Meet The Team: Russ Sr.
Hiring a carpet cleaning company is a big decision, and we want you to know who you will be working with. Today we focus on Russ Sr. He is one of the owners and does the carpet and upholstery estimates for commercial clients.
In addition to my business partner Russ Sr. is also my father. Raised in Hopkins Mn, he married a beautiful Hopkins native and elementary school teacher named “Mom”. Lol. j/k. Her name was Lynda Lee, now Lynda Zakariasen for the past 40 years.
Dad has had a varied work life since he was a child. He has done everything from ski instructor to gold miner, landscaper to stock broker. He has finally sat still in Burnsville MN for the last 13 years working with his two sons, Ryan and Russ.
Russ has a passion for the sport of Golf and has won many tournaments and club championships. Belonging to Northfield Golf Club, “Zak”, as he’s known at the club, has found the friendships and competition that he has always been looking for. I can say from watching my father that he has never been happier than he is now. Having found places that he truly belongs in both his social and work life he is bursting with joy.
Here’s a little Q&A to get to know him better.
Q. Why did you get into the carpet cleaning industry?
A. My two sons were working in the industry and I thought what greater dream could a proud papa have then to work side by side with my children.
Q. What do you like about the carpet cleaning industry?
A. I like that I can see the results on each job when we are done. There aren’t a lot of industries that have such tangible results.
Q. Why commercial estimating?
A. I do all the estimates because that is the best opportunity to meet and get to know every customer.
Q. What was most important to you when starting Commercial Steam Team?
A. That we treat every customer and every employee with respect and honesty.
Q. What is it like working with your family?
A. It is by far the best work experience I have ever had.
In a side note, Dad would pay our employees out of his own mortgage when we didn’t even have enough money to pay ourselves. This is one of the reasons that I am so proud to be both his son and his business partner. I would hope every client see him for who he is, one of the “good guys”.