In November of 2017, Jani-King of Baton Rouge was awarded the Floors Contract for BTR, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, with service beginning December 1, 2017.
Franchise Owner Carey Ourso and the Baton Rouge office team have worked diligently to provide a level of service above and beyond to the airport administration and the many fliers who travel through the facility daily. Upon notice of award, the team immediately met with Airport Interim Director Ralph Hennessey and his operations team of Mike Edwards and Dave Gordon to map out the initial approach and outline the work and a tactical plan for the year. These meetings continue to take place regularly, including a weekly walk-thru of the entire facility, a review of the work in progress, and a coordinated approach between airport operations and the Jani-King team to ensure the work can be successfully completed within the narrow window of opportunity allotted on a daily basis.
Carey Ourso, Franchise Owner, and Jani-King Brand Managers Bill Troupe and DJ Woolf pulled together a detailed equipment list and made sure everything arrived in time to start the contract. Carey says, “We couldn’t do this without having the right tools, but because we got exactly what we needed, we are getting the work done exactly as planned. We only have 4½ hours from the time the last flight arrives to the time the first passengers show up in the morning and 100,000 square feet to vacuum, sweep, mop and auto-scrub every day, seven days a week, so great equipment, a fully trained team, and a detailed deployment plan that we stick to are all critical components to successful execution.”
It is that 4½ hour window of opportunity that keeps things interesting. The airport has approximately 50,000 square feet of carpet, 40,000 square feet of waxable flooring, and 10,000 square feet of ceramic tile. Waxing takes place quarterly, but more often in critical flow through areas. It requires a coordinated effort between Carey’s team and the Airport Facilities Manager, Dave Gordon, and his team.
Airport security ‘sweeps’ must be conducted to make sure the areas are cleared; large seating sections and planters have to be moved with a lift and returned to position without disruption to passengers, which sometimes makes the coordination of work between the two teams look more like an athletic function than a janitorial arrangement. “We couldn’t do it without Dave, Mike Edwards and their support”, Carey stated. “Those guys make sure we are set-up for success, and we do the same thing in return for them. We have to get floors swept and scrubbed and multiple coats of wax down and dried in less than 4 hours in order to have the seating and planters put back in position, and all of this has to be done while we are still servicing all of the rest of the floors throughout the airport daily. We have to have a plan weeks in advance to pull all this together, and no matter what other disruptions take place, we still need to execute that plan.”
The program is off to a strong start, with great initial reviews by airport management. The Jani-King of Baton Rouge team knows that keeping the level of intensity and passion high will be critical for long-term success in such a highly visible account, one that serves more than 750,000 passengers annually. “I guarantee we will stay focused”, Carey said. “We know the entire Jani-King system will benefit by us doing this the right way, and doing it right is the only way we will do it.”
