Tyrone businessman does his part for Sept. 11 clean-up

Tyrone businessman

does his part for Sept. 11 clean-up

The losses

­ of life, property and innocence ­ were more than most Americans

could handle after the attacks of Sept. 11. In order to begin the road

to recovery, the nation, mentally and physically, had to pick up the pieces.

For ServiceMaster

Clean, the first step was to undertake a restoration effort of historic

significance.

Experts from

the ServiceMaster Recovery Management team were summoned to the nation's

capital to provide assistance at the Pentagon, site of one of the terrorist

attacks.

One local ServiceMaster

Clean company, got involved in the effort firsthand.

Jorge Valdes,

franchise owner of ServiceMaster Total Cleaning in Tyrone, was called

in as part of the ServiceMaster Clean global franchise network to help

with the effort, one that left a lasting impression.

"For me,

it was a natural reaction to want to help out. We were all searching for

a way to contribute and we are glad we were able to do so," said

Valdes.

Valdes joined

ServiceMaster Clean franchise owners and technicians from across the country

to participate in the restoration at the Pentagon. The project was a challenge

as workers faced emotions, ogistics and security issues.

"The process

of moving large groups of people into the building amid safety and security

concerns made it a daunting task, but for us, it was just another day

on the job," said Brad Key, director of ServiceMaster Recovery Management

at the home office in Memphis.

"I never

doubted the strength of our teamwork and the support for our country."

Over the last

two months, more than 300 company employees have worked around the clock

removing soot and smoke residue from the affected halls, corridors, lobbies

and offices of one of the country's largest office buildings.

Through teamwork

and endurance, ServiceMaster Clean worked around the approximately 25,000

employees still working at the Pentagon.

For many of

them, returning to their daily work schedules was not an option, but rather

a necessity.

"It was

vital for these employees of our nation's defense system to get