Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 3-6-20
P. 3
Feature
Businesswoman Wins More Than $300,000 City Contracts
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Recently, the City of Tampa awarded more than $300,000 in contracts to a local business- woman. The bids were part of a sheltered market solicitation issued through the City’s Logistics and Asset Management Department --- Facility Management Division.
The contracts were awarded to Ms. Wanda Barton, owner of Xtremely Clean Janitorial Service, LLC. Ms. Barton, who is African American, won three separate bids to provide cleaning services for nine City-owned parking garages.
In addition to this newly awarded contract, Xtremely Clean Janitorial Service, LLC is currently under contract to provide services for several City facilities to include 23 Parks and Recreation Commu-
MS. WANDA BARTON
nity Centers.
Xtremely Clean Janitorial Serv-
ice, LLC is certified as a Minority Small Business Enterprise with the
City of Tampa. This certification is part of the City’s Equal Business Opportunity program which seeks to help small, minority, woman- owned and LGBT-owned busi- nesses flourish through initiatives like sheltered market solicitations.
Ms. Barton is a Polk County native who started out cleaning hotel rooms in Kissimmee, FL as a teenager. She founded Xtremely Clean Janitorial Service, LLC in May 2013.
Ms. Barton said, “Cleaning is my passion and I knew I could be successful in this line of work. I started my business cleaning fore- closed homes. When the foreclo- sure market started to decline I began seeking government con- tracts.”
She received her first contract with the City of Tampa in 2016. Since then she has worked hand-in-
hand with the City’s Minority and Small Business Development staff. “The staff has been a great sup-
porter of my journey as a small business owner. They’ve been help- ful and informative when it comes to getting information on new con- tract opportunities along with pro- viding me support with my current contracts,” she said.
Ms. Barton plays an active role in the company managing all as- pects of the business from provid- ing quotes to working with quality assurance specialists to ensure every account is handled properly. The female entrepreneur person- ally trains all her company’s em- ployees to clean above clients’ expectations.
Xtremely Clean Janitorial Serv- ice, LLC provides cleaning services for commercial, post-construction site and college student housing.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2020 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A