Meet Mark Goodman of Fibermark Mark the Carpetbagger in Santa Monica

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Goodman.

Mark, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

At the start I did a lot of knocking on doors, cleaning for cheap and free at times so I could show people what I could do.  I walked into a furniture showroom and spoke to the owner.  I said I wanted to give him a day of free cleaning, basically show him what I could do.  I gave him the day and he had me working for  a week..  He was recommending me to clients and I continued to work for him for about 10 years.  At one point he gave me keys to the showroom  allowing me to use the back of the showroom for my plant to clean other items also.  I went through a restaurant stage where I would literally sleep on the banquets at night to save drive time from home back to the restaurant.  It also allowed me to work after they closed and before the lunch crowd showed up.  There was a time where I had worked 4 months’ night and day, sometimes 7 days a week.

As a top cleaning company in Los Angeles we know that the service we provide is essential to our clients’ and our livelihood. Our returning client base proves we are among the most trustworthy and knowledgeable cleaning firms in the area.

What makes us stand apart is the way we work. We are problem solvers and we stand behind everything we do! Our experienced, professional team will search tirelessly for the best cleaning solutions that fit your specific needs and we believe that there is nothing more important than our integrity. Our clients know that we won’t make a promise without delivering and we are always keeping our clients in mind. Our clients trust us and rely on us!

In 1963, my father, Joe Goodman founded Mark the Carpetbagger. While he was attending UCLA, he made money cleaning the carpets of tenants moving in and out of two buildings my grandfather owned in Westwood, CA. When he completed school, he realized that he really enjoyed the mental and physical aspects of his cleaning business. We often use his phrase, “using your hands as well as your head,” in our ads seeking employees. With time, my father – and his business – became known as the top cleaning company in the area and much of his business came from strong reviews and referrals. In fact, in sticking with tradition, over 90 percent of our work continues to come from word of mouth.

In 1986 I started my own business, Fibermark, out of my apartment. In a few short years, I was able to relocate the business to a building in West Los Angeles and found myself busy with new business every day. In fact, I would often find myself working seven days a week, as well as many evenings.

As the business continued to grow,  I started the search for a building that could accommodate us well into the future. It was during this search that I found a building on a prestigious street in Santa Monica. I knew I couldn’t afford to take it at the time, but I really did not have a choice I had to move. The building was right across the street from where my father and I had housed our mutual business. The irony was not lost on me, and it seemed like the perfect choice.

In May of 2008, I was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. Between my treatments, I still managed to work nearly every day. Since I couldn’t drive, I had a driver that took me to work before my appointments at Cedars Sinai, then to estimates before heading home. Saying that this time was difficult would be an understatement, but I still managed to move forward. Amazingly, my company still grew and flourished.

In February of 2010, I discovered that my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During his last few months our relationship became stronger than ever and it was established that I would merge my business, Fibermark, with Mark the Carpetbagger. This is how we became Fibermark Mark the Carpetbagger, also known as Fibermark MTC.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

To say the least, my journey to now has not been the easy road. When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2004, it threw everybody through a loop. My wife and I had just had our second child and I was working on my own with two other employees. I went to work every day, but had to have a driver. I went to radiation at Cedars Sinai every weekday driven by wife’s boss’s son. The doctor was a godsend. He refused to allow me to pay for gas or that his son would pick me up every day and drive me to my appointments and then on estimates when I had them. There were a few days I was just beat by the pills I had to take every day. But I had employees and a family to support.

A few years later, we were mentioned in Best of Los Angeles Magazine as the best carpet and upholstery cleaners in Los Angeles.  1986 was the first time we were the LA Magazines Cleaner.  Then in 2010 we were the voted top Cleaning company, LA magazines go to cleaning company.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Fibermark Mark the Carpetbagger, Inc. – what should we know?

I really do not like saying “no”. Reagan had on his desk a plaque, “Yes, I Can.” Well, this has been my motto from my start.  I do not easily give up. We are a service business, which means I will be of service until my client is happy and satisfied.  There are times my guys come to me and say there is nothing they can do.  Often, I will  take this time to show my guys I still have the same desire I had from the beginning, sometimes fixing the issue.  I encourage the “Don’t Give up”.

I spend a lot of time educating other cleaning companies, showrooms and show room personnel design classes at colleges and give “Dirty Classes” helping the design community on the knowledge of fabrics and fibers. In these classes, I teach about what cleans well and which products they should be aware of before placing them into their client’s’ home or business.

I have personally trained the staff of a large homes who may have 10-15 people in the home at a time. Do you know what to do if the dog mistakes the $100K Persian rug for the grass outside?

We work for many companies throughout the United States, but also receive items from designers outside of the United States. Indonesia has many nice resorts who have contacted me to go there and train their staff on emergency and general maintenance cleaning techniques.

From humble beginnings, our company has grown and is now able to perform 125 – 185 jobs a month and I have very few complaints about the quality of my employees’ work. Just see our online reviews! Our cleaning professionals are paid an hourly rate, so there is never a rush to get through their jobs. Many other companies work on a commission basis. This can cause a conflict because on commission, the faster they work the more money they make. I am able to pay a very good hourly rate and provide full health benefits, vacation, sick and holiday pay. I also offer a bonus for the company as a whole. It is not just one person but the whole team who hits the bonus, so it encourages everyone to participate in achieving monthly goals. We value our employees because we know that happy employees results in better service to our customers

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?

The people who I work with make me look great.  But, I am not the person performing the work.  I always move to the side when a happy client is thanking me.  I tell them I did not do the work, but this guy did.  My company makes me look wonderful.  I am proud of my guys and my company.  It is also very important for me to see that whoever I work with is bettering themselves and looking towards the future.  I offer a career, not a job.  My guys have passion for the work.  It is only right that I have a passion to help them become better people also.

Lastly, I’m in this business because I’m passionate about cleaning and ensuring my clients can live in a healthy and happy environment. Give us a call today and allow us to help with your cleaning needs!

Contact Info:
Address: Fibermark Mark The Carpetbagger, Inc.
1708 22nd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Website: www.fibermarkmtc.com
Phone: 310-399-2066
Email: mark@fibermarkmtc.com
Facebook: FibermarkMTC
Yelp: FibermarkMTC