Pentagon Story

It was a clear day in New York City when at 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center's north tower and stunned the world. As the eyes of the world turned to the fireball in the sky above Manhattan, a devastating 16 minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 struck the south tower of the World Trade Center. Americans stood still, overwhelmed by the sight of a national symbol near ruin. As images flooded our television screens, alarming news broke concerning our nation's capital. At 9:38 a.m. United Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, the headquarters for our national security. As coverage of the event in Washington was shown to the world, the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed at 10 a.m. The north tower fell 29 minutes later, covering the south end of Manhattan in a choking cloud of ash. The reign of terror came to an end as United Airlines Flight 93 crashed to the ground outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, just after 10:30 a.m. and just short of attacking another location in Washington, D.C. In total, 253 passengers were lost, an estimated 6,000 people were missing or dead, and approximately 50,000 people lost their offices. Thousands of lives changed forever, all in a span of less than three hours.

Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims, survivors, families, and rescue workers who have been affected and continue to work at these sites. We also continue to pray as the investigation to resolve this tragedy continues. Tuesday morning, as our ServiceMaster Clean family joined the rest of the world in prayer and astonishment, a call from our nation's capital arrived. The next few days would challenge our family of owners and our leadership to show Washington- and our nation- the true power of service.

The events unfolding on our television screens and across our nation immediately prompted the Home Office along with the Franchise Council, who had been scheduled to meet later that day, to join for prayer for the victims, their families, the rescue workers, the leaders of our country, and the condition of our hearts.

Meanwhile, reeling from the attack in Washington, the need for expert clean-up at the Pentagon was second only to the rescue effort. Within hours of the attack, a call was received by John Nienaber, the Operations Manager for SerivceMaster of Springfield owned by Ken Ange in Burke, Virginia. Immediately realizing the immensity of the job, John referred the contact to the network of franchises available through the Home Office. The call rapidly passed through the ServiceMaster Home Service Center to the Respond Call Center before being delivered to Brad Key, Director of ServiceMaster Recovery Management.

When asked about the original call, Ange said, "All I did was get the wheels turning. I knew the Home Office and fellow owners could take on this task!" Later that day, Nienaber placed a follow-up call to the contact at the Pentagon to ensure that she had spoken with the Home Office and was informed of the project status. This both surprised and impressed the customer, further reassuring her of the quality choice they had made.

We believe ServiceMaster Clean was contacted in the aftermath of this crisis, versus a competitor, because of our nationwide name awareness and recognition as a leader in disaster restoration. In addition to this awareness, several franchise owners in the area have established excellent reputations for restoration work in various government facilities including the CIA, White House, Fort Meyer Army Base and the Pentagon itself. The technicians that have performed this type of government work in the past understand the security issues facing them.

With such a dramatic backdrop, the task of beginning a job this size might overwhelm some in Brad's position. He, however, brought experience and a tremendous support team of franchise owners, technicians and staff to the table. Brad was a key player in organizing and leading the clean-up efforts at the first terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. He also performed work at a Patriot Missile Guidance System Research and Development plant in 1991 during Desert Storm. Simply put, he was prepared for this situation.

Brad quickly returned the Pentagon's call late Tuesday morning. Understanding the sensitive security issues surrounding work after a terrorist act, coupled with a top security facility such as the Pentagon, Brad knew what issues needed to be addressed and assured his contact that ServiceMaster Clean has a franchise network capable of producing trained staff instead of using temporary labor.

The Pentagon contact was definitely impressed not only with his track record and sensitivity to security issues, but also with the ServiceMaster Clean capabilities. It was a perfect fit of leadership experience with local response time. We secured a work authorization form before Brad's departure for the job site.

Still in shock over the tragedy in New York, Brad knew he must focus. "We have a job to do for our country. I realized I was going to have to step away from the emotion and focus on the job at hand. That is when it went from a shocking event to a job I knew we could handle."

An emergency team of Home Office personnel quickly formed to assist Brad and his team in this effort. Airline service was shut down, forcing Brad and Jerry Giesinger, Manager of New Franchise Development, to set out on the road late that afternoon en route to Washington, D.C.

With Brad and Jerry facing a 15 hour drive to reach the Pentagon, Greg Gandee, ServiceMaster of Alexandria, in Alexandria, Virginia, offered to take the lead. Nearly 40 technicians from several local businesses were allowed into the Pentagon for a short time to begin pre-emergency cleaning on Wednesday. Brad and Jerry arrived at the Pentagon early Wednesday morning. They were greeted with the news that earlier in the day, fearing another attack, everyone had been evacuated from the building. This event left some of the crew members hesitant to return.

Brad was able to bring his expertise and organization to the scene. He instantly established emergency protocol, rally points, and safety procedures. These actions helped to ease much of the anxiety for nervous workers. On Wednesday morning, Brad and Jerry met with the Pentagon contact. Together they walked the building, and began preparing an initial scope of work, analyzing what was needed in terms of man-power, equipment and supplies.

That evening, Brad called Memphis and briefed representatives at the Home Office on the conditions of the job. Shortly after the call, Corrine Trentman, Mike Weldon, and Pete Duncanson began loading a trailer with initial supplies. Corrine and Mike were on the road by 3 o'clock that morning. For three days, Belinda Rogers, assisted by Jeff Jackson, Dixie Mehrens, and other members of the Disaster Restoration department; Market Managers; and Regional Offices fielded an overwhelming number of calls from franchise owners wanting to assist in the clean-up process. It was comforting to know the compassion of the people filling our network- people willing to step up and serve in any way they could. On Thursday, Bob McDonell, Director of Product Sales and Distributing, arranged for a semi-truck to leave from North Aurora with additional supplies and support.

The importance of this job also prompted Mike Isakson, President and COO; Doug Pound, Senior Vice-President of Operations; and Jeff Coulter, Vice-President of Disaster Restoration, to leave for the site Thursday evening. "We never had a doubt that our owners and technicians, under the leadership of Brad and his amazing staff, would do an outstanding job," remarked Jeff Coulter. "We went to Washington to show our support and to thank the ServiceMaster Clean family members for the work that was being done at the site."

By Friday morning, September 14, ServiceMaster Clean, fully staffed and supplied, was a strong service force in our nation's capital.

If you can imagine the magnitude of the structure that greeted the technicians arriving on the scene, you will understand the awesome nature of this job. Not only was it amazing in size, encompassing over three million square feet, but also in historical significance to our country. The portraits, letters and memorabilia of past and present military and government leaders adorn the walls, reminders you of our country's great leadership. Just knowing that history is in the making, and you are a part of it, leaves you in awe.

The structure was strategically designed both for efficiency and to reduce the effects of potential acts of destruction. With the loss of the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon's five-stories, 10 corridors, and 125 hallways makes it one of the largest office buildings in the United States. We were initially asked to perform pre-emergency cleaning of the halls, corridors and lobby areas. The initial days were filled with unexpected challenges. The restoration process itself is similar to the work we perform every day.

The logistics of moving groups of this size in an organized fashion, coupled with the continuous changes in plans due to security clearance and safety issues, make the job extremely dynamic. The Pentagon is a building that is filled with military officials, war plans, and the possibility of a presidential visit at any moment. Understanding the bureaucracy and intense security issues involved, makes everyone associated with the restoration effort flexible and more understanding of the daily changes.

Our ServiceMaster Clean team remains flexible and willing to adjust plans to meet with security requests. The Pentagon stands amazed at our efficient organization and how quickly we responded to these changes.

On Wednesday, as our yellow vans entered the Pentagon gates, they were spotted by Peter Jennings of ABC News. He announced our arrival to the nation, signifying that the Pentagon was wasting no time in returning to the business at hand. Initially, there were close to 40 technicians from local offices who started the cleaning process. Meanwhile, another 200 technicians were on their way. Two 10-hour shifts worked feverishly to get the job underway as quickly as possible.

With one of the main hotels housing technicians nearly to an hour drive away, a major challenge facing the crews is the transport time, not only from the hotel to the job site, but from the job site to the Pentagon itself. Shift schedules allow for two hours of transport, dropping off the day crew, and picking up the night crew. Initially, Brad managed the day crew, while Jim Wills, Director of Disaster Restoration Commercial Marketing, managed the evening crew.

Although enthusiasm is high due to the incredible nature of the location of the job, it is somewhat curbed by the metal detectors, security checks and entrance changes. At times, this can create a wait of up to three hours for crews to simply enter the building. In the beginning, it was essential to have every five crew members escorted by a guard until adequate clearance passes were obtained from the government. Even simple tasks, such as refreshing water, were a group effort. If one member needed to leave the area, all members were required to go ensuring each could remain in constant sight of the guard. It is easy to imagine how this supervised effort could slow down the work pace. The remote location of the job trailer from the Pentagon, coupled with walking within the Pentagon to their designated cleaning areas, was not a case of walking a few feet - it was more like walking several miles.

Overall, the more than 244 ServiceMaster Clean representatives on site are receiving a refresher course in the meaning of teamwork. One person commented, "We did have a moment of frustration from the extreme mental and physical strain. It is times like this that the power of prayer and the ability to humble ourselves to fellow workers shows our continued dedication to our first objective." It isn't about individuals, it is about the power of our combined strengths and a unified team effort.

Although the restoration itself is not that difficult, the crews are working around 23,000 to 25,000 Pentagon employees who are also conducting their daily work of providing security for our nation. Employees, from the Secretary of Defense to the guards, immediately continued their daily tasks, but it was clear there was a heightened respect for their fellow workers and the jobs they are faced with. One can only assume that in the back of their minds lives the thought that it could have been any of their offices in the attack path. Knowing this, their dedication to return was even more inspiring to those on our crews.

Because Brad and Jerry were needed back in Memphis to begin plans for the New York recovery, Brad called upon Crystal Smith and Ron Long, two trusted leaders for ServiceMaster Recovery Management. Their capable hands continue to coordinate and inspire the crews still working in our nation's capital.

The clean-up effort is an ongoing process, and regardless of when workers return to their franchises, their hearts and admiration will stay with those in the Pentagon for a long time.

The clean-up at the Pentagon, and the situation in our country, is not over. This experience has taught our entire family valuable lessons about our duties to our country, our business, our customers, and to one another. We call on each of you to keep our leadership and our country in your prayers.

To our owners, we greatly appreciate your help more than words can express. Your quick action to volunteer yourselves and your technicians showed your dedication to our company and the faith you possess in our service. Many of you called, but due to the limitations of the job, every willing body was not able to join us in Washington. Let it be said that as much as we appreciate those who are working on the site, we also appreciate the large number of owners who offered support through prayers and their willingness to remain in their market to be called if needed.

There is still more work to be done, and it is likely that we will be calling for additional help in the future with the buildings in New York. New York will be more challenging, because the damage is more residual and widespread. It is comforting to know that you will continue to rise up and volunteer.

"I can't begin to name the many people who were there both at the start and through the process," says Brad. "Owners who offered support and technicians will never know the level of appreciation I have for their actions. Every person on this job is important to our success, and I hesitate to give names because no one deserves to be left out." A complete list recognizing all of those involved will appear in a future publication.

ServiceMaster is honored to be entrusted with this monumental task, and continues to focus on the challenges ahead. In times of crisis it is important to lean on those whom you consider family. There was a feeling that when the call was sent, it wasn't just one group or one franchise, it was our entire family together. We are proud to serve our country. Your service, honor, and commitment make us proud to call each of you family. God bless you, and God bless America.

Written and Edited by: Jennie Bledsoe & Dixie Mehrens
Produced by: Kelley & Associates Advertising