By setting a passionate example through leading with compassion, strong values, and empathy for team members, Saber Building Services excels in handling the day-to-day custodial services of facilities designed to meet the needs of tenants, employees, visitors, and guests, while designing numerous services to fit any budget.
Started in 1979 by the parents of now-President Anthony Saber, the company has been a thriving family business ever since.
“I grew up in our business,” he says. “All I’ve ever done is work side-by-side with my parents, my brother, and then in 2001 I became the president of Saber Building Services. We’ve had slow, steady growth over all those years.”
Today the company employs about 400 team members, he says, adding that it remains imperative to always lead with compassion. “As a Christian man, we’re essentially a Christian-run business, so we base a lot of our ways of doing business on biblical principles. Leading with compassion is an important factor in that and I know it starts with me. I have to model that behavior as the leader of this business.”
That includes showing kindness and respect at all times. “I can’t be one person one day and another person another day and expect they’re going to model that to the employees out in the field,” Saber says. “I have to be a good listener and have empathy toward our team members.”
It’s all about becoming a better company while also creating a safe place for the team to share their ideas and concerns, he adds. “As a leader, I try to be very vulnerable myself. Whether it’s in a one-on-one meeting with one of our employees, or a manager meeting where I’m speaking to all of our leaders, being vulnerable and sharing my own mistakes and challenges in life or in business helps us create a culture of leading with compassion.”
The company also promotes a healthy work-life balance and while that’s something some businesses talk about, they don’t always stand behind it. This is where Saber encourages its people to work hard and be good at what they do, but when at home, to be present with their family.
“I’ve been blessed to be physically present for our team members during deeply challenging moments, including being there in person to support them through tragic losses. I have also been privileged to be a part of great moments including weddings, graduations, et cetera,” says Saber. “Most organizations say they want to lead with compassion; the reality is it doesn’t matter unless it reaches the person that’s on the front line. Unless they can feel those things, it’s not relevant.”
Saber Building Services has a reputation for helping people in times of need, which is what leading with compassion really is about, he says. “When you lead with compassion, it starts with your inner circle, and when they feel those things, there’s a tendency for them to try to be the same way to other people, and that’s what we try to encourage here.”
In short, Anthony Saber strives to “walk the walk” every day. “It’s a hard thing to do, because it’s an everyday thing. It’s not about talking; people watch your actions. They watch how you respond in times of struggle, or when things go wrong they’re going to see a reaction, and that’s really who you are. We try to focus on those details.”
For Saber’s customers, it’s about offering the best value and embracing a quote that sits in the company’s front lobby that reads: Anyone can be the best price, but only one can be the best value.
“I came to realize, what is this about? Does the company want value? Are they looking for the cheapest price?” Saber says. “Anyone can be the best price, but only one can be the best value. Pricing is a factor, and we have to be competitive with whatever we do, but being the best value for us starts with the first walkthrough in a customer’s building, listening to what the customer is saying.”
Even if the company isn’t the best fit for a particular customer’s needs, the team will offer recommendations for other options. “We constantly challenge our own processes, and by allowing our team members to have a strong voice, we’re allowing them to challenge our processes too, and because of that, we’re focused on becoming better every single day.”
Saber Building Services also has a laser focus on safety and providing a safe environment for its people to work in, winning the BSC safety award the last six out of eight years.
“Our team has to be treated with respect, and again, it starts at the top,” says Saber. “I can’t be disrespectful to our leaders in any way and expect them to go out in the field and lead with respect. Team members must have an opportunity for growth.”
For Saber, his commitment means living by the principles he strives to implement in all areas related to his leaders. “If you grow your no, God will bless your yes,” he says. “That seems simple to a lot of people, but it’s really hard to do that. As you become successful in business, many opportunities are going to present themselves. What I call ‘shiny things’ sometimes can be a distraction, but knowing when to say no is one of the best skills.”
For Saber, the best way to grow his business is to keep what he has, a principle he’s lived by over the years and has pushed throughout the entire company culture while focusing on building relationships with current customers.
“Our growth comes from growing with existing customers and being referred to new ones,” he shares. “When we talk about being the best value, we put our actions behind that, because we know our best way to grow is to keep what we have.” Saying no to potential new business means understanding it might not be the right location, he adds. Currently, all of the company’s janitorial contracts are located within a 40-mile radius.
“We strive for greater concentration and not necessarily growing geographically. Another reason to say no is if it’s not the right size contract. We know we can’t be the best value for everybody, so we stick with what we’ve been good at in the past.” Companies can get into trouble when they bite off more than they can chew, an issue seen in the industry all the time, Saber says. When companies grow unbounded, they can end up losing focus and, eventually, customers.
For Saber Building Services, however, the focus has remained true and strong, which has resulted in ongoing success. “We’re always going to ask, ‘is this going to bring a better value to our team or our current customers?’ Those are the things that really impact whether we say no or yes to anything.”
In short, Saber’s personal moral and ethical principles are what anchor his decisions, including his basic desire to keep all of his employees as safe as possible.
“Maybe it’s the shop environment. We look at safety as a huge part of our culture, and we know it directly translates to our financial bottom line. We continue to embrace a culture of safety. We’ve won safety awards over the last eight years, and that to me was a huge accomplishment,” he says. “With bringing on a lot of new employees and a lot of changes going on in the industry, we still maintain that level of safety for our employees.”
The company’s future goals include achieving specific financial targets, with a broader focus on maintaining slow and steady growth over the long term. Saber Building Services aims to sustain this approach while pursuing strategic acquisitions that align with the needs of its existing customers in the regions it currently operates. Milestones include preparing for the next generation. “I’m excited about preparing the next generation of leadership for this company,” Saber says.
He is excited and hopeful because what sets the company apart from its competition includes experience and a consistent operations team. “We have had very little turnover in the last five to 10 years in our leadership team, and so that gives us a real strength in our area. Really, these are people who know our business well. This all allows our customers to call on us for just about anything that has to do with any type of cleaning or maintenance service,” he says.
“The last thing that I think sets us apart is our market concentration,” says Saber. “We have all of our 400 team members in a 40-mile radius working every day, and that market concentration really does set us apart because we’re focused in a smaller area.”
