Dealer Spotlight: Learning the secret to success for Garrett McAlister from Clean Direct Inc.

Our partners and dealers both at home and around the world are massively important to us, so we like to take the opportunity to shine a light on some of them! In this month’s Dealer Spotlight, we’re heading overseas to speak with our US Dealer, Garrett McAlister.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Garrett McAlister. I'm the CEO of Clean Direct Inc. a speciality cleaning equipment distributor located in Sanford NC, USA. We are the home of skyVac North America and have been selling skyVac systems for nearly 9 years now. Our main markets are the USA and Canada. 

With the exception of Wyoming, we've shipped gutter cleaning and high-reach vacuum systems into every state and province including islands like the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Vancouver Island. If you're reading this blog and live in Wyoming, let's make a deal!

How did Clean Direct come about?

My father-in-law and I were cleaning the gutters on my detached garage, and it took us collectively 6-man hours due to the treacherous ground and height. While I was holding the ladder, I started searching for better ways to clean gutters. 

After much searching, I found skyVac in the UK and reached out to them. This was very early on and skyVac had not found its way to the USA yet. The partners and I hit it off right away. After many calls and a visit, I signed up as a Master Distributor and the rest is history. We've since built a wonderful business relationship and friendship. 

I consider us an extension of Spinaclean's business, and we work really hard to hold up to a high standard of service and quality.

What has been the secret to your success?

Innovation and quality products are the cornerstone of everything that we've built. We owe that to Andy and Mark, who built skyVac from the ground up and worked for years to build a solid enterprise. 

Past that, our success can be attributed to a quality Clean Direct team, high work ethics and a sense of urgency. We also try our best to use technology to drive sales.

What’s the most significant thing you’ve learned since you started Clean Direct?

Approach every day as a learning opportunity and continuously improve. Organise and plan with specific goals.

What are your hopes for the next five years?

We want to fully develop the cleaning journey for our professional customers by offering a well-rounded suite of products and services in the speciality cleaning space.

Are there any challenges faced by the exterior cleaning industry that are specific to the US?

Size and distance considerations have always got to be factored into all business decisions. Americans are not afraid of the “more is better” approach.

What appealed to you about becoming a skyVac dealer?

At first, the technology attracted me, but later on I just really liked working with the skyVac team and the challenge of seeing how far we could take this business.

What is your most popular skyVac product and what makes that product so popular with your US customers?

skyVac Interceptor. It took a while for people to catch on, but now it’s our #1 gutter cleaning system.

What could we do better for you? 

The main thing is keeping the lines of communication open and having insight as to what new products are coming down the pipeline.

Garrett will also be appearing on the next episode of the Spinaclean Spotlight Podcast! Check it out to learn more about how Garrett has grown his business.