Family-owned Cleaning Company in Asheville Celebrates 35 Years
Aug 28, 2025 12:48PM ● By WNC Business
The Asheville-based company Quality Janitorial
Group, a family-owned and -operated cleaning services and
supplies firm at 1276 Hendersonville Road, is celebrating 35 years in business. Quality Janitorial will mark the occasion with an Open House and anniversary celebration
on Tue., Sept. 16, 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., at the company’s warehouse and main office
at 1276 Hendersonville Rd., featuring remarks from elected officials, as well as
music, light food, beverages, tours, and acknowledgements.
“Longevity wasn’t something we thought about when we first started,” said President/CEO Jonathan Blakely, who founded the company with wife Namurah Blakely. “But with years of hard work, perseverance, loyal employees, great clients, high standards and an intense work ethic, we’re proud and excited to have established a real legacy in Western North Carolina.”
The couple started out in 1989 with a customer base of three county libraries, usually cleaned during evenings with their two toddlers in tow. The cleaning sparkle that resulted from their work became known as “The Quality Way,” and drew community attention. Demand for their services soared. In 1990, couple incorporated Quality Janitorial Group. The Blakelys recruited aunts, uncles, cousins, and even their parents to keep up with demand. Jonathan, with degrees from Asheville-Buncombe Technical College in Mechanical Engineering and Marketing & Business Administration, and Namurah, a trained nurse and graduate of Mars Hill College, soon had to leave their day jobs and focus on their entrepreneurial venture full-time. They incorporated as Quality Janitorial Group.
Today, Quality is the largest family-run cleaning company in Western North Carolina, with nearly 100 employees, a dozen subcontractors and contracts with nearly 50 companies -- including many of the largest industrial and medical facilities in Asheville, Hendersonville, Canton, and Sylva. The Blakely’s also received the Entrepreneur of the Year (2004) award from MED Week Enterprises and were named Minority Service Business Firm of the Year by the State of North Carolina. Blakely sons Jonathan Jr. and Preston, as well as niece Mia Simpson, hold positions at Quality, while other family members can be found among staff at various operations.
Company officials and staff enjoy speaking on Quality’s eco-friendly cleaning products, stateof-the-art equipment, professionally trained cleaners and focus on safety, but Namurah Blakely insists that the family-like feel of the company and nurturing of relationships are what has attracted and kept clients.
“To me, ‘quality’ means that even though we are a good-sized company, most of our customers wouldn’t know it. A customer can call us at any time and within an hour we are there. That is what is different about us,” she said. “We treat each client as though they are family. We run it as it’s a small company. Our customers know all of our management, they have all of our cell phone numbers and contact us with any concern, knowing that we will take care of it.”
The company plans to celebrate with an anniversary party and open house, where the public can see the company’s warehouse and products, as well as enjoy some light food and speeches. With the week of Sept. 14–Sept. 20 being National Housekeepers and Environmental Services Week, the company will particularly thank long-time employees who’ve grown with the company along the way. The owners stress, at 35 years much has changed. But much remains the same. The business is still run as if it were a family – a very large, hard-working, extended family.
Source: Quality Janitorial Group.
“Longevity wasn’t something we thought about when we first started,” said President/CEO Jonathan Blakely, who founded the company with wife Namurah Blakely. “But with years of hard work, perseverance, loyal employees, great clients, high standards and an intense work ethic, we’re proud and excited to have established a real legacy in Western North Carolina.”
The couple started out in 1989 with a customer base of three county libraries, usually cleaned during evenings with their two toddlers in tow. The cleaning sparkle that resulted from their work became known as “The Quality Way,” and drew community attention. Demand for their services soared. In 1990, couple incorporated Quality Janitorial Group. The Blakelys recruited aunts, uncles, cousins, and even their parents to keep up with demand. Jonathan, with degrees from Asheville-Buncombe Technical College in Mechanical Engineering and Marketing & Business Administration, and Namurah, a trained nurse and graduate of Mars Hill College, soon had to leave their day jobs and focus on their entrepreneurial venture full-time. They incorporated as Quality Janitorial Group.
Today, Quality is the largest family-run cleaning company in Western North Carolina, with nearly 100 employees, a dozen subcontractors and contracts with nearly 50 companies -- including many of the largest industrial and medical facilities in Asheville, Hendersonville, Canton, and Sylva. The Blakely’s also received the Entrepreneur of the Year (2004) award from MED Week Enterprises and were named Minority Service Business Firm of the Year by the State of North Carolina. Blakely sons Jonathan Jr. and Preston, as well as niece Mia Simpson, hold positions at Quality, while other family members can be found among staff at various operations.
Company officials and staff enjoy speaking on Quality’s eco-friendly cleaning products, stateof-the-art equipment, professionally trained cleaners and focus on safety, but Namurah Blakely insists that the family-like feel of the company and nurturing of relationships are what has attracted and kept clients.
“To me, ‘quality’ means that even though we are a good-sized company, most of our customers wouldn’t know it. A customer can call us at any time and within an hour we are there. That is what is different about us,” she said. “We treat each client as though they are family. We run it as it’s a small company. Our customers know all of our management, they have all of our cell phone numbers and contact us with any concern, knowing that we will take care of it.”
The company plans to celebrate with an anniversary party and open house, where the public can see the company’s warehouse and products, as well as enjoy some light food and speeches. With the week of Sept. 14–Sept. 20 being National Housekeepers and Environmental Services Week, the company will particularly thank long-time employees who’ve grown with the company along the way. The owners stress, at 35 years much has changed. But much remains the same. The business is still run as if it were a family – a very large, hard-working, extended family.
Source: Quality Janitorial Group.