About Meridian
A contractor built to be audited
Founded in 2009 and structured, from the first hire, so that a procurement officer can verify every claim on this website before signing anything.
- 2009Founded, Chicago Illinois
- 214W-2 field and management employees
- 138Buildings currently on programme
- 0.78Workers compensation experience modifier
Why the company exists
In 2009 our managing partner was a night supervisor on a Loop tower, working for a contractor who had won the building on price and was losing it on delivery. The crew rotated weekly. Nobody knew where the sharps container was on the medical floor. The monthly report was a single page with three smiling faces on it.
The property manager was not unhappy about cleanliness. She was unhappy because she had no way to tell whether anything had been done, and no way to prove to her ownership group that she was managing the contract. That is the problem this business was built to solve.
Seventeen years later the answer has not changed. Fixed crews on fixed buildings. Everything scoped in writing. Everything inspected and scored by someone who did not do the work. Everything documented in a pack you receive whether the month went well or not.
Compliance
Everything a vendor questionnaire asks for
Demonstration placeholders. Every reference number below contains the word DEMO and refers to nothing real, because Meridian Facility Services is a fictional company built to demonstrate a website.
Certifications
- ISSA CIMS Certified with HonorsCIMS-DEMO-00000Six management dimensions assessed on site by an ISSA accredited assessor.
- ISSA CIMS-GB (Green Building)CIMSGB-DEMO-00000Supports LEED v4.1 O+M credit documentation for tenant and owner submissions.
- Green Seal GS-42 conforming programmeGS42-DEMO-0000Chemical selection, dilution control, equipment and training aligned to GS-42.
- OSHA 30-hour, general industryOSHA30-DEMO-0000Held by every account manager and site supervisor. OSHA 10 for all technicians.
Insurance and bonding
- General liabilityGL-DEMO-000000$2,000,000 per occurrence / $4,000,000 aggregate
- Commercial umbrellaUMB-DEMO-000000$5,000,000
- Workers' compensationWC-DEMO-000000Statutory, Illinois. Experience modifier 0.78
- Janitorial bond (third party fidelity)JB-DEMO-00000$100,000
- Auto liabilityAUTO-DEMO-00000$1,000,000 combined single limit
- Cyber and privacy liabilityCYB-DEMO-00000$1,000,000
Training, per technician
- Bloodborne pathogens29 CFR 1910.1030At hire, then annually. Exposure control plan, PPE, sharps handling and post-exposure reporting.
- Hazard communication and SDS29 CFR 1910.1200At hire, then annually. Labelling, GHS pictograms, and where the SDS binder lives on every site.
- HIPAA awareness for healthcare accounts45 CFR Parts 160 and 164At hire, then annually. Minimum necessary, incidental disclosure, and what to do with paper left on a desk.
- PPE selection and use29 CFR 1910.132At hire, then annually. Task based hazard assessment per account, documented per technician.
- Powered equipment operationManufacturer certificationBefore first solo use. Autoscrubbers, burnishers, extractors and lifts, signed off by a supervisor.
Who ends up in your building
The single biggest difference between two janitorial vendors at the same price is who walks through your door and whether they will still be there in a year.
| Step | What happens | Before or after hire |
|---|---|---|
| Application and interview | In person, in the language the candidate is comfortable in | Before |
| Right to work | E-Verify on every hire, no exceptions | Before |
| Background check | Criminal history, refreshed on our standard cycle | Before |
| Sector specific checks | Sex offender registry for education, additional screening for healthcare | Before |
| Offer at a burdened W-2 rate | Payroll, workers compensation, paid time off, no 1099 arrangements | At hire |
| Core safety training | Bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, PPE | First week |
| Site specific orientation | Your building, your rules, your escalation path | Before first shift |
| Equipment certification | Signed off by a supervisor before first solo use of any machine | Before machine use |
| 90 day review | Kept, coached or released. Most turnover happens here by design | After |
Retention at 24 months across the field workforce runs at 91 percent. In an industry where annual turnover above 200 percent is normal, that number is the entire argument for the W-2 model.
The people who will be at your walkthrough
- Adaeze NwachukwuManaging partnerWith Meridian since 2009Started as a night supervisor on a Wacker Drive tower. Runs the business on the principle that a facility manager should never learn about a problem from their tenant.
- Desmond AchterbergVice president, operationsWith Meridian since 2013Owns the estimating model and the crew structures. Will argue at length about productivity rates and is usually right.
- Yolanda BerriosDirector of quality assuranceWith Meridian since 2016Built the weighted inspection programme. Holds the position that a score without a photograph is an opinion.
- Cornelius BatisteFloor care programme managerWith Meridian since 2011Runs the specialty crew. Has talked more clients out of an annual strip and wax than into one.
Fictional people for a demonstration website. No real individual is described here.
Accounts, and what changed on them
Facility, sector and measured area on the front. What the facility manager said and what moved on the back. Illustrative accounts for a demonstration site.
Book a walkthrough of your building
Ninety minutes on site with an account manager and an operations lead. You leave with a measured cleanable square footage, a draft scope of work and a price, in writing, within five business days.