“We decided to start looking at businesses,” Jonathan said.
The couple was looking for a business that would fit with their passion of truly helping others. Jonathan stumbled across Bio-One, a crime, trauma scene and biohazard clean up company.
“The more we learned about it (Bio-One), the more we liked it,” Jonathan said. “The company seemed to care more about their franchisees than most others and we liked the concept.”
The Schaffers flew to Denver to interview with the Bio-One executive team. Within a week after they returned home, the company called and offered them an office – the first one to open in the Dayton area. Then, like many new business owners, they started out running Bio-One Dayton from their home, using money from the sale of Samantha’s car as startup funding.
“We started building the business and wanted to hire people we knew and trusted first,” Jonathan said.
They hired Andrew Grant, a former firefighter and construction worker from Farmersville. Jonathan knew Grant from his days as a firefighter.
“I had four young kids and had to stop firefighting,” Grant said. “I was working in construction, but when Jonathan called me and told me about his company, I said ‘sign me up.’”
Initially Grant was on call, going on jobs as needed, but within about six months, the Schaffers asked him if he’d like to go to Denver to train. Grant agreed and became a full-time biohazard technician.
“It sounds strange, but you do get to know the people you are helping,” Grant said. “Especially on the hoarding jobs.”
In fact, Jonathan said that’s what separates Bio-One Dayton from a typical removal company is they want to work with people to determine what items are important for them to save and try to make their homes livable for them.
“What surprised us the most in this business was the hoarding and how people can live in that,” Samantha said. “We’ve been amazed to find this in all prices and sizes of homes.”
Samantha said that most of the time, family members call for help cleaning up the hoarder’s home. Jonathan said they make sure people know up front the time involved to complete each job.
“We always save anything of obvious financial or sentimental value,” Jonathan said. “We also try to help people find all the important things and we tell them to make a list.”
People with hoarding disorders generally have difficulty throwing anything away and Jonathan said they had one client who wanted nothing taken away, but simply wanted them to make a path so he could walk through his house. Jonathan said they will honor requests as long as the living situation isn’t hazardous or involves children or pets.
“Our goal is to help, not judge,” he said.
Today Bio-One Dayton is located at 707 Miamisburg Centerville Road in Washington Twp. and has four full-time employees, including Kaitlyn Check, who moved to Englewood from Utah. She found Bio-One after searching for employment and liked the concept.
“I don’t like desk jobs and wanted something different,” Check said.
Check said she enjoys the work because of the difference they make in people’s lives. When people have just experienced trauma, like the death of a family member, a company like Bio-One can make all the difference. Check discovered this firsthand when a family member who was a hoarder died and the family needed help cleaning up the home.
“We are helping people on the worst day of their lives,” Jonathan said. “With traumatic death, most people don’t realize that when the police and coroner remove the body, they leave behind everything else. The last thing you want to remember are those sights and smells.”
Bio-One Dayton helps families with insurance claims if they need it, since many people don’t realize clean up after trauma is usually covered. They also offer clean up services for business and homes after being infected by the coronavirus, and for things like odor and mold removal and even rodent infestations.
“We are the company you hope you never need,” Jonathan said. “We take care of the messy stuff you don’t want to deal with yourself.”
For more information, visit bioonedayton.com
Contact this contributing writer at banspach@ymail.com.
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