Materic Award: Family Recognized for their Influence on Company Culture and Growth of the Western Wisconsin Squeegee Squad Franchise

In July 2016, Mel Zehm, franchise owner of the Western Wisconsin Squeegee Squad, cleaned the windows of Teri B, Eau Claire, WI. Their conversation quickly turned into a bond as they spoke about Teri’s family and Mel’s military experience. Teri mentioned that her son, Eric, was serving in the National Guard and was expected to return home soon. She told Mel that Eric was looking for a job for the summer. Mel hired Eric immediately after meeting him.

While attending college, Eric worked for the Squeegee Squad and was eventually promoted to Field Supervisor. In a management position, Eric’s strong leadership skills set him apart. Initially supervised three technicians, Eric’s crew was eventually expanded to eight technicians. The franchise business started to grow exponentially during this period. While Mel focused mainly on building business systems, Eric took care of the crews, having a significant impact on the company culture and growth.

Eric remembers, “The impact it had on my life was immense. It was my first real, full-time job, so it taught me a lot about how to be an adult in the workforce. I learned how to interact with people that were in charge of me, as well as those I was in charge of from a business standpoint. I went from lowest man on the totem pole, to being in charge of multiple crews, so there was a huge growth curve in learning how to lead different people that respond to different leadership styles. Mel will always be a mentor I look up to, and I am proud to have worked for a company that puts the customer’s happiness and the worker’s happiness and safety as the highest priority. They never let the profit or revenue get in the way of what is actually important.”

Eventually, Eric moved out of the area and married his lovely fiancé, Brittany. After leaving his position as field supervisor, Eric continued an ongoing relationship with Mel and his other coworkers. “We still have a group chat that gets used regularly. We will send pictures from the workdays at Squeegee Squad when they pop up on our phone and talk about specific days or jobs we were on.”

In April of 2018, Eric recommended that his younger brother, Matt, apply for a summer technician position, and Matt worked at Squeegee Squad while attending college. Matt found that he enjoyed the fast-paced work environment and excelled at window cleaning. Over time, Matt earned a reputation as the fastest window cleaner. Matt eventually was promoted to Field Production Manager where he now leads crews and makes sure that jobs are done as efficiently as possible without compromising the quality.

Matt’s demeanor is humble and compassionate, and he leads by example. When asked to introduce his position, he simply says, “I love to wash windows!”

Customers have frequently left reviews mentioning how amazing their windows look after he has cleaned them. Kristen, a long-time devoted residential customer who signed up for a monthly service, loves how Matt cleans her windows and has requested to have him as her primary window cleaner. She recently emailed Mel about Matt’s window cleaning, “I happened to be home today when your crew came to do the windows. They were great and the windows were beautiful! Thank you!”

Family Recognized at Company Banquet

Last February, Eric and Matt, along with their mother, Teri, were recognized at a company banquet for the wonderful job Teri did raising her two sons and their contributions to the franchise. Eric spoke at the banquet, expressing the profound impact working for the Squeegee Squad had on his life. In his speech, Eric gave advice to Mel’s employees about achieving excellence while on the job. He shared, “What you will get out of it is what you are willing to put into it. Be willing to give it your all, and you will be happily surprised by what you get back!”

Eric and Matt were the first recipients of the Materic Award, a qualitative and quantitative achievement received for having changed the trajectory and culture of the business in a profound way. Numerous challenging metrics as well as a genuine pursuit of professional excellence must be met to be nominated for the award. During the banquet, Mel introduced and presented Eric with the inaugural Materic Award, and Eric extended the honor to his brother Matt, who has taken the baton.

Learn More about Squeegee Squad Western Wisconsin Team