Matthew and April Fedrick of Ward own and operate Ape’s Housekeeping and Cleaning Services, LLC.
The couple met in 2011 in Kabul, Afghanistan, while both serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and married in 2012. April was honorably discharged in 2013, followed by Matthew’s medical retirement in 2014.
After several moves for Matthew’s job, the couple landed in central Arkansas and didn’t want to move again. They started their business in 2019 and serve the Cabot area.
Ape’s offers recurring housekeeping, one-time deep cleaning, and residential organizing. The company’s Air Purification Experience (APE) Clean method uses vacuums that have a water-bath filtration system that traps dirt, dust, and allergens in the water.
The business name refers both to the company’s air purification technology and April’s childhood nickname. “As we developed our niche in air purification housekeeping, we realized we had a wonderful marketing opportunity with the name of our business,” Matthew said.
In 2020, they began working with the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center on plans for expansion, specificially strategies for marketing and hiring.
Business consultant Nicolas Mayerhoeffer advised them about marketing tactics and shared resources for veteran-owned businesses. Through ASBTDC Specialty Services, the Fedricks got advice on growing their team.
“Nicolas was instrumental in helping us identify our target market and assisted with a plan to reach this market. Once we decided to expand our business, he was also very helpful in linking us with a human resources specialist, Glenda Caton, to ensure we had all the appropriate documentation needed to legally employ 1099 independent contractors to implement our trademarked cleaning method,” said Matthew.
“The ASBTDC has an extremely helpful, professional, and highly experienced team willing to help a young business excel. Call on them, and you won’t be disappointed in the results.”
Short-term, the Fedricks plan to add more APE Clean specialists in their housekeeping department and continue to develop their residential organizational services. Long-term, they envision franchising.
See the Ape’s Housekeeping and Cleaning Services website to learn more about the business.