Unicorns 212/229 – SMS Assist
SMS Assist
Founder/s: Stephen Watkins, Michael Rothman
Key people: Michael Rothman (Chairman Chief Executive Officer), Marc Shiffman (Chief Financial Officer), Alexander Rothman (Chief Innovation OfficerBoard MemberVice President of Operations), Matt McCall (Director & Investor), Jiangqing Zhao (Chief Information Officer) and William Cahill (Vice President Hospitality Services)
Employees: 501 – 1k
SMS is revolutionizing the facility services industry through its remarkable technology. Most large multi-location chains rely heavily on local subcontractors to provide their facility maintenance services, like electrical, plumbing, carpentry and mechanical repairs, floor & window cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, parking lot maintenance and dozens of other services.
Management responsibility for these services is often delegated to the operating units, and as a result, significant opportunities to leverage technology, economies of scale and subject matter expertise are lost. As a national integrator with over 40,000 unique customer sites under contract, SMS Assist helps customers reduce spend on facilities services an average of 20 percent, while maintaining or improving quality and providing radical transparency.
History
SMS Assist was founded on the belief that technology can make the facilities maintenance business more efficient and, more importantly, add value for the clients we served. Here are some key moments that have shaped SMS Assist into the company it is today.
1999 – 2006
Incorporated in 1999, SMS Assist began as a floor care company with only 10 employees.
Mike Rothman took leadership of the company in the early 2000s, and SMS Assist launched its first proprietary technology platform, Service Track, in 2005.
2007 – 2010
In 2008, SMS Assist was awarded a national small box retail account, and in 2009, SMART Facilities Services merged with SMS Assist adding the Facilities department.
Throughout this time, SMS continued expanding their offerings to includ e snow and ice management, landscaping, and parking lot maintenance.
2011 – 2012
The year 2011 brought the Pritzker Group Venture Capital’s (PGVC) first investment of $17 million and three members joined the SMS Assist Board of Directors.
As SMS Assist continued to experience rapid growth, the company relocated its headquarters to the John Hancock Center in 2012. That same year, SMS Assist won the Chicago Innovation Award for its advanced technology platform.
2013 – 2014
PGVC also invested an additional $45 million dollars in 2013. SMS Assist launched their first mobile app and continued to experience tremendous growth.
In 2014, SMS Assist successfully entered the residential service market and was awarded over 20,000 single-family rental (SFR) locations. As the SMS Assist client portfolio continued to grow, many new team members joined SMS.
2015 – 2016
To fuel additional growth and innovation, Insight Venture Partners invested $45 million dollars and added a member to the SMS Assist board.
2016 marked the launch of One by SMS Assist, SMS’s most innovative technology platform. Currently, SMS Assist has grown to over 600 team members and now services over 120,000 client locations.
