05/20/2026
A message from our CEO: Rest in Peace, Joe Vaughn
In 1992, while attending Purdue University and working multiple jobs to support myself and my young family, I had an idea to start a janitorial service. I didn’t come from wealth or a long line of business owners. What I did have was determination, a willingness to work, and parents who believed in helping however they could.
At that same time, my father, Joe Vaughn, had unexpectedly been forced into early retirement. He was a common man in the best sense of the phrase — humble, hardworking, dependable, and deeply rooted in family values. He believed in showing up, doing honest work, treating people fairly, and taking pride in providing for those you loved. Those principles would later become some of the foundational values of MJV.
Knowing he still needed to work, I approached him with the idea of building a business together. He agreed, and we officially formed our first company: Marc and Joe Vaughn Janitorial Service.
But only days later, maybe a week or two, my father changed his mind. The reality of late nights and overnight cleaning work caused him to reconsider, and he decided to pursue another job instead. The partnership dissolved almost as quickly as it had begun.
At the time, I could have seen it as a setback. Instead, it became the moment that truly launched the business.
I reorganized the company into a new corporation and renamed it MJV Janitorial Service, later rebranded as Team MJV. I intentionally kept my father’s initials in the company name out of respect for him and because, even after stepping away from ownership, he had helped make the business possible. He loaned me $3,000 to get started, money that meant everything to a young college student trying to build something from nothing.
In the early years, both my mother and father helped whenever they could. My dad, despite leaving the partnership, continued filling in on cleaning crews when team members were absent. He remained connected to the business for years, quietly supporting it in ways that mattered more than I probably understood at the time.
As the company grew, so did the responsibility. What started as a small operation slowly evolved into a larger organization requiring leadership teams, structure, and long-term vision. Along the way, the values my father lived by — hard work, humility, loyalty, and family — became deeply woven into the culture of MJV. We built the company around treating people with respect, valuing relationships, and never forgetting the dignity of honest work.
Over the years, countless team members and leaders became part of the company’s journey and success story.
Looking back now, especially after my father’s passing last week on May 14th at the age of 91, I find myself wondering about those early days. Why did he initially agree? Why did he step away so quickly? Was he uncertain about the business itself, or was he simply trying to encourage me to take the leap on my own?
I never pushed him for those answers. Maybe that was the right thing to do.
What I do know is this: without him, the company may never have started at all.
Even though he chose not to remain a partner, he always stayed interested in the business. He regularly asked about operations, customers, employees, and leaders. He knew many of the people who helped shape the company over the decades, and he took pride in watching it grow.
Now, entering our 35th year, it is an honor to continue carrying his initials in the company name. What began as a small idea between a son and his father has become part of our family legacy — one built on hard work, sacrifice, resilience, and belief in something bigger than ourselves.
His name remains part of the company, but his values are part of our foundation. Thank you all for helping carry that legacy forward every day.
Cheers to Joe, cheers to all of you.
Coach Marc Vaughn
