Investera Holdings is a Michigan family-operated company that buys and keeps running commercial cleaning and janitorial businesses in Cleveland and across Cuyahoga County. We are operators and buyers, not brokers and not a passive fund. When we acquire a company like yours, we install strong systems and a professional management layer so the business keeps serving customers long after you step back. Our own portfolio, including CT Cleaners and Optimal Facility Services, shows how we protect the crew, the routes, and the reputation you spent years building rather than stripping them for parts.
Why Cleveland owners are thinking about selling now
Cleveland’s janitorial demand is tied to one of the densest institutional footprints in the Midwest. Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and MetroHealth run millions of square feet of clinical space that has to be cleaned to medical standards every single day, and the office towers downtown, from Key Tower to the new Sherwin-Williams headquarters and the Playhouse Square district, keep Class A cleaning contracts in constant demand. University Circle’s museums and Case Western Reserve buildings add another steady base of recurring work that rarely goes soft.
The lake-effect winter is a business driver of its own. Snow, salt, and slush tracked across lobbies from November through March mean matting programs, hard-floor care, and day-porter service that owners in warmer cities never get to sell. Cold-and-flu season, meanwhile, pushes disinfection work in schools and medical office buildings from Parma to Beachwood. That seasonality makes a well-run Cleveland janitorial book unusually sticky, and unusually valuable to a buyer who intends to keep it running instead of flipping it.
Who we buy in the Cleveland area
We are selective on purpose. We look for cleaning and janitorial companies with real contract revenue and a team that already carries the day-to-day work, so a clean handoff protects both your customers and your people.
- Recurring or contract janitorial revenue, not one-off jobs
- Around $500K+ in revenue or SDE (close is fine)
- A capable crew and supervisors already in place
- A solid reputation with Cleveland-area accounts
- An owner open to a clean handoff or a short stay-on
If most of that describes your business, a conversation is worth your time. Even if a number or two is off, the fit often comes down to the quality of your contracts and the strength of your crew.
What makes selling to Investera different
No broker fees. We buy directly, so you never pay a listing commission or a success fee out of your proceeds. The deal is between you and us.
A confidential process. Your customers, competitors, and crew hear nothing unless and until you decide to tell them, because discretion protects your accounts while we talk.
Creative deal structures. Cash at close, a seller note, an earnout, or keeping a stake. We shape terms around your timing and your tax picture, not a rigid template.
Operators, not a fund. We run cleaning businesses ourselves and plan to hold and grow what we buy. We are not a passive fund parking capital and moving on.
How the process works
The first step is a private phone call, not a valuation form. We learn how your routes, contracts, and crew are structured, share a realistic range, and, if it fits, sign an NDA and move to a simple letter of intent. Because we manage diligence ourselves, sellers usually find the pace calm and straightforward, with no auction and no parade of tire-kickers walking through their accounts.
We will take care of what you built
After close, we install the systems and the dedicated general manager or put-in-charge team that let the company run without you, with scheduling, quality audits, supplies, and account relationships all handled by people whose job is to keep the work excellent. Your supervisors keep their roles, your clients keep their service, and the name you built in Cleveland keeps its standing. Stewardship, for us, means the business is healthier a year after we buy it than the day we shook hands.
Learn more about what we buy, see how we acquire commercial cleaning / janitorial businesses, or read about Investera Holdings.
Frequently asked questions
How much is my commercial cleaning business worth in Cleveland?
Most healthy Cleveland janitorial companies trade in a range of roughly 2.5 to 4 times seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE). Recurring contracts, low customer concentration, and a team that runs the routes without you push toward the top of that range. It is a typical range, not a guarantee, and the real number comes out of your books and your contracts.
Will this stay confidential?
Yes. We treat confidentiality as the default. Your crew, your clients, and your competitors learn nothing from us. We sign an NDA early and only widen the circle when you are ready.
Do I pay any broker or advisory fees?
No. We are the buyer, not a broker. There is no listing commission and no success fee taken from your proceeds, so what we agree on is what you receive, less any advisors you choose to use.
Can I stay involved after the sale?
If you want to. Some owners hand off cleanly in a few weeks, while others stay on for a season to introduce accounts and mentor the manager. We are flexible and never require a long earnout to make a deal work.
How long does a sale usually take?
A typical timeline runs 30 to 60 days from a signed letter of intent to close, depending on how organized your records are. Getting from the first conversation to a signed LOI often takes just a couple of weeks.
What areas around Cleveland do you buy in?
All of Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, including Parma, Lakewood, Euclid, Strongsville, and Mentor, plus the surrounding suburbs and nearby counties.
Start a confidential conversation
If you have thought about stepping back, start with a private, no-pressure conversation. Tell us a little about your Cleveland cleaning business and what you want for your crew and your customers, and we will share a straight, honest read on fit and value. Nothing is shared, nothing is signed, and nothing changes until you decide it should.