Ever have one of those kind of days? How about one that lasted a whole year? January 24, 2002 became one of those kind of days for us. Ken was literally leaving the house to make a flight to Kirov-Chepetsk Russia when he received a phone call that changed our lives. Ken’s managerial position in a major financial firm had been eliminated in a company buy-out. You read stuff like this all the time in the newspaper, but this time it hit a lot closer to home. His employer of almost 20 years had sold its assets and employees to a larger corporation, who in turn eliminated 300 Michigan staff. He boarded the plane, completed his duties overseas, and wondered what he would find when he returned to the States.
One year later, on January 24, 2003, Ken officially opened Summit Window Cleaning, LLC, a family owned and operated business. Legally, we are structured as a Limited Liability Corporation in the State of Michigan.
It seemed only natural to name the company Summit…a derivative of a neat little town in the foothills of northeastern Pennsylvania where our son is a junior in college. Kristopher, a theology major, was a source of encouragement for Ken prior to the opening of the company. He believed his father had the ability to create and operate a business from ground zero. He reminded Ken that God had been preparing him for this opportunity for the last 20 years…Ken had acquired all the managerial skills in finance, credit, and sales needed to run his own business. Kris also reminded him that he was stronger than he’d ever been before, having just completed his first Air Force Marathon in less than 4 hours. It was time for all this mental and physical training to come together. Thus began our journey up the mountain.
After only 12 months in operation, we have over 200 satisfied customers, many of whom are on a monthly or quarterly schedule.
Ken is a registered member of the International Window Cleaner’s Association and is completing course work through the International Window Cleaner Certificate Institute. He will receive additional certification in Residential Route and High-Rise Rope Descending System Operations in 2004.
Ever have one of those days? You will. But let us encourage each other to keep climbing the mountains of life, because as Kris reminded us, the view from the summit is worth it.