Karen Miller is President and CEO of Performance Industrial, which has been in business in South Glens Falls since 1986. The original brand – Americlean – was founded by Mark Miller, who saw a need for cleaning and painting services in his own community.  As the business grew, he sought training and certifications for his team to ensure their ability to provide excellent service… By the early ’90s, his business was fully established with an array of services; from sandblasting and painting to kitchen exhaust cleaning. 

In 2014, the Americlean team sat down to assess their successes, current specialties and future goals… They found that seamless, professional performance was something that customers valued in the services that were provided. Taking this information to heart, Americlean decided it was time for a rebranding… And so, they became Performance Industrial.

In an effort to maintain the high standards of Performance Industrial, Mark brought his hardworking son Bill and daughter-in-law Karen into the fold. Bill and Karen purchased the business from Mark on December 31st of 2019, and through their leadership, Performance Industrial continues to grow today. They currently employ 55 people, and though they are currently fully staffed, Bill and Karen are always investing in and growing the company. 

Sean Willcoxson joined the company seven months ago as Operations Manager, after spending 26 years of his career with Mazzone Hospitality: “I was the Vice President of catering for Mazzone… I was ‘born and raised’ in the catering division. Now with young kids, I needed to find new opportunities… I knew Bill Miller through the organization Folds of Honor” Sean said.

Folds of Honor is an organization that ensures families who have sacrificed so much for our country receive the education and opportunities they deserve… Created to raise money for the families of fallen or permanently wounded servicemen, “Just this year we added a category for first responders, and what we do is raise money for scholarships for their kids or spouses… Anything that goes towards education” Sean said. He has been involved with Folds of Honor for over four years. 

Bill Miller has also been a supporter of Folds of Honor, and through their common interest in public service, Bill and Sean became friends. Through their friendship, Sean joined Bill and Karen at Performance Industrial in September of 2022: “I had to learn a lot and learn the business. Obviously, our company does a lot of cleaning… Kitchen exhausts, industrial cleaning, sand-blasting, epoxy floors, painting; we do it all safely. How it works is that we start on an epoxy job or a kitchen exhaust job or HVAC ductwork cleaning, and then the relationship builds and the scope of the work increases… Our biggest focus is that we have a permanent placement of 35 employees at a manufacturing facility. That’s a third of our business.”

“The kitchen exhaust, industrial cleaning, HVAC duct category is a third of the business, and epoxy flooring is another third. Epoxy flooring is a coating that is a seamless and waterproof floor.  It’s easier to clean, you can add a texture so that it is slip resistant, and it’s chemical resistant.  The added benefit is the ease of use. There are no grout lines. It’s used a lot in fire houses, college dorm bathrooms, manufacturing plants, and farms” Sean said

“Our newest focus is that we purchased a ceiling tile cleaning system. It basically simplifies how you clean ceiling tiles. The first thing that we start with is education. There are two types of ceiling tiles – acoustical tiles, and vinyl tiles. The acoustical ceiling tiles feel like a hard foam; they are not wipeable. Over time, the ceiling tile gets stained… We have a process that brings the tile back to life without replacing it. If it’s just dirty we can bring it back to almost new at a fraction of the cost of replacing it… Now, vinyl ceiling tiles are what you find in restaurants and industrial kitchens. They have a fire rating. With that tile, we spray and wipe the grease off. You can spray multiple times, (and) the grease is captured.”

Sean understands the need for this product in the marketplace: “If the ceiling tiles are dirty, it’s a (bad) first impression… They need to look fresh. Our team will go in with ladders and clean the tiles while they are still in the ceiling” he said. 

Due to his experience in the hospitality industry, Sean sees the importance of the service that Performance Industrial is able to provide: “The culture in a work environment is important. Employees should feel good about the area that they are working in and the product that they are creating… Our specialty is cleaning, and the focus of the employees in a kitchen is making great food.”

Performance Industrial has stayed in business for 37 years by providing services that are valued by their customers. Their focus is on kitchen exhaust, epoxy flooring and permanent placement of employees.  They currently have two office locations – one in South Glens Falls, and another in Albany. For more information, visit Performanceindustrial.com