The recession has taken its toll on businesses across Bermuda in recent months, but for one new cleaning company it has provided the perfect opportunity to find a niche in the market.The Cleaning Company Ltd, which was started by chief operations officer Pandora Moore and is 100 percent Bermudian, has been going from strength to strength since its was launched three months ago.As the company expands it plans to bid for larger contracts and go head-to-head with the bigger and more established competitors.The company covers every job from residential, commercial/industrial and office cleaning and facilities management and pre-sale property presentation and staging and special event presentation and clean-up to tenant turnover cleaning, floor re-finishing, steam cleaning and property management/maintenance/concierge services.The ten-strong cleaning crew will also provide appliance, window, carpet and steam cleaning, tile and grout scrubbing and hard floor cleaning/waxing services. They offer blind, fans, curtain and upholstery cleaning, pressure washing/mildew removal, pest control, maintenance and repairs, and graffiti removal.Projects range from executive homes, professional commercial suites and corporate offices, short-term luxury rentals and accommodation and guest houses to fitness centres, event and function spaces, galleries and museums, schools and colleges, care homes and hospitals and medical offices.Ms Moore, who runs construction and maintenance firm Redeemed Construction with her husband, saw the need for a new cleaning services company in what has become a substantial industry in Bermuda.And with an increasing number of businesses outsourcing their cleaning services rather than having to employ full-time staff, she decided to start up her own venture which has already been picking up some steady work and has been short-listed for two big contracts, including doing all the cleaning and laundry at a rest home, as well as approaching guesthouses for off-season work and churches.But one of the key motivating factors for starting the company was Government’s moratorium on work permits for the cleaners and housekeepers which inspired Ms Moore to establish a completely Bermudian owned, managed and operated business, with a view to hiring only locals in the future.The company has been working closely with the Department of Labour and Training and has taken on two or three people on the National Training Board’s list of directive, she said.“We saw it as an opportunity for a Bermudian company to compete in a space with much larger firms that employ a lot of non-Bermudians,” said Ms Moore.“That has been one of our main selling points that we’re providing jobs for Bermudians and it is our policy to only hire Bermudians.”She said that there was a mix of people, some who had good cleaning experience, having worked as housekeepers in hotels, and others who came from different backgrounds such as book-keeping and were just looking for a job.Each person that joins the Cleaning Company is properly vetted, allowing the firm to attract the best talent, and undergoes full training and development, with two service site managers to oversee the work from start to finish ensuring that a quality job is done.“Cleaning is a recession-proof business,” she said.“The work is picking up we have bid on a number of large contracts and have had a very favourable response.”So far the company, which prides itself in the personal touch and attention to detail, has done a variety of work from HSBC Bermuda’s executive rentals to the West End Development Corporation and Somers Construction.Because of its low overheads, with most of the employees on the road working at clients’ premises, the firm has been able to charge reasonable rates and with Ms Moore’s 30-year background in the construction and maintenance field, it can offer additional services to tackle issues like mildew.The company also uses only green cleaning products, most of which are environmentally friendly, and is completing a designation to be a qualified green provider.“We just want to get the name of the company and the word out, to grow the business and get more Bermudians back into work,” she said.“We enjoy working with our clients and taking the opportunities that are being presented.“Ultimately we want to be a bigger player in an industry that Bermudians are more than qualified to work in.”For more information contact 331-6132, e-mail help[AT]thecleaningcompany.bm or visit the website at www.thecleaningcompany.bm