Biography for John M. Borders

"I wanted it to be right"

John Borders, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of IHM Facility Services, acquired the company in March 2005 to bridge what he calls "the experience-qualification gap" that exists with typical small MBE businesses, especially in the industrial janitorial and general laborer areas.  His goal was to transform a proven, successful business platform into one that Fortune 500 companies could embrace with 100% confidence.  IHM’s primary purpose is to support their janitorial, general laborer, facility maintenance initiatives (handyman functions) and outsourcing strategies.   "I attended undergraduate and graduate school at the University of Wisconsin from 1966 to 1972.  In the Graduate School of Cybernetic Engineering I was taught to explore emerging technological ideas and to think critically by Dr. Karl U. Smith, who was the chair of my grad school department.  Dr. Smith was one of the top 3 scientists/engineers in the cybernetic engineering world at that time.  He shaped how I approach problems, opportunities, the known and unknown.

“During my career at Procter & Gamble, from 1972-1982, we were trained to take meticulous care in every aspect of business planning and execution.  We were taught to cover all of the details of a mission.  We critically analyzed problems and opportunities and always employed a challenging “creative solutions” process to converge on the most beneficial approach.  I have employed and refined this methodology religiously over my 30 plus year career with many of the esteemed companies I have been blessed to work for.

“What attracted me to buy IHM was their method of operation and business discipline, which reminded me of P&G.  P&G strived to always be right and I endeavored to be right in whatever I did.  IHM had a motto and culture of Doing Right Things, Right!.  They had achieved ISO 9001:2000 Certification and proven themselves over a 30-year history, with an impressive range of customers, including General Motors, Delphi, Sony DADC, Thomson Multimedia, P&G, and many of the major steel companies.  All IHM needed was a ‘transformation’ to really grow within their market segment.  This was achieved with my purchase in March and achievement of our MBE Certification in August 2005.”

My goal is to maintain IHM’s corporate DNA of Doing Right Things, Right!  By staying true to this concept we will be, “Always the Right Choice" for our customers and employees.”

John Borders’ experience, vision and credentials were gained from long term exposure in executive leadership roles in a diverse range of industries and Fortune 500 companies, such as Procter & Gamble, American Cyanamid, GD Searle, NutraSweet Company, Monsanto, PepsiCo, ITW/Paslode, Reebok International and Step 3 Consulting (Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma). Throughout his career, he has associated with powerful leaders and innovative people to produce successful brands and business enterprises.  The benefit of those relationships and associations are evident and will be firmly embedded within the structure and core ideology of IHM Facility Services. 

John Borders has a strong background of building new brands and businesses in a wide variety of industries.  He is a proven leader, with a track record of success in all of his corporate endeavors.  Borders views the acquisition of IHM Facility Services as a great opportunity to make IHM a nationally recognized brand, synonymous with value and excellence in the field of facility maintenance.