Spotlight: Terrell Dillard President & CEO of Zaymat Distributors, Jan-Pro Cleaning and Disinfecting

I have known Terrell Dillard since he was employed with Fifth Third Bank in the 90’s. Our relationship continued after he left the bank and became one of Cleveland’s top television sales executives at CBS-19 WOIO. Terrell has been a consistent sponsor of The Black Pages as president & CEO of Zaymat Distributors.

And of course, we all know him as the “Jan-Pro guy,” as president of Jan-Pro Cleaning and Disinfecting of Cleveland, Akron and Toledo. I sat down with Terrell to catch-up on where life has taken him and his many business ventures since becoming an entrepreneur more than 20 years ago.

Terrell, tell me about your time in corporate America and how it has impacted your business career.

I was only in corporate America for five years, but I can’t imagine having a better learning platform right out of college. As you know, Fifth Third Bank had just started operating in Northeast Ohio and most of our branch locations were inside of the Finest grocery stores with non-traditional business hours at the time.

This new banking model was perfect for a young professional and I was having a blast selling retail products. I could stay up late at night, play 9 holes of golf in the morning, and then go to work inside of the grocery store around noon and eat free food samples all day.

I was a little disappointed when I was promoted to manage at our headquarters and start the bank’s cash vault operations. Having normal business hours was new to me, but that was certainly an early indication that I prefer the life of an entrepreneur.

You were a successful banker, why did you leave the industry?

I was a pre-law student in college, studying at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. My plan out of school was to ultimately become an attorney, so I felt like an imposter in banking from the beginning – never comfortable. I didn’t think I had the training to do well, despite my early success.

After becoming the bank’s first small business lender and having the opportunity to work with many Northeast Ohio businesses, I quickly felt passionate about “ownership.” One day I asked my attorney and great friend, Sebring Haygood, if I should go back to school to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a lawyer or should I follow my heart and become an entrepreneur.

He told me I would be a great attorney, but if I could work as hard for myself as I was for others, I would make more money on my own. He also said a round of golf on a sunny Friday afternoon was better than taking depositions in a suit. I didn’t need much more convincing.

I left banking within months after that conversation. I made a stop at WOIO and had the best time selling there, but I was searching the Internet every day for a viable business to buy. I wasn’t as concerned about the industry as I was in finding a business I could understand, and one that was sustainable enough to pass down to my kids.

Was Jan-Pro the first business you owned?

No, my first business venture was Bonnie Speed Logistics, one of Cleveland’s oldest and largest courier companies at the time. I was a partner and general manager for two years. I remember sitting in my office on 9/11 when the twin towers were attacked in New York and thinking, the world as we knew it was about to change.

The very next day, our business changed drastically.

Drivers could no longer park unmarked vans in front of office towers downtown, leave vehicle engines running, or simply jump on an elevator to deliver a package inside. There were now concrete barriers and guard stations being installed, along with other security protocols, slowing the delivery process down a bit.

A few weeks later, I got a random call from a franchise broker that I was introduced to while at the bank. He asked if I knew anyone who might possibly be interested in buying a regional franchise for a company called Jan-Pro Cleaning Systems.

I told him, “no,” but send me the information and I would keep my eyes open. I read Jan-Pro’s material and it referenced a “recession-proof ” business for management level executives with a proven operating model. I had one conversation with the founder of Jan-Pro International, prayed, and I bought the regional license for Jan-Pro Cleveland three days later.

Tell our readers a little more about Jan-Pro.

Jan-Pro has been the “world’s #1 fastest growing franchise since 2008. I own the Regional Developer license for Jan-Pro Cleaning and Disinfecting of Cleveland, Akron, and Toledo We sell unit franchises, assist in training and obtaining business, as well as, help with back-office functions like billing and customer service.

Today, my wife, Nancy, manages our staff of 12 and she has been our controller from the beginning. I interview candidates each week and sell the franchises. I also coach and assist franchise owners and our sales team with business development.

Today, our 200 plus franchise owners clean over 800 buildings each night.

How rewarding is it to help someone start a business and watch them grow?

We have assisted hundreds of individuals start their own franchise, and since 87% of our owners are African American, I’m especially proud, knowing I’m partly responsible for helping put close to a million dollars into the local minority community every month. I particularly enjoy helping individuals who have already started their own cleaning business and converting them into a Jan-Pro owner.

Everyone who had an independent cleaning company prior to joining the Jan-Pro team – at minimum – doubled their business’ revenues in the first year with Jan-Pro. I just love that stat.

Why is it so easy to be successful with Jan-Pro, and who is your typical franchise owner?

The nice part about our industry is most of our owners can keep their day jobs while maintaining their Jan-Pro franchise. We have sold franchises to machine shop operators, several teachers, two college professors and two college basketball coaches, a retired chief of police, many state tested nursing assistants, and stay at home moms and dads.

At one time, half of our owners had a college degree, but we have found that is certainly not a predictor of success in our industry. Like most franchises, hard work and following a proven system pays more than anything.

Zaymat Distributors is gaining lots of traction in the market as well. Tell me more about this business and its relationship to Jan-Pro.

Zaymat is a totally separate business I started about 12 years ago as an industrial supply company. At the time, I was a trustee with Lake County’s mass transit agency, Laketran. I had to resign from Laketran since I moved my family out of Lake County.

I had always wanted a company that could generate revenue outside of Northeast Ohio, since this is the only market that I own with Jan-Pro. I started Zaymat to originally supply public agencies with anything I could get my hands on. I started off selling a spray disinfecting machine and a unique environmentally friendly disinfectant to transit systems.

After having some early success around the country, I sold Zaymat’s distribution rights for the disinfecting machine and chemical to Jan-Pro International eight years ago.

As you can imagine, when COVID-19 became a threat, every Jan-Pro market around the world was well prepared for the pandemic and we remain on the front lines assisting hospitals, schools, restaurants, and other businesses stay open by mitigating the harm of COVID-19 and other contagions.

How has Zaymat evolved since its inception?

Tremendously. We have sold everything from bus parts to Denver’s transit system, bridge parts to New York City, and for the last six years, we have sold all the safety vests to Houston Metro Transit in Texas.

Today we are on most of the infrastructure projects around Northeast Ohio, delivering everything from erosion control fabric, rebar, safety and construction supplies/tools, and concrete restoration products. We also sell many products to the state of Ohio, including snow fencing, bag concrete, lumber and even buoys. Our biggest area of growth has been brokering diesel fuel and lubricants around the U.S. Locally, we sell fuel to MetroHealth Hospital, Kent State and Miami University, and several municipalities and contractors.

We also sell fuel to Duke Energy and several of their contractors assisting on their coal ash clean-up jobs in Alabama and the Carolinas. We’ve been beyond blessed in recent years and being selected as Ohio’s #1 diverse supplier by the Ohio Minority Supplier Diversity Council in 2020 was a testament to my Zaymat team remaining diligent and closing some great deals around the country for us.

How has Zaymat faired during this pandemic?

My basketball coach at Cornell used to say, “Take what the defense gives you.” And in golf we say, take what the course gives you. In other words, remaining flexible and open minded in business is the best advice I can offer anyone dealing with the challenges around COVID-19. I have always run my business with an athletic mentality, so when the pandemic hit, I knew I just needed to focus and remain fluid in my business decisions.

I shifted our business early into the pandemic by entering the medical supplies market. As a result, we were fortunate to win a major medical supplies contract for the entire state of Utah and a similar award in Maryland. We have sold millions of gowns, masks, and nitrile gloves over the last year, and this helped us double our company’s sales from the previous year and surpass Jan-Pro sales for the first time.

Recently, we became a U.S. distributor of Antigen rapid COVID-19 tests. We have sold millions of test kits within the last few weeks of 2021.

Combined with our PPE sales growth, the projected sales of construction supplies and fuel, I am confident 2022 will be another record year for Zaymat.

What else can we expect from you in the future?

I recently partnered with a dynamic group of local African American investors, and we entered the marijuana business by teaming with a great company operating in Las Vegas, called Los Canna Global. Aside from business ventures, I have a strong passion for my hometown of Painesville, Ohio, and historically underserved communities in general.

My family recently created the Dillard Family Foundation after my mom passed in 2021, to honor her legacy and follow our faith by helping the less fortunate. My wife and I have always been philanthropic, but we wanted to set up organized vehicles and officially involve our sons in this process.

I recently joined the boards of two great organizations:

The Cuyahoga Community College Foundation and TeamNEO. I’m looking forward to continuing to give back my time and resources through these wonderful organizations.

I know you love to golf because I have recruited you many times to play on the Black Pages team in local tournaments. Are you a member of a local club and do you have much time for the sport these days?

I’ve been a member of the Kirtland Country Club for 12 years now. I am very fortunate to have a great team doing most of the “heavy lifting” around the office so I can use the club to network, entertain and get my steps in during the week.

Like many golfers, I played more rounds of golf this year during COVID-19 than ever before. That’s one positive from the pandemic, along with being able to do a Zoom meeting in shorts from the parking lot before heading to the first tee.