Lenie Ford

Insipired by her chef friend, Lenie decided to become a business owner.  Lenie said, “Getting started was the hardest part. WEV allowed me to dive in smartly: by checking then re-checking whether having a company would be feasible.” Once she was able to determine the feasibility, Lenie opened her cleaning business in September of 2023, Santiago’s Clean Service, LLC.

“First connecting with WEV was a dream come true,” said Lenie, “there was finally a huge sense of peace that I was going in the right direction,” she added. At WEV, she learned how to refine the details of her business model when writing a business plan. She said “Words could never express how grateful we feel as a family, for my education at WEV. It’s been of service to me years later, and that’s priceless”

Lenie prides herself in her company’s standards and values, applying it not only to their work but also to their hiring and employee management practices, “Santiago’s is more than just a clean service for local offices. We really live what we say our values are, including showing up on time, disinfecting carefully, and refreshing spaces as well as hiring workers with kids to support, making sure we attract those who have integrity, and who are conscientious. We feel proud to think of ways to make work better and better for our clean techs. It’s the Santiago’s difference!” Taking cleaning practices she learned during the height of the pandemic, she looks forward to helping her community prepare for winter.