J’s Maintenance 45th Anniversary Celebration

“We serve the community to help and make it a better place for everyone.”    ~ Chris Waldheim

Over 45 years ago, Ed and Linda Waldheim took a leap of faith and purchased a small janitorial company called Joe’s, later J’s Maintenance.  A small operation, Ed and Linda did everything from sales in the day and service at night. They secured accounts with JC Penny, Sears, Levitz Furniture and Home Depot and its foundation. They grew this family venture into one of the most loved and respected businesses in our community.

Today, J’s Maintenance and J’s Maids, which was established in 1996, serves a mix of residential customers, local businesses and national retailers. J’s takes great pride in “making life less complicated for you and your family.”

At their core is a belief in caring for their clients and treating their employees as part of their extended family. Ed and Linda’s son Chris, who now runs the company, told me, “The biggest reward for me is being able to provide a living for all of our employees. They work so hard every single day. Knowing that their livelihood depends on us is a big responsibility.” That sense of responsibility is very important to the Waldheims: “We carry that responsibility to the state and federal level by working to level the playing field in an industry filled with companies that ignore many different laws.”

To say that J’s Maintenance is active in our community would be an understatement. Chris and his team believe that an enriched community benefits everyone, and that partnering and building relationships with clients enables them to be better served. You have to live under one of the many rocks in La Crescenta not to have seen Chris and his team in action supporting local organizations.

“We are very proud of the more than $50,000 we donate back each year to local and national charities as well as local schools and organizations,” he said.

You can’t say the name “Chris Waldheim” without somehow incorporating Relay For Life in the same sentence. Holding a very special place in his heart, Chris has been at the forefront of bringing this inspiring event to our foothills.

Cynthia Livingston, the current principal of Rosemont Middle School, shared this touching memory: “I will never forget my first Relay For Life. My Fremont [Elementary] team was there, walking to support one of our teachers who was battling cancer…..Each lap I walked, there was Chris offering his warm smile and encouraging thumbs up to carry on. …His inspiration touched my life and so many others that night. I am forever grateful for Chris Waldheim.”

Chris and J’s have also been loyal friends to Clark Magnet High School, supporting both their robotics and bike teams. David Black, the robotics leader said, “Chris Waldheim and J’s Maintenance have been an asset to the continued growth of the FIRST Robotics Team 696.”

Carol Pettegrew, Clark’s Mountain bike team director, shared, “Chris/J’s Maids/J’s Maintenance has sponsored the Clark bike team since it began. [Chris] calls Clark ‘the best kept secret in the foothills.’ He is probably more deserving of that title, because he does so much that people don’t even know about.”

There are many lives that the Waldheim family and J’s have touched throughout their 45 years. Please join us and the Montrose Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce in celebrating and congratulating them during our May business mixer on Wednesday, May 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at J’s  located at 3550 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta. We look forward to seeing you there!

  Leila BELL