Lawton business owner Chris Collins has taken some innovative steps to help his A-Team Carpet Clean company survive during the tumultuous COVID-19 crisis.
Since many people have not been moving and the military has slowed its relocations for soldiers, Collins decided to incorporate a disinfectant service combined with the carpet cleaning.
“We go in and disinfect a house or apartment when we clean the carpet,” he said. “We get the high-touch areas, set off foggers and wipe it all down.” The new service has been well-received by property management companies and Realtors, he said. “We clean anything that could have been infected or was affected,” Collins said.
At one point during the virus crisis, A-Team Carpet Clean was down to five to 10 jobs a week compared to 30 before COVID-19 hit. The disinfectant service helped offset the company’s initial losses by about 30 percent, Collins said.
“Our employees started getting a better paycheck and it helped get people some more hours,” he recalled. “We’re doing what we can to stay alive.”
Collins is hoping business will improve when June rolls around, since most people move in and out of their apartments and rent homes at the first of the month. “We were hoping things would improve by the middle of May, but now we’re looking more at June,” he said.
Although some restaurants and other businesses have reopened, that hasn’t translated into more jobs for the A-Team. In addition, residential cleanings have slowed down because of COVID-19. “No one wants us in their house, which is something we understand, but it still hurts business,” Collins said.
Collins is hoping COVID-19 will slow down and business will resume to some level of normalcy by September. At the same time, regular flu season is just around the corner in the fall. But Collins is learning lessons from the onset of COVID-19.
“It’s something we’ve taken into consideration when planning financially for next year,” he said, referring to concerns expressed about a potential second wave of COVID-19 later this year and early next year. Collins started the company in 2009 and serves Lawton, Elgin and other communities in Comanche County. He employs six people.
A-Team Carpet Clean provides a variety of services and products related to carpet, pet odor and stain removal, deodorizing, vehicle interior cleaning, restorative services and emergency water extraction services.
A-Team can be reached at 580-713-1018; at its main office in Lawton, 1808 SW F Ave.; or at its satellite office in Elgin. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.