Glenna and Andy Maras have spent the past decade cleaning up other people’s messes — literally.

The couple currently operates eight storefronts under the SERVPRO franchise, including a recently opened location off U.S. 2 in Evergreen. Technicians with the company are certified to provide a variety of specialized cleaning and repair services for buildings damaged by water, fire, mold and other hazards. 

“We do services beyond what a housekeeper could do,” said Glenna. 

The Marases purchased their first SERVPRO franchise license in 2014, as Andy was struggling to make ends meet in the increasingly volatile construction industry. A friend suggested that the couple check out the restoration business. A few months later, the family left their home in Arizona to head up a new SERVPRO location in Hawaii. 

“We moved there with our five kids and our suitcases and pretty much nothing else,” said Glenna. 

On the business side, the Marases were also starting from scratch. Andy had experience building houses, but restoring them was another science. The couple enrolled in courses through the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration, receiving certifications in specialized fields like water damage restoration, mold remediation and applied structural drying. They bought industrial de-humidifiers, air scrubbers and water pumps along with shelves of household cleaning products.  

Then, they got to work. 

“The most common things [people call for] are simple,” said Andy. 

A leaky pipe causing water damage. Mold growing in the corner of a basement.  

But there were also messier jobs. The Marases were called to clean up crime scenes stained with blood and bodily fluids and buildings infected with rats. They scrubbed buildings contaminated with illicit substances like narcotics. 

One of the nastiest jobs, Glenna and Andy agreed, was an apartment that had become infected with cockroaches due to the tenant’s hoarding addiction. The technicians that worked the job had to strip the apartment down to its concrete floor and walls to get rid of the pests. 

“You become really resourceful, and you have to think outside of the box a lot,” said Andy. “That’s the part I really like.”   

He continues to chase the challenge by traveling out-of-state to help with large-scale cleanup jobs after natural disasters. 

For Glenna, the appeal of the business was less about the process and more about the result.  

She recalled performing a job for an elderly man who needed in-home medical care. Years of neglect had rendered the man’s house unsafe, so the caregiving team was unable to authorize services until the SERVPRO technicians completed a full-scale remediation.  

“Really, we’re in the business of restoring lives, not just buildings,” said Glenna. “So, it can be incredibly rewarding.” 

To date, the couple has worked on hundreds of homes and buildings, including large-scale restoration projects at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park and the University of Washington. They own six SERVPRO locations in Hawaii and another storefront near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but Glenna said the couple’s most recent venture is especially close to home.  

A Billings native, Glenna always harbored a desire to return to the Treasure State. When a franchise location opened up in Kalispell last year, the Marases jumped on the opportunity. They started accepting clients in June 2024. 

The Kalispell SERVPRO branch currently offers restoration and cleaning services for buildings with water damage, fire damage, mold, biohazards, sewage and odors, with plans to install rentable storage units and an ultrasonic cleaning station for household objects in the future. 

“Kalispell alone is a great area and there’s a lot of need here,” said Glenna. “We really anticipate [the business] having considerable growth. We look forward to growing roots here.”   

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].