The janitorial services and commercial cleaning industry is a relationship business and, for the last 50-plus years, BSCAI has served as a catalyst to create and foster such connections. Few companies embody that truth better than B&T Building Services. For co-owner and vice president Matthew “Matt” Teribery, BSCAI membership has not only been a source of leadership development, but strategic growth and a fivefold expansion of his family’s business.
Teribery has played a key role in growing his family’s company via those acquisitions. “I had the privilege of growing up in the business, learning firsthand the responsibilities and blessings that come with owning and operating a company,” he says.
Acquisition Growth: An Underrated ROI of BSCAI Membership
Over the last four years, B&T has completed three acquisitions. In each case, the company’s ties with other BSCAI members have been a valuable way for executive leadership to scale more quickly.
“The fact that the companies we acquired were all BSCAI members gave us an added level of confidence during the due diligence process. It reinforced that these were reputable companies with strong leadership and solid industry practices,” Teribery says.
Teribery praised BSCAI for helping him and his colleagues build a network that they would not have otherwise had access to. The shared knowledge and insights — not only from veterans in the field, but interactions with newer members as well — have been extremely impactful for the company.
Since joining BSCAI in 2015, B&T has grown fivefold. “I attribute a significant portion of that growth to the networking, conferences, and training opportunities the association provides,” Teribery says.
Assessing the Right Fit
When considering an acquisition, what makes a company a good fit for B&T’s operations and culture?
“You can learn a great deal about a business simply by talking with and spending time with the owner,” Teribery says. “Through those conversations, you begin to understand their purpose, values, and vision for them and their company. The former owners of the companies we acquired deeply cared about their people and the future of those individuals.”
Teribery believes when leaders like that genuinely value their teams, it aligns with B&T’s culture immediately and makes for a natural partnership. Beyond culture, a target acquisition also needs to be in the right market and vertical for B&T. “Operational alignment can be taught and refined,” Teribery says, “but culture is much harder to instill if it’s not already there.”
Family Values That Shaped a Company’s Culture
B&T Building Services is a family-owned janitorial company with offices across New York, Florida, and its home state of Pennsylvania. It was founded by Teribery’s parents, Kevin and Susan Teribery, who wanted to build a company that genuinely cared about people, both employees and clients alike — a philosophy that still permeates the culture of the organization today.
When Teribery was just 10 years old, he vividly recalls his mother telling him to be kind to everyone and not treat anyone differently “because you don’t know their story.” That advice stuck with him.
“I’ve tried to apply that philosophy to every area of my life,” Teribery says. “My goal is to lead a great organization with a heart of compassion. I’m not perfect at it, but I try to improve a little every day.”
Over the years, B&T’s communication model with clients has also improved and evolved to emphasize transparency, accountability, and actionable results.
“Having a purpose that goes beyond simply gaining new business or providing a great service gives us a strong sense of direction and responsibility,” Teribery says.
Looking Ahead: Creating Opportunities For Others
Wherever the road takes B&T and Teribery, he suspects BSCAI will continue to play a major role. He looks back with fond memories when his first impression of joining BSCAI was “total amazement.” He honestly had no idea there was an association or even a single industry event dedicated to teaching, networking, and advancing building service contracting and janitorial businesses.
“Finding BSCAI felt like striking gold,” Teribery says. “Today, it’s exciting to see so many enthusiastic members who are hungry to learn and share. It’s also encouraging to see the veterans of the industry mentoring the next generation to continue the legacy of BSCAI.”
From Teribery’s viewpoint, there is a lot to be enthusiastic about with regards to the future of the business. What excites him the most are the opportunities he and his colleagues get to create for people. Operating in three very different states has enabled B&T to be one of the more diverse companies in the industry. “We have the privilege of working with people from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” he says, “and we hope to play a small role in helping them build better lives.”
For those BSCAI members who are new or very young in the business today, Teribery has three recommendations. The first is to find a mentor. Second, get involved with BSCAI and meet people. Finally, join a peer group. “If a new member were to do those three things, I believe they would be very successful!” he says.