Maintco Inc. wants to get businesses ready for the new normal.The Burbank contractor installs plexiglass barriers, touchless equipment and air conditioning filters to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.But first, to work out any bugs in the process, Chief Executive Inna Tuler first retrofitted the Maintco offices at the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Lake Street. The company learned how to place acrylic barriers in conference rooms and cubicles and the need for a touchless thermometer in the lobby.
“We would have a showcase where we can say, ‘This is what needs to be done,’” Tuler said.
As a general contractor, the company performs all the standard duties – construction, equipment installation and related management and maintenance services for commercial offices, restaurants, retail and convenience stores. The firm has 39 employees.
But its 5-Step Certification Process of cleaning and retrofitting businesses is now its prime service.“We have pivoted our business towards what is needed out in the world,” Tuler said.
The process starts with a project manager visiting the business, taking measurements and discussing the scope of the job with the owner or office manager. Then they give a price and settle on a start date.The cost of a job can range from a couple hundred dollars to $40,000 for a call center where the company did work, Tuler said.
The work itself involves a deep cleaning of all surface areas, followed by the installation of filters in the air conditioning system to capture 99.9 percent of bacteria. Then there is the installation of translucent acrylic barriers or sneeze guards followed by putting in hands-free fixtures such as faucets, lights, toilets, and dryers. Finally, there are the visuals – the signs and markers on the floors.“We can turn around and sample what the world needs and what the community needs and subside people’s fears,” Tuler told the Business Journal.
Tuler was born in the Ukraine and raised in Israel. She moved to the U.S. in 1991. A year later, she started Maintco with her late husband, Abraham, who died in 2011.
Among the businesses that have been retrofitted with barriers are a call center for Ace Industrial Supply in Burbank, multiple lobby locations for Deluxe Entertainment in Hollywood and Burbank, and the Ed Asner Family Center in Reseda. In addition, the company has done deep cleanings at 46 7-11 stores in the Los Angeles region.Currently, the company is developing a foot-operated mechanism that will open doors, another virus prevention measure.
“It is still in production,” Tuler said. “We don’t have it completely developed.”
Building a ‘New Normal’ at Work
