SERVICES
Founder – managing director Grahame Chapman operates CASS from Willow Court on Thornaby’ s Teesside Industrial Estate.
THE CLEAN
PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH WORDS: DAVE ROBSON
TEAM
How a Teesside firm built a national cleaning empire
From a modest start in 1997 to a nationwide operation employing more than 230 people, Teesside-based cleaning company CASS( Cleaning and Support Services) has grown into one of the UK’ s most quietly successful businesses in its field.
“ We’ re probably the largest cleaning company you’ ve never heard of,” says founder and managing director Grahame Chapman, whose firm operates from Willow Court on Thornaby’ s Teesside Industrial Estate.
Despite keeping a deliberately low profile, CASS has become a major player in the commercial cleaning sector.
With a workforce spanning the country, it delivers multi-site cleaning services for major national brands – including online grocery giant Ocado – as well as a wide range of regional businesses.
Locally, CASS’ s client list includes Dodds Brown, with its teams maintaining prominent buildings such as Hudson Quay in Middlesbrough, Northshore One in Stockton and Boaz House on Teesdale Business Park.“ We probably clean around 45 % of the premises on Teesdale,” Grahame estimates.
CASS has reported an average 20 % year-on-year growth, and with expansion plans underway, Grahame hopes to see the workforce surpass 500 employees in the near future.
From carpenter to cleaning entrepreneur Grahame’ s route into the industry was, as he admits,“ completely by accident.”
Born and raised in Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, he left Brookside School with a handful of CSEs and planned to follow in the footsteps of his late father, Derek, a joiner who was killed in an ICI accident in 1964.
After beginning a joinery apprenticeship with the local council, Grahame excelled, winning the national Spear and Jackson Apprentice of the Year award three times and representing Team GB twice at the International Skills Olympics.
90 | Tees Business