((L-R) Amos Kolbo, Jared Hineman and Gary Christenson | Photo Courtesy of WeClean)
WeClean, a new on demand cleaning company serving the Central Oregon community is improving business practices by paying their employees above industry wages, using natural, non-harsh chemical products and staying community focused by keeping money in the local economy. We checked in with co-owner Gary Christenson about how WeClean is growing and becoming more successful every day.
Where are you originally from if not Bend?
I grew up all over the country: Washington, Montana, D.C., Kansas, Colorado, Hawaii, California and Oregon. I love to travel and have seen a good chunk of our planet already, but Bend is definitely home.
What is your professional background?
Independent Creative Director. I help brands communicate who they are and what they do through branding and storytelling.
How did WeClean get started?
Weclean was founded because we knew there was a better way to book cleanings. We initially started by solving a pain point for AIRBNB hosts, [by]cleaning their rentals. We wanted to help people get back their time and get back to doing what they love. We knew a lot of people had rental properties which were supposed to be side incomes but had turned into second full time jobs. We then expanded into doing general home cleaning as well. With our online booking process, you can get a quote and book a cleaning in less than 60 seconds. We found that this works great for both homes and vacation rentals.
What do you want readers to know most about the company?
We want people to know that we are here to support people in our community. We are trying to create a sustainable ecosystem where we pay our employees above industry averages so that they can continue to live in Bend. We know that Bend thrives on tourism which then inflates the prices for locals. We want to make the best of this and supply jobs that can keep the locals living here. We also are a natural cleaning company, so we want to promote natural cleaners. There is no need to use harsh chemicals and we also know the damage they do. We want to be educating the community on why it’s important to go natural.
What are the key milestones of the company thus far?
We’ve had to tweak our software to have it flow with our customer’s needs. I’m super proud of our team and how we have been able to dial in our platform. I think operating as a five- star company that only has five-star ratings also is a huge milestone. We have extremely high standards for our [services]and having a team that works up to those standards is a huge blessing.
What is new for WeClean this year?
This year we plan to continue to serve the community of Central Oregon and to build relationships with [like]minded people. We really want to be a business that’s planted here in Oregon, so we just want to really focus on people and doing well to serve them. We are growing and it’s awesome, so our heart is to scale to the needs of our community.
What do you like best about living/working in Central Oregon?
The access to the great outdoors, and lots of fun families who like to get out and have some fun together.
How does social media best serve your company/sales?
We are learning how to build conversions and leads via social media. We also like to use our social media to share tricks on how to run a better AIRBNB or how to keep your home a little more stress free.
