How she shines: Leadership: Carey has led in three industries for over 40+ years. She started in automotive, where Automotive News named her one of the "100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry." She then moved into the medical industry, leading Commercial Operations and Strategic Planning for a $600 million global company. In 2008, she left corporate work to start her own business, opening Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Greater Detroit at the height of the recession—in a region hit as hard as anywhere in the country. Eighteen years later, she and her team have built one of the area's most reputable commercial cleaning operations, securing more than 12,000 contracts across four counties in Greater Detroit and placing that work with the independent franchise owners who service it.
Teamwork and Mentorship: Carey's company is built around one purpose: growing franchisees' businesses through long-term customer relationships so that people grow professionally and personally while strengthening the communities they live and work in. Nearly 160 franchise businesses have launched under her leadership since 2008, and almost half of them are women-owned. Many of those women were able to leave their 9-to-5 jobs and run their businesses full-time, a transition Carey has now guided dozens of people through, one owner at a time.
Development: The results show how Carey develops people. Her longest-standing franchise owners started with her in 2008 and are still with the organization today, 18 years later. In an industry known for turnover, retention like that comes from teaching owners to run sustainable, independent operations rather than keeping them dependent on her office. Together, these franchise businesses have provided meaningful employment to more than 1,000 people across the Detroit region, most of them local residents working in the communities where they live.
Community: Carey and her team have volunteered with and supported children fighting cancer, youth in the foster care system, local food pantries and community food drives, children in less fortunate circumstances through direct sponsorship, and Detroit residents working toward buying their first home as part of revitalization efforts in the city. They have partnered with Kids Kicking Cancer, Love for a Child, The Food Pantry, Reunite the Fight, the American Red Cross, Life Builders of Detroit, and Bethlehem House, along with many other causes across the region. The range of that work reflects a company culture where service extends well beyond the business itself.
Overall, Carey had a successful corporate career behind her when she started over in 2008. She chose to build something in Detroit at a time when most people were leaving. Since then, she has helped roughly 160 people become business owners, half of them women, created work for a thousand more, and backed causes across her region for nearly two decades. She measures her success by how many other people she has made successful.
Years in the industry: 18 years
Job responsibilities: As President, Winkel and Associates LLC, dba Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Greater Detroit, Carey runs the regional master franchise. She recruits and awards unit franchises, sells and manages the commercial cleaning contracts that those franchisees service, and supports owners with training, billing, and back-office administration. She owns the P&L and their growth, which means their success depends on building franchise owners who can run profitable businesses of their own.
Career path: Carey Winkel's career has spanned three industries over more than 40 years. She began in automotive, where she rose to become one of the industry's most prominent women leaders and was named by Automotive News to its "100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry." From there, she moved into the medical field, leading Commercial Operations and Strategic Planning for a $600 million global company.
In 2008, with that corporate track record behind her, she decided to build something of her own. She opened Winkel and Associates LLC, doing business as Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Greater Detroit, at the height of the recession, and it was in that region that the downturn hit hardest. Over the 18 years since, she has grown it into one of the area's most reputable commercial cleaning organizations, securing more than 12,000 contracts across four counties and launching nearly 160 franchise businesses—almost half of them women-owned.
In every industry she has entered, Carey has taken on operational and strategic leadership and built lasting results. Today, she applies that experience to helping other people become business owners in her own community.
Best advice received: Carey learned from strong leaders in the automotive and medical industries, and the advice that stuck was to develop your team. As she puts it, it may be easier to do things yourself, but your organization won't be sustainable unless you spend real time developing and coaching your people to push through challenges. That principle has shaped her approach to succession planning. In her words, it's time to hand off the baton to the next generation and watch them lead and coach their own teams.
Fun fact: At almost 65, Carey will tell you she feels her age, like everyone does. But she was a college cheerleader at Central Michigan University for several years and has always loved to slalom ski. Last year, she got back on skis so her grandsons could see that Grandma isn't afraid to try—and isn't afraid to fall down. She made it around the lake once and had a great time doing it.