Two clients of the Brad D. Smith Business Incubator are winners of the Small Businessperson(s) of the year, as named by the U.S. Small Business Administration for 2020.
Kim Eastman and Brenda Sheldon, owners of Hospitality Cleaning Solutions LLC, were selected for the award for West Virginia. They started the firm in 2011 and have worked with local hotels to contract housekeeping and janitorial services, along with agreements with the Marshall Athletic Department to clean athletics facilities. The company has expanded in 9 years to work with federal and state agencies along with commercial clients in four different states providing janitorial work. They recently expanded into operations, maintenance and security work as well.
With the help of the Brad D. Smith Business Incubator, Eastman and Sheldon are working on a second venture, Impact Employment. This business will focus on helping individuals out of recovery find new employment opportunities. Impact Employment has already worked with Lifehouse Ministries in Huntington to help recovered individuals find their way back into the work environment.
Eastman says it’s a great honor to be recognized for the work they’re doing as a small business in West Virginia.
“Brenda and I are honored to have been recognized as West Virginia’s Businesspersons of the Year for 2020,” Eastman said. “Being headquartered in West Virginia has given us many opportunities to find success. We look forward to expanding employment in West Virginia and partnering with local businesses as we continue to grow.”
Eastman says they’re looking forward to working with the Brad D. Smith Business Incubator as they start Impact Employment.
“We’re excited to be one of the first tenants in the incubator,” Eastman said. “The mentorship, networking and services offered by the incubator and their partners will help Impact Employment grow much more rapidly than if the business did not have access to Marshall’s resources.”
To apply to be a part of the incubator, entrepreneurs can visit www.marshall.edu/incubator and go to the Applications and Eligibility tab. For more information contact James Rorrer, co-director, by phone at 304-696-5120.