Dave and Debbie Ballard have enjoyed living in Greenville, South Carolina for the past thirty years, moving down from the Dayton, Ohio area. They’ve also enjoyed visiting the coast of the Carolinas for many of those years. Currently, both of their children and their two grandsons now reside in Charleston.
Dave’s degree and background is in Systems Engineering. He graduated from Wright State University. He worked for two global companies focusing on the industrial power transmission industry. The last four years Dave lead a team who developed a greenfield production/assembly facility in Greenville, SC for a Fortune 50 Company. Continuing to stay involved in the gear technology sector, he is active on the American Gear Manufactures Association (AGMA) Foundation Board. Formally, he served AGMA on the Board of Directors and was chairman from 2009-2011.
Dave is currently working with his counterparts on the AGMA Foundation Board reviewing applications for college scholarships to be awarded for the upcoming school year. Together they are most proud of their two children: daughter Amanda, along with her husband, Michael (a pilot for Delta), are the proud parents of Jackson (3 ½) and Ethan (17 months); and, just announced—baby #3 is on the way, due early February 2016! Their son, Sean, is a talented sous chef, currently working in Charleston. He and his fiancée have wedding plans set for October 2016!
Debbie worked for 12 years with the local public schools as an assistant for both special needs students and, later with the kindergartners. Currently she manages rental property in South Carolina and Ohio. Dave also holds a South Carolina Residential Builders license. Together, they have built and remodeled several homes.
In early spring 2015, Dave was thinking about a lifestyle change that would offer an opportunity to both leave the “corporate structure” and, also possibly offer a scenario to work together with Debbie. Consequently, Dave resigned from his position. An online search of “Businesses for Sale” revealed The Cleaning Authority. The additional bonus of living and working in Charleston was certainly a plus!
After an inquiry and further conversations with the owner, Dave and Debbie felt that the business growth potential and strong corporate support was a great fit for them. They gravitated toward The Cleaning Authority’s value of service, quality process, and the local market’s current successes and future growth potential.
They are taking over ownership of the existing Charleston location on July 13, 2015. With 32 employees already, Dave and Debbie are looking forward to adding more jobs to the community and increasing the current coverage in the Charleston area.
Hear from other stories like theirs in our franchisee testimonial section.