BSCAI President’s Cleaning Industry Journey Goes Full Circle

When Jason Lee was officially sworn in as the 2026 President of Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) at the organization’s recent CEO Seminar, those in attendance were witnessing a true full circle moment. 

Lee, CEO of Lee Building Maintenance—a burgeoning contract cleaning company servicing five states—was sworn in by fellow Marylander and former BSCAI President, LeRoy Dock. Dock introduced Lee to BSCAI when he co-owned a window cleaning business and had only a few years of industry experience —all of which he had learned on the job. 

Lee does not believe he would be where he is today without Dock’s early guidance, but significant credit also goes to he and his staff for building something that is successful and stands out. For example, many BSCs talk about focusing on sustainability and fair hiring practices, but Lee Building Maintenance took this principle further by developing its “Human Rights Pledge,” a policy built on the advice of Lee’s wife, April, who is also the company president. A lot of what one sees in the policy seems obvious—fair pay, no tolerance for discrimination, and a safe workplace. But a deeper dive reveals some extra steps. The company prioritizes decisions based on the potential impact on vulnerable groups, such as women, children, migrants, and people with disabilities. The team also consistently assesses human rights risks within not only its operations, but its supply chains and business partnerships. To Lee and his staff, treating others with respect is mandatory. 

Despite his imposing 6-foot-5-inch frame, Lee is well known as a gentle giant who is approachable, gregarious, and eager to listen. It’s no wonder that the company has found success in kindness. 

“I go back to what LeRoy always told me, which was, ‘Man, Jay, whatever you do with this, just pay it forward,’” Lee says. “So, if someone needs help and I can help them, why wouldn't I want to share that? And if I can't do it, can I connect them with someone else who can? I think being approachable and being that person has helped me.” 

Lessons Learned 

In addition to leading with kindness and empathy, Lee has also found success by embracing education. There have been many learning opportunities for him and his company in the last decade, and much of that would not have occurred had he been reticent to change. For example, it’s no secret employee turnover torments the commercial cleaning industry. At one time, Lee Building Maintenance wasn’t tracking its turnover, exploring what it fully entails, and what it meant for the business. As a learned cleaning professional, Lee rectified this blind spot by attending discussions on employee turnover at seminars and conferences. He learned from these sessions not only the importance of good culture, but what it looks like and how it is practiced. 

“It is about understanding who you are and who your staff is, especially frontline staff,” he explains. 

Lee says this understanding of employees—their lives, views, and customs—has come in handy in recent years. In 2018, 70 percent of Lee Building Maintenance staff were African American, with those identifying as white being the second most prevalent racial identity. Today, the company demographic is well over 90 percent Hispanic.  

Lee said that as a non-Hispanic person who did not grow up in the culture, it was important to become more involved to understand and appreciate the experiences of that community. It makes everyone feel more welcome. 

“When I really started to understand all the things they experience, their culture, their upbringing, their holidays and how they celebrate them—I not only got really interested, but people saw that I care about them,” he explains. “People stay on board longer.” 

Lee Building Maintenance also boasts a 98 percent customer retention rate—a stellar figure that any customer-serving company would like to replicate, regardless of industry. When asked why he thinks BSCs are failing to retain customers at a high rate, Lee says it comes down to nurturing the relationship with the client. He admits Lee Building Maintenance works to improve this every day, but when improvements are gradually made, they pay off. 

Armed with good client service skills and hardworking staff, Lee Building Maintenance is deserving of an exceptional customer retention rate. In the rare instances when a client isn’t retained, it is seldom about service, but rather about the price increases Lee Building Maintenance puts in place to give staff better wages and offset inflation. 

“I think if we can keep our employee turnover low, it helps keep clients around because they continue to see the same people,” he explains. “[Clients] get that same product and service. I think those things go together.” 

BSCs, of course, want to retain clients, but most would also like to scale up their business offerings with current clients, too. This can present an interesting dynamic—the BSC wants to earn more work from a client, but it also doesn’t want to push that client away by forcing the issue. In other words, the BSC doesn’t want to “fly too close to the sun.” 

Lee understands the delicate balance but explains it can be struck successfully by following certain methods. First, the BSC must understand the client’s needs, not just offer services on a whim. Lee says he wants clients to know his company is a “one-stop shop" and that if they’re in need of service, they should reach out.  

“I think upselling is one thing where we put ourselves in a good position because we’re in the buildings all the time. We see the dings on the walls. Although that’s not a cleaning issue, we’re letting the client know, ‘Hey, this happened.’ There’s an opportunity for us,” he says. “You can have a whole new customer looking at you [for help] and if you took care of the painting job and it went well, now they're relying on you for a lot of other things.”