Diamonds in the Rough

Second chance employees help fuel this local business

XENIA — For Kaye Taylor, one of the most rewarding things about owning a local business devoted to helping people get a fresh start is the fact that she gets to be her own boss while simultaneously being of service to her customers and staff.

“I love giving back,” Taylor said in a recent interview at her office in Dayton. “When I don’t pay my tithes in a church building, I do so by giving to those who can use the help. Being my own boss and being able to provide jobs to people with different backgrounds, jobs that people excel at, is a true blessing.” 

Taylor explained how her current business started in Bellbrook in 2019.

Today, Gem City Residential & Commercial Cleaning Services is certified in multiple types of services with more than 30 employees working in Ohio, Florida, Kentucky and Indiana.

“I originally got into this business in 2009,” she said. “It was just a small cleaning, organizing company. COVID is what put me on the map. I was an educator before that, and I had a few early learning programs. Those closed in 2017.”

When they closed, Taylor had to start planning her next venture in life.

“Cleaning was the easiest thing to get started,” she said. “When everyone shut down during COVID, I was the only company willing to go into places. Then, in January 2020, we got our first demolition type of job. We cleaned out a house that had been abandoned. I took that money and took three of us to Indianapolis to attend a three-day crime scene and hoarding class to get an additional certification. We continued to grow after that. We went to Florida.”

Today, Taylor said her crew is certified in multiple areas however the majority of their work (about 90 percent) is located in the Midwest, with the company headquarters in Dayton.

“The other 10 percent of our work is down in Florida, working on new construction being built,” she said. “We have five people down there. We do site cleanup, post construction cleaning, apartment prep and power washing.”

In the Dayton market, she explained that they have between 13 and 15 employees working in cities like Troy, Mason, Vandalia and Cincinnati. In this region, they also do some landscaping in addition to cleaning construction sites, offices, apartments and power washing.

Asked about her success working with re-entry and giving second chances, Taylor said it has been a joy.

“From what I am being told, my employees are appreciative of getting a job,” she said. “Some of them come from backgrounds that make finding work a challenge. When they come home, they’re looking for opportunities and they’re constantly getting turned down. Giving them that second chance and allowing them to be in their ‘zone’ with no one looking over their shoulders is a big thing. They usually work alone.”

Working with the area re-entry programs, Taylor said she has been a second chance employer since 2021.

“People were coming home and unable to find jobs,” she said. “I looked at where we were. A lot of employers couldn’t find dedicated people. There was this barrier of discrimination whether they had been incarcerated for so many years or based on what type of crime they committed. They were going to jobs and being told if you’ve been incarcerated in the last 20 years, after 5 hours of training, they were told to go home.”

When she decided to move forward as a second chance employer, Taylor said she reached out to the Montgomery County Re-Entry Program and ended up partnering with them.

“What I offered them was this: I made a job for those individuals based on their past,” she said. “We’ve had some disrespectful people, but overall it has been good. For those who have been incarcerated for so long, we have them go through programs to prepare them for work. If you have an adult male who hasn’t worked in 30 years, we have monthly trainings here to try to give them something to get started.”

Using this model, Taylor said, has brought her great success and growth. Her list of customers and community contacts utilizing her company’s services includes dozens of well-known businesses, including companies like: Messer Construction, Model Construction, Subaru of Dayton, Bellbrook Methodist Church, the Greene County Juvenile Detention Center, Bob Ross GMC of Dayton, Bill’s Donuts, The Arcade of Dayton, Redwood Apartments, Cornerstone Apartments in Centerville and many more.

“I could go on and on,” Taylor said. “There are many more in the other states.”

When asked how she makes business contacts in other states, Taylor said she is a part of Business Network International.

“You can go into any city and state and look for free networking,” she said. “I’m also a Rotarian. When I go to these states, I would plan to visit one of the BNIs and introduce myself, tell them I am looking to expand my business into that city or state and then I would hope for that call. I also look at the Chamber of Commerce in those cities.”

How did you hear about Emerge and what do you like about our mission? 

“I heard about Emerge through networking,” she said. “I was introduced to Emerge before it became Emerge. They were putting together a board. I met Carl Lux (former Emerge board member and local attorney). I was also introduced to a young man who told me about Elaine and told me to connect with her. We were looking for a space to set up a mock station to teach people how to clean properly.”

Taylor said she really likes everything happening at Emerge.

“I like Emerge because it’s a serene location where people can stay and get free of the things that are haunting them,” she said. “I also like how they’re giving back in the way of spiritual leadership — letting individuals know that we are here to help you through this. The use of the property is great. I remember when the career center closed, I wondered what was going to happen. Once I found out what they were doing, I wanted to be a part of it, but it just didn’t happen at that time.”

In addition to her business, Taylor said she also has a nonprofit called “A Clean Dream.”

Of her staff of 30 plus people working for her, six of them in the Dayton market are second chance employees.

“I encourage them a lot,” she said. “You’re taking a chance sometimes. You’re putting them in positions hoping they are moving forward from the past. People make mistakes, but the payoff is usually worth it.”