just like we have to clean our homes to maintain some level of cleanliness in our home, we’re just gonna have to step it up a notch and not just do it at home, but do it everywhere.”
The biggest lesson Camps has learned throughout his 33 years in business has been money management. After starting his company, he had close to $100,000 in debt. By learning cash flow and how to manage his money, he now stands debt-free.
Camps said he plans to continue to serve the community for a while. He thrives off of turning a dirty place into a clean space. He said anyone can clean, but every place needs the Pro-Care touch.
“We like to do it right, and if we don’t do it right, we’ll come back and do it all over again.”
Listen to the 115th episode of the WHOA GNV podcast to hear more about Stephen Camps’ life lessons from his 33 years of business and how to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
