Business I doer profile

Sparkle Time!

Rt.,,tauranis
Theaters
Health Clubs
anal More!

Penchant for cleanliness yields prosperous
restroom-cleaning business.

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l'ARKLY

Robert A. Sklar
Editor

E

ric Samson makes his living
on making bathrooms sparkle
— the door handles included.
Two years ago, the 1992 North
Farmington High School graduate
opened the Sparkling-Image of Southeast
Michigan franchise. The three-employee
company specializes in the deep cleaning
of commercial bathrooms. It uses special
cleaning machines and equipment. It sells
commercial soaps, air fresheners, paper
products and dispensers.
"Our deep-cleaning process covers
wall to wall, floor to ceiling, up the vents
and down the drains," said Samson 33, of
Farmington Hills.
"When we're finished, our restrooms
look and smell like no other! Restaurant
owners, their employees and guests all
benefit from a Sparkling-Image-cleaned

restroom."
Samson has been such a stickler about
people not washing their hands after using
the restroom that his company became
Metro Detroit's first installer of a small
device that automatically sprays door
handles with a hospital-grade disinfec-
tant. The HYSO Automatic Door Handle
Sanitizer was invented and manufactured
by Simon Sassoon, nephew of hairdresser
Vidal Sassoon.
"HYSO is an excellent way for business
owners to let their employees and custom-
ers know that they care about their health,"
Samson said. "Since hands and fingers are
the most common way to transmit germs,
it only makes sense to frequently sanitize
the bathroom door handles."
A 2002 study of college-age women at a
New Orleans bar revealed that 60 percent
of the restroom users did not wash their
hands, according to Samson.
Samson got into the business after

ALL OF

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, Lear.

Eric Samson: "Our deep cleaning process covers wall to wall, floor to ceiling, up the vents

and down the drains."

earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Eastern Michigan University in 1997 and
a Culinary Arts degree from Schoolcraft
College in Livonia in 2000.
He has a thing for cleanliness.
His chef background comes in handy
since his company services mostly restau-
rants. "Restroom cleanliness is one of the
major factors people consider when decid-
ing where to go out to eat," Samson said. "If
the restroom is dirty and smells unpleas-
ant, it leaves diners wondering what the
condition of the kitchen is like."
Sparkling-Image was founded in Dallas
in 2002. It operates 30 franchises in North
America. Sparkling-Image of Southeast

Sparkle Time on page

63

Name: Eric Samson
Age: 33
Home: Farmington Hills
Business: Sparkling-Image of Southeast
Michigan franchisee, 24370 Northwestern
Hwy., Suite 111, Southfield 48075 (248)
223-9200. www.Sparkling-Image.com
Family: wife of two years, Miranda
Synagogue: Temple Emanu-El, Oak Park
Affiliations: Michigan Restaurant
Association

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September 13 • 2007