About Academy Services
Ed Reynolds was in his 40′s and working at Colorado National Bank when he thought it would be a good idea to start a small family business. Ed’s wife, Bobbi, taught piano lessons after school, but with five kids, money was always tight. Over the years, Ed and Bobbi had hired carpet cleaning companies to clean their own home but were not always happy with the results.
After considerable research, ACADEMY Carpet Care was born. Ed started small, using his white Mazda truck to haul Academy’s portable cleaning equipment to each job. “Initially, we thought this would be a nice side business to bring in some additional income and help our teenagers earn money for college,” says Ed. “We didn’t realize that within two years I would leave the banking industry to run Academy full-time.”
In fact, the business grew so quickly that two years later he brought on a friend, Whit Stubbs, as his business partner. One year after that, Randy Loyd joined Academy to take care of the financial side of the business. While all three men bring different talents and strengths to Academy, their partnership has one common theme: Attention to detail. Because Ed and his team go the extra mile with every customer, Academy has earned an excellent reputation in the Denver area and surrounding communities. Bobbi works in the office scheduling jobs, putting together gift baskets for non-profit organizations, and writing Academy’s monthly newsletter.
Over the years, many of Academy customers have replaced their carpet with hardwood, tile, and stone. So the folks at Academy took the classes, learned the best cleaning techniques, and changed their name from “Academy Carpet Care” to “Academy Services.” Today Academy runs a multi-truck operation.
Have the past 19 years been easy? Far from it. Ed’s first commercial contract involved driving from Golden to Longmont, some fifty miles away, with a teenage son or daughter to clean small apartments at $25 a unit. “During winter months, the water would freeze in the hoses and we’d have to thaw them out in the condo bathtub before we could finish the work,” Ed recalls.
Eventually, Academy’s customer base grew through word of mouth and repeat customers, allowing Ed and his partners to be very selective. “We rarely have to deal with a difficult customer. And we don’t bother to compete with the big chain carpet cleaning companies.” Because the majority of new Academy clients have been referred by friends, the first thing they say is, “I’ve heard that you charge more but my friends tell me you’re worth it.”
“We’re grateful to have so many quality customers, particularly during these economic times,” Ed says. “Every client expects a great experience and excellent results. It’s been an honor to meet and exceed their expectations for close to 20 years.”
20 years later - still going strong
