Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?

I was motivated to start my own company so that I could be “the driver” of my own career. I was working in fire/flood restoration for 17 years at the time when I decided “I can do this” and wanted to create my own empire. I was motivated to create a safe and healthy workplace, flexible hours for my employees, and a professional experience for my customers.

Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.

I support and uplift my community by being involved in community events. Okanagan Legacy has only been open for just over a year but we have been involved in some special events- such as a vendor at the 2024 Pride Event in Kelowna and the very important wildfire cleanup of 2023 in West Kelowna and the Okanagan. We also support our local Kelowna Rockets hockey team by owning 4 season seat tickets. Go Rockets! You will likely have seen us on the jumbotron cheering on the Rockets during warmup. I am also involved with Canadian Blood Services as a 19-time donor and a registered bone marrow donor. We uplift the community by providing services that many cleaning teams shy away from. You know, the REALLY dirty jobs. The ones that involve sewage, animal droppings, animal carcasses, blood, mold, hazardous materials and vomit. We can turn a tragic disaster into a happy, clean and safe home again.

Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?

We deserve to win the Business Impact Award because even though we are a small team of 7 people, we pack a huge impact with what we do. We deal with very serious situations (crime scenes, hazardous materials/substances etc) and put our best foot forward to help our community come through difficult situations. We encourage receiving the jobs that other cleaning teams turn down. Without a team like ours, home owners could be left unsafely cleaning up a disaster on their own; potentially exposing themselves and others in the home during the process. The materials and hazards we work with can have life long consequences if not dealt with in a safe manner.

Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.

Okanagan Legacy Cleaning Services culture is above the rest. Our team has flexible vacation days and time off requests. We work with each other to ensure everyone can have a healthy work-personal life. When employees feel respected and valued, their work performance elevates. Our employees are encouraged to learn industry standards and request training and certification for multiple cleaning scenarios. Some examples of leadership when working with clients, vendors, contractors and staff is that we have our own safety standards and aim to have everyone on site be aware of any hazards and exposures and have everyone be aware and know what to do in certain situations to avoid injury and illness. We pride ourselves as the top notch in safety.

Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?

We deserve to win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award because even though we are a small team of 7 people, we pack a huge impact with what we do. We deal with very serious situations (crime scenes, hazardous materials/substances etc) and put our best foot forward to help our community come through difficult situations. We encourage receiving the jobs that other cleaning teams turn down. Without a team like ours, home owners could be left unsafely cleaning up a disaster on their own; potentially exposing themselves and others in the home during the process. The materials and hazards we work with can have life long consequences if not dealt with in a safe manner.