TAMPA, Fla. – When a presidential nominating convention comes to town, politics infects everything. Even janitorial services.
The monster cleaning franchise Jani-King has the job of caring for the sprawling Liberty Plaza next to the Tampa Bay Times Forum, home to the Republican National Convention. Liberty Plaza will play host to dozens of media events, Mike Huckabee’s radio show and nightly concerts by bands and artists including Journey and Trace Adkins.
Jani-King’s Regional Director David Shahan told Secrets that the firm is volunteering their services because the group, Citizens Helping Heroes, dedicated to veterans, is hosting Liberty Plaza. He said that Jani-King has its own program to help veterans buy franchises, some with just $2,500 down.
“The military is a perfect fit for us,” said Shahan, whose firm is a member of the International Franchise Association, a sponsor of Liberty Plaza.
But he added that helping out at a venue associated with the Republican convention was made easier because franchising companies like his are being hurt by the economy and regulations from the Obama administration. “We’re impacted a lot by their small business practices,” he said of the administration’s rules.
And, he said, the push to expand entitlements has “people feeling better off sitting at home” and not working, making it harder to find workers at the lower wage scales.
