Published April 2008

Best Face Forward

By Ted J. Rulseh (page 10)

Cleaning and service contractors share the logos they’ve developed to make an impression on customers and be top-of-mind in the market.

American eagles, exploding toilets, poker hands, elephants, chess pieces, even plumber caricatures. That’s what we got after asking cleaners last December to share their company logos. It’s clear there is no shortage of creative talent in the industry.

The owners say these logos help them stay top-of-mind with customers. That’s the whole idea — a symbol customers not only recognize when they see it on a passing truck but remember when they need help and are cruising the Yellow Pages. Here is a closer look at several of the logos sent our way.

Federal Piping Co. Inc., Freedom, N.H. David Boyd set up his business in Freedom in 1991, a newcomer competing mostly with one-man shops having close ties to the community. His eagle logo helped him get noticed and, after half a dozen years, gain a strong foothold in the business. A separate version for his sewer and drain division shows the eagle holding a bucket and plunger.

Boyd, who used to make pen-and-ink drawings of wildlife as a hobby, designed and created the logo himself. “I wanted something that would say, ‘America,’ he says. Today, the logo, displayed in yellow on black trucks, is widely recognized.

“When you create an identity, you have to stay with it,” says Boyd. He gives T-shirts bearing the logo to regular customers. A few have sent him pictures of themselves wearing the shirts in front of tourist landmarks.

Rozen’s Drain & Sewer Service, Binghamton, N.Y. Residents of Binghamton may recognize the superhero plumber — its owner Hershey Rosen himself. Those who see the emblem may also remember what Rozen’s does and doesn’t clean. John Bon Fed, a friend of Rosen who is a caricaturist, created the logo, which the company has used for years. “The only difference is that my hair is gray now,” Rozen says.

DrainXpress, Philadelphia, Pa. Owner Donat Houle (pronounced da-NAY HOOL), came up with the logo with help from his wife, Mary, and a local graphic designer. When they started in business in June 2006, they just used the DrainXpress name underlined by the cleaning tool. Last January they added the spouting privy.

“We offer 24-hour emergency drain relief, and we wanted to convey that idea to our customers,” Houle says. “I came up with the exploding toilet and took it to a graphic designer to give it a professional touch.” The presentation clearly displays a toll-free number that should be easy for customers to remember.

Royal Flush Plumbing Inc., Seekonk, Mass. You can almost guess the slogan a company by this name would use. “A royal flush beats a full house” — ever hear that one before? This company takes a clever and more interesting approach.

Its slogan, “The Best Hand in the Game,” relates back to the company name and the hand of cards held by the pipe wrench. But it also speaks to professionalism: Call this company and an expert comes to your house. Royal Flush has been in business since 1992. Company representative Jane Watson says the firm created the new logo last year, with help from a graphic designer.

Scheer Inc., Grafton, Wis. A logo for a drain cleaning company doesn’t have to show nozzles, snakes, toilets or drains to be effective. It just has to get attention and be memorable in some way. This logo, in bright blue and red, certainly catches the eye.

“We are a home repair and maintenance company that does many sewer, drain cleaning, and sewer televising jobs,” says company representative Jason Scheer. “We started with two trucks and an enclosed trailer, and we are now setting up a box truck dedicated to just sewer and drain cleaning and televising.” You can bet that truck will carry the Scheer logo.

Royal Rooter Sewer & Drain, Coventry, Conn. Owner Jeff Harrell observes, “My tagline has been, ‘We clean your drain, NOT your wallet,’ for seven years, and my customers love it.”

Drain Medic, Levittown, Pa. Owner Greg Arnold knew emergency service as a volunteer firefighter for 13 years. His wife is a nurse. So when it came time to start his drain cleaning company just over a year ago, the name Drain Medic was a natural.

“We wanted a logo that would stand out,” he says. “We wanted it to be professional, not cartoony.” Arnold had in mind a red cross with a plunger across it. Knowing he needed help, he sought out a logo company on the Internet.

“They put the word ‘drain’ in blue for water and the word ‘medic’ in red for emergency,” says Arnold. “Then they put the EKG trace across the top. When we saw that, we were hooked.”

A-K Underground, Tinley Park, Ill. This company’s logo says “vacuum power.” The look on that elephant’s face tells you he means business. A-K specializes in pipe cleaning, vacuuming and jetting, and its brochure prominently features a green combination truck with the logo emblazoned on the sides. “We have had this logo for several years, and it seems to work for us,” says owner Al Kulig. “The credit for it has to go to my son, Greg.”

So, there’s an assortment of logos from independent cleaning companies. Each has its merits. Maybe each could be improved in some way. The important thing is that they seem to serve their purpose: to make the company stand out from competitors.

Perhaps you’ve learned a tip or two from these creative business owners. And maybe one key take-away is that you yourself don’t have to be creative — there are plenty of good design shops available, wherever you may be.

The real lesson, though, is more basic. If you don’t have a memorable image for your business, start now to create one. Give your customers a way to remember you.