The Queen of Clean: Audrey Stewart – Hinchcliffe
The Woman Behind Manpower Cleaning Company
Early days
Audrey Stewart was born in Trelawny, Jamaica. She grew up in a strong Christian family. The last of 9 children. Audrey attended Excelsior High. And then went on to study nursing at University College Hospital. She became a nurse and worked in the field for 24 years. Over the years she worked in Brooklyn, New York, and Jacksonville, Florida. She later moved to Guyana to work as the Health Development Officer at CARICOM. In 1987, Audrey decided to move back to Jamaica.
The Journey
Getting employed in Jamaica was much harder than Audrey had imagined. So she got entrepreneurial. Audrey's first business was Caribbean Health Management Consultant limited. As the name suggests, it would provide consultancy services to companies. This business struggled to gain traction. This is a friendly reminder that success usually comes through failure. Or setbacks. Because you can't see it now, doesn't mean it's not coming. Stay strong and press on.
At 50 years old Audrey struck luck. The idea of Manpower came to mind. It came out of the cry for cleaner hospitals in Jamaica. She had worked as a Hospital Administrator at the University Hospital of Jacksonville. While there, she saw that hospitals were outsourcing cleaning services. Her experience and connections became handy. She was able to get the Service Master from Jacksonville to visit Jamaica. He taught her how to bid on jobs and how to carry out services. She was now ready for the job. Audrey wrote a letter to the then government to outsource cleaning services. Her first contract was with The Tony Thwaites Wing at the University of the West Indies Hospital.
It’s hard to see the difference in a cleaned space if you are comparing the work of good workers. So what can you do to set your offering apart from your competitors? Audrey decided that she would focus on how she trains her staff as a competitive advantage. Audrey believes in empowering people. She has an accredited training institute. Someone who started out as a janitor can enroll in further education and work their way up to a management level.
Manpower’s growth comes through strategic planning. Today they have a staff size of 2500+. They have a 20 years plan that they tackle in 5-year blocks. At its core, Manpower offers janitorial and ground maintenance services. Audrey and her team plan on entering the garbage collection business. And it makes sense. They are already cleaning the buildings, might as well take out the trash. They offer training services for other companies. They distribute cleaning products and are involved in other well-integrated services.
Audrey is strong on succession planning. While she’s still the CEO and chairwoman, her son Garth has been in the business for many years. And is ready to take on the leadership role once his mother decides to step down. Her grandson is also in the business. He regards her as a prudent money manager. She's a super host and enjoys cooking and gardening.
Though she’s involved in consultancy and other services, her passion is cleaning.
In the last 31 years, Audrey has built a company that is well known across Jamaica and offers great services. At 81, she has no plans of slowing down. She’s an author. Mrs. Hinchcliffe writes articles for newspapers and has 2 books and another on the way. Her latest book is The Will To Overcome. It is a compilation of over 400 speeches. These speeches are applicable to HR managers, entrepreneurs, and many other individuals.
Life Lessons By Audrey
"If something keeps me awake for one night the next night it’s not her problem. I am passing it on."
"Do not wait for someone to celebrate you, it will never happen."
"I built my success by getting persons to trust me. My mantra is customer service, customer service, customer service."
"You don’t manage people. You train them to perform and manage themselves."
"Companies talk about human resources being their best asset. Yet when the bottom line is being threatened the first thing that gets cut is that human resource."
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Very inspirational post!