City Wide Facility Solutions was born 63 years ago when Frank Oddo ran into a problem while working in his father’s convenience store. He was constantly struggling to find reliable cleaners for the store in the evenings and, in 1961, Oddo opened City Wide Maintenance. By Kelsi Trinidad
City Wide Facility Solutions was born 63 years ago when Frank Oddo ran into a problem while working in his father’s convenience store. He was constantly struggling to find reliable cleaners for the store in the evenings and, in 1961, Oddo opened City Wide Maintenance.
Since then, the company has expanded beyond simple janitorial services, as it now includes commercial cleaning, window washing, pressure washing, painting and 20 other facility maintenance services. In 2001, City Wide Facility Solutions launched a franchise opportunity that streamlined its tried-and-true formula, which allows franchisees to serve as general maintenance managers for commercial buildings, contracting local independent contractors for their clients.
City Wide Facility Solutions is the largest management company in the building maintenance industry and is continuing to grow. With its diverse roster of services offered, the company’s franchise model has proven to be recession-resistant. Every commercial building needs facility maintenance, even in the toughest of times.
City Wide Facility Solutions prides itself on being selective about awarding franchises. It’s part of the belief that finding the right people will allow everyone to be successful. With a tight-knit community of 100 franchisees, it’s important that all incoming franchisees are also dedicated to this mission of mutual success. With a robust training program, the company not only gives corporate guidance but also peer-to-peer training and a business group for its women franchisees.
“We have an 8 million average unit volume,” said Director of Franchise Development Adria Hartwig. “You don’t get that without world-class training and a superb support system.”
At the core of City Wide Facility Solutions is the ethos of what they’ve coined the ripple effect. It’s a belief that positively impacting the lives of everyone within the City Wide community is important, including its franchisees, clients, employees, contractors and vendors. The company holds a strong belief that the success of the company is due to the success of its team.
An example of this ripple effect can be seen in an employee at City Wide’s San Diego location, who began as a night manager. After 11 years, this employee became the proud owner of his own franchise. This success can also be seen in City Wide’s ability to grow independent contractors’ businesses by finding clients for them that they might not have reached.
This ripple effect also extends to the broader communities in which City Wide Facility Solutions serves. As franchisees thrive, they have found opportunities to give back in their local areas. For example, at its 2023 convention, hosted by its Tampa Bay franchisees, City Wide raised $600,000 for LiFT, an organization that helps neuro-divergent children integrate into their communities. It’s a symbiotic relationship between both the franchisees and their local communities.
“I would say as a system, City Wide donated more than $1 million in 2023 across the local communities that we serve and operate,” said Director of Marketing Kasey Skala.
Kelsi Trinidad