Steve Shuchat, CBSE (pictured left), is preparing to finish his post as president of BSCAI, and doing so with a great deal of optimism. “I think our industry is in very solid shape for a number of reasons,” he says. “One is there is a continuous flow of new companies that are interested in what we do that are willing to work incredibly hard — young entrepreneurs and people transferring in from other industries. They’re saying, ‘I want to start a company, and janitorial and building service contracting is where I see huge opportunity!’”
Another reason Shuchat feels positively for what lies ahead is the many venture capital groups that are seeing the building services industry as valuable and worthy of investment. “[This] speaks highly to the people who are running our companies,” he says.
An Industry Changing and Challenging
Shuchat will soon turn his full attention back to running his own company, Ohio-based Clean All Services Inc. He has held the CEO post there since August 1993. In his time in business, he has seen a number of changes. Most notably, more clients and potential clients are seeing the value of going from an in-house building servicing system to a contracted system, especially on the janitorial side. “This is especially true when you look at healthcare facilities, when you look at K-12 schools, and when you look at colleges. There is a continuous transition that is happening that is benefiting the contractors,” he says.
Shucat lists several challenges that BSCAI members need to continue being aware of, and addressing customer retention is a big one.
“How do we maintain strong relationships? How do we prove our value over years? It’s not just about how fast you can grow, but how well you retain your customers over a long period of time. Fortunately, it’s still a relationship industry. That was true 60-plus years ago. It’s true today,” Shuchat says.
Of course, the biggest challenge for years has been and will likely continue to be labor. “We must make sure we have a great system for identifying new laborers who are interested in the industry up and down our organizations,” Schuchat urges. “It will continue to be about how we develop those entry-level employees into managers and supervisors and executives that are capable and who understand our industry.”
BSCAI Then, Now and in the Future
Shuchat credits BSCAI for being a great support system for developing people for those roles, with its various education initiatives, training and certifications. He still remembers when he first became a BSCAI member. What struck him as amazing then is still one of the association’s big pluses today. “The first thing I noticed was that, as an organization and an association, everyone was unbelievably open and welcoming!” he exclaims.
He credits those more than 60 visionary contractors who came together in Washington, D.C., in March 1965 to form what would eventually become the Building Service Contractors Association International. Their goal was a simple, but ambitious one: to create a community where business owners could share ideas and raise industry standards.
“The people who put BSCAI together realized that being a leader in the janitorial industry can be a very lonely and challenging thing. When you go to a conference, you have to let it all out. They created an environment that allowed for that, that allowed for this closeness and engagement amongst competitors that we all enjoy today,” Shuchat says. “Today, it is contractors running an association for contractors. The BSCAI Board of Directors are all contractors. It is a volunteer-run association, so we are really focusing on what is in the best interests of our members no matter what. That’s truly special.”
As for the future, Shuchat is positive that BSCAI will continue to play a big role charting the contract cleaning industry’s course “I know so many new and young companies in BSCAI that are now in that role of growing their business, and they’re so excited about every opportunity that passes their way. On the other side, so many of the businesses in BSCAI started from nothing and eventually created 1,000-employee businesses. We have some phenomenal members from these bigger companies on the Board of BSCAI, and they’re talking about the bigger issues, the government issues.”
Shuchat urges BSCAI’s newest and youngest members to just listen. Listen to the older and more experienced members talk openly about their frustrations, their struggles and their successes. But also, be sure to ask questions.
“Adjust your schedule if you can and participate in the town halls, the virtual summits and make it to other association events,” Shuchat says. “You will learn so much. I have never been to a BSCAI event that didn’t pay for itself in terms of what I learned and was able to take back with me.”
Reflecting on His Time as BSCAI President
Shuchat is certainly taking a lot from the experience of being BSCAI President. He is especially proud of the part he played in creating the Vendor Advisory Council in 2025, chaired by Christine Alamed. The group of vendors get together twice a year in person and twice a year virtually to strengthen collaboration between BSCAI’s leadership and the associate member community, including exhibitors and suppliers.
Mostly, though, Shuchat glows at the memories of leading this organization of his peers and maintaining its positive momentum.
“I think this is an industry where the American Dream can continue to come true probably more so than in any other industry in America. It does not require a huge capital outlay. A car, a mop and a bucket, and you can be all ready to go!” Shuchat says.