Steri Clean: Pioneering Safety and Compassion in Cleanup Services

Meet Cory Chalmers, the heart and soul of Steri-Clean, a company that combines expertise with compassion in the remediation process. Cory’s story began in 1995 when he founded Steri-Clean while working as a paramedic. His empathy led him to become a firefighter in Orange County, California in 1997, and he quickly rose through the ranks to become a paramedic and then captain. In 2011, he retired from the fire department and dedicated himself full-time to his company and helping people in their darkest times. Cory’s knowledge of city budgets, contracts, purchase orders (POs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and budget constraints has been key to securing contracts with over 48 cities for Crime Scene Steri-Clean. With 14 years as a paramedic, 14 years in hazardous materials and emergency management, and 29 years of biohazard response and cleanup since 1995, Cory is a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences and seminars across the US. He’s been featured on TV shows like “Hoarders” on A&E. He is also responsible for the rapid growth of Crime Scene Steri-Clean from an owner-operator, home-based business to a multi-million dollar company in the United States.

Maintaining Core Values

While working as a paramedic/firefighter, Cory and his team responded to many crime scenes, which included traumas, critical injuries, and sometimes death. Seeing the distress of the victims’ families and friends, Cory couldn’t bear the thought of them having to clean up the aftermath themselves, which is why he started Steri-Clean.

Cory knows his clients need compassion and care, so he hires and partners with people who share his values of compassion, care, and trust, not just those who want to make money. Every franchise he sells, or every employee he’s ever hired is wired like him. The people of Steri-Clean are driven to make a difference in their communities and help those in need. That core value of compassion and community service is what builds trust with clients. It is the foundation of Steri-Clean’s success and profitability, which proves that doing good leads to financial success.

The Biggest Hurdle

One of the most significant challenges for Cory was transitioning from emergency response to business management. Responding to emergency calls demands empathy and urgency, but running a business is an entirely different game. To overcome this hurdle, Cory sought guidance from CEOs, coaches, accountants and even visited some of the largest franchises to learn from their business models. These experiences were instrumental in shaping the business model that Steri Clean uses today.

The Pivotal Decision

Cory believes the biggest decision that impacted Steri-Clean’s growth was to pivot into a franchise model. In 2010, Cory wanted to grow Steri-Clean nationwide, but he had no idea if he wanted to do that with corporate-owned stores or franchises. So, he met several franchise consultants, attorneys, and other top-level CEOs and decided to proceed with the franchise model. This allowed him to rapidly grow Steri-Clean with minimal capital investment while ensuring the consistent quality promised to clients through the comprehensive training programs attended and adopted by franchises.

Comprehensive Training Program for New Franchises

Steri-Clean has a two-week training program that includes one week of classroom and six days of field training. Cory and his team train new franchises on not just the cleaning tasks they perform but also the psychology of what Steri-Clean’s clients are going through. Anyone can learn to clean, but understanding the psychology of the trauma Steri-Clean’s clients are experiencing is truly what makes them more successful and closes many more leads.

“The three most important things to prevent failure are hiring the right people, training them to know everything they need to, and offering unlimited support. With these components in place, failure is not an option,”- explains Cory.

Till date, Steri-Clean has spent over $550,000 on its own customer management software, starting with its call center and continuing through the job completion. It documents every customer interaction, job photos, estimates, invoices, and CRM. This not only sets the organization apart from its competitors, but allows it to review every customer interaction, even the estimates that didn’t convert to a job. Cory teaches the classroom training himself and gives each new franchise his direct cell number so they can call whenever they have questions. They also have direct access to Steri-Clean’s COO, accounting team, and training manager for clarification.

Long Term Goals

Under Cory’s leadership, Steri-Clean maintains its competitive edge through continuous innovation. The company consistently brings new supplies, equipment, and services to its franchises. From custom-built trucks and apps to a new product that completely eradicates Fentanyl, making the decontamination job much easier and safer, Steri-Clean is always one step ahead! This commitment ensures that the company meets and exceeds industry standards, making decontamination jobs easier and safer for clients and employees.