Before Indoor Air Quality Was a Trend
Long before indoor air quality became a common topic in commercial facilities, Advantage Maintenance founder and CEO Tom Wilkinson was already educating building owners about the hidden dangers inside their buildings.
Recently, while going through old company archives, we came across a newspaper article written by Tom titled “Breathing Easier.” The article focused on Sick Building Syndrome, indoor air quality (IAQ), HVAC contamination, and the impact building environments have on employee health and productivity.
At the time, Tom wasn’t just running Advantage Maintenance. He was also operating Advantage Air Quality Services, a company specializing in HVAC air duct cleaning and indoor air quality solutions.
Two Businesses, One Mission
Throughout the 1990s, Tom managed both Advantage Maintenance and Advantage Air Quality Services with a common goal:
Creating healthier, cleaner buildings for occupants.
While Advantage Maintenance focused on janitorial services, floor care, carpet cleaning, and facility maintenance, Advantage Air Quality Services addressed what many people couldn’t see—dust, contaminants, and air quality issues hidden within HVAC systems.
Tom recognized early on that cleaning a building wasn’t just about appearance. A truly clean facility required attention to both visible surfaces and the air that occupants breathed every day.
Ahead of His Time
In his article, Tom discussed issues that facility managers are still dealing with today:
- Sick Building Syndrome
- Indoor air quality concerns
- HVAC contamination
- Employee productivity impacts
- Proper ventilation systems
- Building health and occupant comfort
At a time when many businesses were focused solely on appearance, Tom was emphasizing the connection between cleanliness, health, and workplace performance.
Today, those concepts are considered standard best practices throughout the facility management industry.
Lessons That Still Influence Advantage Maintenance
Although Advantage Air Quality Services is no longer operating, the knowledge and experience gained from that business continue to influence how Advantage Maintenance approaches commercial cleaning.
Our focus on:
- High dusting and overhead cleaning
- Manufacturing facility cleaning
- Restroom sanitation
- Dust and allergen reduction
- Preventive maintenance
- Healthier work environments
can all be traced back to the philosophy Tom promoted decades ago: a clean building should support both appearance and occupant health.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Nearly 40 years after founding Advantage Maintenance, Tom remains committed to helping organizations maintain cleaner, healthier, and more productive facilities. What began as a small commercial cleaning company has grown into a regional provider serving hundreds of facilities throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and beyond.
Finding this article was a reminder that while technology, equipment, and cleaning methods have evolved, the core mission has remained the same:
Helping businesses create environments where people can work safely, comfortably, and productively.
Sometimes the best way to understand where a company is headed is to look back at where it started.
Do you have old photos, articles, or stories from Advantage Maintenance’s history? We’d love to hear from you as we continue documenting the company’s journey from 1986 to today.
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