LCI Workers’ Comp Baton Rouge member Spring North Professional Cleaning Services has been making a clean sweep in offices and their surrounding properties since 2016. The boutique janitorial business is owned by Katreena Moses, a woman who believes that connecting people to gainful employment is a higher calling.
She said, “I absolutely love community. I love seeing people prosper. I love seeing individuals get from one level to the next. I love being a connector and helping individuals somewhat maneuver their life by giving them advice. It comes natural for me to give advice, to help, to motivate, and to put people to work. It’s a natural gift.”
From The North To The South
Katreena Moses hails from New Brunswick, New Jersey, and she made her way to Louisiana as she was exiting high school. She was inspired to make the move south by a deacon at her church. She explained, “My deacon was an alumnus of Southern University. He heard about all my accolades and awards in high school, and he asked me if I had heard of the HBCU Southern University. To be honest, I had never heard of Southern University; I had never been further than Mississippi. He told me about it, I applied, and I received a scholarship to Southern University. I started in the fall of 1999, and the rest is history.”
Though Katreena had been active in her school and society before going to college, her desire to make a real difference in the community blossomed when she got to Southern University. “I began to form friendships, learn about this community, learn about city government, and learn about state government. I was actively involved in the student government association in undergrad.” Her involvement in government stemmed from a deep-seated passion for helping others to thrive. She continued, “Helping people has always been dear to my heart. Always. And I think that’s where the passion for being an entrepreneur comes from. It goes hand-in-hand because I’ve always been a leader. I’m a servant leader, and I’ve always felt the need to put people in positions where they could have an opportunity.” She rapidly worked her way from being a Legislative Assistant in 2006 to being a Policy Planner with the state’s retirement system in 2008, and she earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration during this time.
After earning her degrees from Southern University and gaining invaluable experience, Katreena began working with Baton Rouge Community College helping people to get prepared for the local workforce. Her ability to create work-ready staffs would lead her to start her own business. She explained, “I started Spring North Professional Cleaning Services back in 2016 just based upon a need. A contractor came to me and asked me if I could help him staff a project. I used my resources to reach out to the community to see who was in need of a job because I know there are always people in need of work and that are looking to help their financial situation. I basically put together a staff of cleaning professionals within less than two weeks. That was the beginning of my journey into the cleaning business. It kind of snowballed from there.”
Networking Is Everything
Spring North Professional Cleaning Services was not Katreena’s primary work as she was working at the community college while building her business, but the immense benefits outweighed having such a busy schedule. “The business didn’t take off immediately. It started very small, a niche/boutique kind of cleaning business. I didn’t do a whole lot of marketing, but I established a web presence and I would go to after-hours networking events. I continued to network and to let people know that I had a business and that I was available for residential and commercial cleaning. Most of my clients are small businesses. That’s really how I have grown my business is through word of mouth and through good work.
Sometimes my clients refer me to other small businesses and that’s how they hear about me. That’s really how I stayed in business for over five years.”
A Time For Reflection
Like many businesses, the COVID pandemic changed the way that Spring Hill Professional Cleaning Services functioned. While there were setbacks, Katreena was determined to weather the tough times in order to get people back to work, something that she is exceedingly passionate about. She said, “When COVID happened, it was time for me to slow down and reflect. I slowed down and said maybe it’s time for me to transition however God would have it to be. I just really wanted him to lead me and guide me in 2020. However, I was called again for a COVID cleanup contract in state government, and I put a team together. I knew that there were individuals that needed to work to help their situation. My cleaning business is not my primary job, but I see it as a means to use my God-given talents. I’ve just always loved helping people and to be able to put an individual, a citizen in a position where they can gain more, be able to pay their bills, or be able to help sustain their family. It’s truly rewarding to me. I believe that everyone has gifts, and if we use those gifts for the greater good then the world would truly be a better place. I’m here being used as a vessel as whatever God would have it to be.”
When she’s not running her own business or working other felicitous jobs helping people better their situations, she can be found in the garden, walking her dog Daisy, or taking in the sights and sounds of area festivals. She said gleefully, “I love nature, and I love going for walks especially with Daisy. That’s what I do in my downtime, and, in addition to that, I love Louisiana festivals. I love the French Quarter Festival, I love Jazz Fest, and I love the Oyster Festival. If I’m not gardening, you can find me on a Saturday at a festival somewhere in Louisiana dancing and eating a shrimp po-boy and a snowball. I love the colorful life of Louisiana and all that it brings!”
You can find out more information about Spring North Professional Cleaning Services at www.springnorthclean.com
