SERVICES
Ambition – Woods Bros MD Jack Woods always knew he wanted to run his own business one day. PIC: CHRIS BOOTH
From redundancy to 70-strong commercial cleaning business
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shock redundancy at the start of the pandemic became the catalyst that pushed Teesside entrepreneur Jack Woods to fully commit to his cleaning business, which he had been building on the side – a decision that is now shaping one of the region’ s fastest-growing commercial cleaning firms.
Since launching Woods Bros Cleaning Contractors in 2017, Jack has built the business around consistency, reliability and high standards, with a people-first approach – values he believes are essential in a sector that quietly keeps workplaces, public spaces and critical environments operating every day.
While the company has seen significant growth, tripling over the past 12 months, Jack is clear that maintaining quality and client trust remains the priority as the business scales.
Jack said:“ The priority has always been to deliver exceptional cleaning standards, while building a positive culture.
“ Growth is the result of doing those things consistently well.”
Jack’ s connection to the sector began long before launching his business. Growing up around the cleaning industry through his mum, Susan, who ran her own cleaning company, he developed a clear understanding of the hard work and discipline that is required behind service-led businesses.
In 2017, aged just 20, he launched Woods Bros alongside his full-time role as an accountant. But when redundancy hit in 2020, the business quickly became his sole focus.
“ That was the moment I knew I had to go all in,” he said.“ It gave me the push to build something sustainable for the long term.
“ I was lucky because at the time, I was still living at home, so I could take the risk.”
The company’ s breakthrough came during the pandemic, when demand for specialist infection-control cleaning became critical to combating the virus.
After completing extensive training, Woods Bros secured contracts with major healthcare providers, including NTH Solutions, and as a result delivered services to the North East Ambulance Service, supporting more than 50 ambulance stations with reactive Covid cleaning.
Today, the firm retains a strong presence in the healthcare sector, a market where standards are uncompromising, trust is critical and service delivery is nonnegotiable.
“ We have a deep understanding of NHS standards and that discipline shapes everything we do,” Jack explained.
“ Whether it’ s a medical facility, an office, a car showroom or an industrial site, each client receives the same high level of service, attention to detail and consistent quality audits, ensuring standards are never compromised.”
As a trained NHS auditor for cleaning standards, Jack has embedded compliance, training and continuous improvement into the company’ s DNA, helping Woods Bros build a reputation for reliability in high-risk environments.
From an almost standing start at the beginning of the pandemic, Woods Bros now employs 70 staff.
Hiring – Woods Bros already has 70 staff and expects this number to grow in the coming months.
“ Our team is everything,” Jack said.“ They’ re the ones delivering the service every day, and their commitment is what builds trust with clients.
“ We ensure each member of staff is felt valued and this shows in the levels of quality cleaning they deliver.”
A significant step in the company’ s growth came in March 2025 with the appointment of experienced industry leader Rayner Mayers as non-executive director.
Rayner started and scaled her own cleaning business into a multi-million-pound business and successfully led a management buyout in 2021 with a seven-figure exit.
Jack added:“ Rayner has brought extensive sector expertise. Her involvement has helped strengthen systems, governance and long-term strategy.
“ Having someone who understands the realities of scaling in this industry has been invaluable. It’ s helped us build strong foundations for the future.”
As Woods Bros continues to expand, Jack’ s vision is to double the business by 2027 and, over the next four years, to have grown the business to a strong team of 400 members of staff.
“ We want to be known as a company that delivers consistently, supports its people and takes pride in the work we do,” he said.
“ If we keep doing that, the growth will follow.”
Visit woodsbros. co. uk
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