To celebrate its thirtieth year
in business in 2020, building
maintenance and custodial
services company, Lewis Industries
Ltd., recently rebranded as part
of the company’s plans to raise its
already sterling profile.
Thecla Fitz-Lewis, Director of
Operations/Human Resource
Development, says the rebranding
was essential to reflect the
company in its true light: its reason
and objective for being in business.
The business, she says, has come
a long way and the company felt it
needed to make a few changes.
“Our new logo reflects the fact
that our company is well equipped
to undertake cleaning at the
residential, commercial and
industrial levels,” Fitz-Lewis told
SLYOU Business Magazine. “We
also want people to know that
we’re an environmentally-friendly
company, which is reflected in the
green leaves in the new logo.”
Lewis Industries Ltd., located in
the Corinth Industrial Estate, was
established in 1990 by Andre
Lewis – Thecla’s husband – and a
few other business partners after
a previous business was no longer
viable.
According to Lewis, after returning
home to Saint Lucia from the
United States in 1988 where he
had spent eight years, he and his
brother and sister started a block-
making business, capitalizing on
the booming construction industry
at the time. The Wyndham Morgan
Bay and Club St. Lucia hotels were
in construction, so there was a
ready market for their concrete
blocks.
But after the block-making
business became unsustainable,
Lewis teamed up with a few
partners to start the cleaning
business in 1990. The business
prospects seemed very tempting:
the Government Buildings on
the Castries Waterfront had just
been constructed, a positive sign
that things were improving in the
country. Besides, back then there
were only two other cleaning
companies on the island.
“Initially, the plan was for us to
sell the cleaning chemicals and
equipment to customers,” Lewis
told SLYOU Business Magazine.
“However, it became difficult
for customers to actually do the
cleaning required. That made it
a hard sell for our products. So
the only way to actually get any
business was for us to do the
cleaning ourselves. Thirty years
later, we’re still cleaning and selling
our products.”
In 1993, Lewis Industries Ltd.
landed its first major contract
– the Saint Lucia Air and Sea
Ports Authority (SLASPA) – with
responsibility for cleaning both
the Vieux Fort and Vigie terminals,
with La Place Carenage coming on
stream afterwards. The company
also got some business from
banks, hotels and other business-
places. Then came the contracts
for major festivals.
“The company has grown by leaps
and bounds and we’re now thirty
years in business,” Lewis reflected.
“It’s not always been easy and
we’ve operated from various
locations, including several years
at Union Industrial Estate, before
settling at our current location at
Corinth in 1999.”
While Lewis Industries Ltd. has
been an industry trailblazer
over the past thirty years, Lewis
admitted that staff turnover is
high because the nature of the job
attracts a certain stigma in Saint
Lucia. People tend to think that
working in certain industries is not
prestigious, he told me. However,
he readily pointed out that one
has to be qualified and committed
to do this type of job because
competition is stiff.
Today, Lewis Industries Ltd. offers
a wide range of services:
• Janitorial Contracts
• Floor Care Maintenance
• Carpet and Rug Cleaning
• Resilient Floor Polishing
• Floor Stripping and Sealing
• Stone Floor Polishing
• Post-Construction Clean-up
• Concrete Floor Coating
• Microbial Mediation (Mould,
Mildew and Rust)
• Upholstery and Fabric
Cleaning (Sofas, Drapes)
• Steam Cleaning and Pressure
Washing
• Timber Floor Sanding &
Finishing
• Sanitization Systems for
Restrooms
The company also offers the
following hospitality supplies:
• All Restaurant and Hotel
Supplies (except food)
• Refrigeration Units
• Cooking Equipment
• Housekeeping Equipment
• Kitchen Equipment
• Bar Equipment
• Garden Equipment
• Floor Coverings
• Paints and Coatings
• All Cleaning Compounds
• Door Mattings
Lewis Industries Ltd. is also an
authorized distributor for KAIVAC
No-Touch Cleaning Machines.
When the company started back
in 1990, its logo was a man with
a mop and its tagline, ‘Leave the
dirty work to us’. Today, Lewis
Industries Ltd. is a strong brand
making the bold statement that it
does more than just cleaning.
“It has been a roller coaster” Lewis
said, characterizing the company’s
journey towards its milestone.
“Thirty years is definitely a long
time to be in business. But we’re
looking forward to the continued
growth of the business.”
In 2020, Lewis Industries Ltd.
intends to offer training in its
services to various sectors and
undertake philanthropic initiatives.
• Rust Prevention
• Glass Cleaning
www.slyoumag.com | February - April 2020
SL-YOU | It’s All About Business 41