About Us

Who's Behind the Sparkle? We Are!

About Us

Restif was started in 1983 as a sole proprietorship. After a few years of steady growth, it was purchased on January 1, 1990, by an employee-owned co-operative. It became Restif Cleaning Service Co-operative, Inc. The purpose of Restif is to maximize the shareholder's return on their labor and is, therefore, our company's limited equity.

The co-op is led by a five-person board of directors. The directors have staggered, three-year terms, so there is always someone with experience on the board. The board election is held at the annual membership meeting. Each shareholder has one vote regardless of investment level, seniority, or position in the company.

The board holds its principal gathering each year in December. At that meeting, they reviewed the previous year and set a budget and goal list for the following year. At that meeting also, the performance of the general manager is reviewed. The day-to-day operation of the company is delegated management in the manner of most corporations. The manager of Restif has all the normal powers of a manager, including the power to hire and fire. However, the manager is hired and evaluated by a board made up of representatives of those who are managed. Power and authority flow both up and down.

Teams of between three and ten cleaners provide the cleaning service. New hires must be voted into membership by their team after a trial period of 4 months. These teams are structured to decentralize decision-making, facilitate communication, and maximize opportunities for patronage generation and distribution. Restif distributes patronage advances at the end of each month, allocated through a two-stage system.

Restif has several janitorial teams, a floor and carpet cleaning team, a window washing team, an empty unit cleaning team, a maid service team, and an office team. We also have a night shift supervisor, a day shift supervisor, an operations manager, and a general manager. Employment at Restif varies between 35 and 45, depending on the season.

If you need additional information, please contact me at natalie@restif.com.