HES Facilities Management
HES Facilities Management is a Knoxville-based, education-exclusive provider of outsourced custodial, groundskeeping, and facilities operations and maintenance services to K-12 districts and higher education institutions across more than 30 US states.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersKnoxville, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HES Facilities Management does
HES Facilities Management is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based private provider of outsourced custodial, groundskeeping, and facilities operations and maintenance services exclusively to educational institutions across the United States. Founded in May 2020 by Charlie Spencer (President & CEO) and Buddy Helton (Chairman) with backing from Nautic Partners, the company targets K-12 school districts, private schools, charter schools, technical schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities, with separately staffed sales coverage for K-12 and Higher Education segments in select regions. The service portfolio is anchored in four integrated lines: Custodial Services (daily routines and deep-cleaning), Groundskeeping (landscaping, campus beautification, snow and ice removal), Facility Operations & Maintenance (preventive and corrective maintenance, project management, energy management, capital planning, and trade coordination), and Quality Assurance (GPS-enabled software for audit, issue tracking, and real-time reporting), supplemented by Campus Readiness Plans and Sustainability Services. Underlying technology includes a GPS-enabled quality assurance platform that captures time/date-stamped geolocation and photo evidence of completed cleaning tasks, a CMMS for asset management and preventive maintenance, electrostatic spraying for disinfection, and UV-C disinfection deployed in HVAC and occupied spaces.
The company generates revenue through long-term managed services contracts (commonly five-year terms) awarded via competitive RFP, state cooperative, or national cooperative procurement, with pricing customized to facility specifications, square footage, and scope. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales via a regional team of Business Development Directors, Senior VPs, and Area VPs covering at least ten US territories. HES has scaled primarily through acquisition, absorbing SMS Facility Services (May 2020), WFF Facility Services and Clean-Tech Company (December 2020), and ABBCO Service Corporation (2023), reaching more than 30 states, approximately 100 education clients, and 150,000,000 square feet maintained per day. In June 2026, GI Partners closed a majority investment, with management reinvesting alongside; Nautic Partners exited after a five-year hold that it characterized as having built HES into one of the nation's largest providers in the category.
HES Facilities Management firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HES Facilities Management
- Legal name
- HES Facilities Management
- Website
- https://hes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- HES Facilities Management is a Knoxville-based, education-exclusive provider of outsourced custodial, groundskeeping, and facilities operations and maintenance services to K-12 districts and higher education institutions across more than 30 US states.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HES Facilities Management industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Educational Facility Management Services
- NAICS
- Facilities Support Services (561210)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) & Hard/Soft Services (EDAEAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Facilities Operations Outsourcing (Integrated FM, Work Orders, Asset Mgmt) (EDAEALAF), General Repairs, Handyman & Preventive Maintenance (PM) Programs (EDAEAAAE)
Keywords
Where HES Facilities Management is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knoxville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
HES Facilities Management business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Facilities Management Services Contracts: Long-term service contracts with educational institutions (K-12 school districts, colleges, universities) for custodial, groundskeeping, and facilities operations services. Contracts typically awarded through competitive RFP process and are multi-year (commonly 5-year terms). Revenue generated through service delivery under these institutional contracts.
- Plant Operations & Maintenance Services: Preventive and corrective maintenance services including project management, vendor contract management, emergency preparedness planning, and coordination of trade personnel such as electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, carpenters, and painters.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom contract pricing based on facility specifications |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
HES Facilities Management product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HES Facilities Management is an outsourced facilities management provider that delivers custodial, groundskeeping, facility operations, and maintenance programs exclusively to educational institutions, including K-12 school districts, charter schools, private schools, technical schools, community colleges, and universities. The company maintains approximately 150,000,000 square feet per day across more than 30 U.S. states under multi-year service contracts awarded through competitive RFP processes.
Product overview
HES Facilities Management is a premier national provider of outsourced facilities management services operating exclusively for educational institutions, including K-12 school districts, charter schools, private schools, technical schools, colleges, universities, and community colleges. The company's core service portfolio consists of four integrated offerings: Custodial Services (daily and deep-cleaning), Groundskeeping/Grounds (landscaping and campus beautification), Facility Operations & Maintenance (preventive and corrective maintenance, project management, energy management), and Quality Assurance (GPS-enabled software for tracking and reporting). These core services are supplemented by Campus Readiness Plans (COVID-19 and emergency disinfecting) and Sustainability Services (recycling, LEED support). The company has grown primarily through acquisitions, absorbing SMS Facility Services (2020), WFF Facility Services (2020), Clean-Tech Company (2020), and ABBCO Service Corporation (2023) into its unified platform. HES operates across more than 30 states, maintaining approximately 150,000,000 square feet per day, and employs 6 skilled team members.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custodial Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 90%+ success rate on performance grading scale for existing clients
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use HES Facilities Management
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HES Facilities Management technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
HES Facilities Management partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- ABBCO Service CorporationmajorHES acquired ABBCO Service Corporation, a well-established custodial service business based out of St. Louis, run by third-generation owner John Pieske. Both companies have a focus on education clients and similar values, making it an excellent strategic fit.
- WFF Facility ServicescoreHES acquired WFF Facility Services, a company with over 40 years of experience providing custodial, grounds, and facility maintenance to educational institutions across 19 states. WFF President Jonathan Campbell stayed with the combined company as EVP and Senior Advisor. The acquisition positioned HES as a national leader in educational facilities services.
- Clean-Tech CompanymajorHES acquired Clean-Tech Company, a premier Midwestern building services provider with 50+ years of expertise supporting some of the region's largest corporations. Clean-Tech was acquired alongside WFF as part of the same transaction, expanding HES's service capabilities.
- SMS Facility ServicescoreHES acquired SMS Facility Services, founded in 2007, which serves higher education and K-12 customers in Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. SMS was acquired in conjunction with HES's formation in May 2020, providing the initial platform for the company's growth.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
HES Facilities Management competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sodexo: Sodexo is a global integrated facilities management and food services company with a dedicated education segment serving schools and universities. It is a broad incumbent competitor for both K-12 and higher education facilities contracts.
- ABM Industries: ABM Industries is one of the largest U.S. facility services companies offering janitorial, parking, and integrated facility services across many verticals including education. It serves K-12 and higher education as a broad incumbent competitor with overlapping capabilities.
- Aramark: Aramark is a global facilities services and food services provider with significant education-segment exposure (K-12 and higher ed). It competes with HES in custodial and facilities operations contracts at colleges and school districts as a diversified incumbent.
Direct peers
- ServiceMaster Clean: ServiceMaster Clean offers commercial janitorial services to K-12 and higher education through its franchise network. It competes with HES in outsourced custodial services for educational facilities, especially smaller district contracts.
- GCA Education Services: GCA Services is a privately held facility services company whose education-focused predecessor (GCA Education Services) was led by HES's current CEO Charlie Spencer and Chairman Buddy Helton. It competes with HES in K-12 and higher ed custodial and groundskeeping.
- Varsity Facility Services: Varsity Facility Services is an education-focused janitorial and facilities management provider serving K-12 and higher education clients. It is a direct niche competitor with similar domain specialization and service mix to HES.
- Marsden Services: Marsden Services is a privately held facility services company providing janitorial, security, and staffing solutions across multiple U.S. regions, with education among its key verticals. It competes with HES for K-12 and higher education facilities contracts.
- SSC Services for Education: SSC Services for Education is a leading outsourced facilities services provider exclusively serving educational institutions, including K-12 school districts and higher education campuses. It is the closest direct competitor to HES in the education-only custodial, groundskeeping, and maintenance niche.
- Malace Enterprises: Malace Enterprises is a privately held facilities management and staffing firm serving K-12 schools, universities, and commercial clients. It is a smaller-scale direct competitor with education-segment focus comparable to HES.
- National Building Maintenance: National Building Maintenance (NBM) is a janitorial and facilities services provider serving commercial, institutional, and education clients across multiple U.S. regions. It is a direct competitor in outsourced custodial services to schools.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HES Facilities Management social profiles
Digital presenceHES Facilities Management financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HES Facilities Management leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles23 records
HES Facilities Management subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
HES Facilities Management funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HES Facilities Management M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HES Facilities Management
What does HES Facilities Management do?
HES Facilities Management is an outsourced facilities management provider that delivers custodial, groundskeeping, facility operations, and maintenance programs exclusively to educational institutions, including K-12 school districts, charter schools, private schools, technical schools, community colleges, and universities. The company maintains approximately 150,000,000 square feet per day across more than 30 U.S. states under multi-year service contracts awarded through competitive RFP processes.
Is HES Facilities Management a public or private company?
HES Facilities Management is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was HES Facilities Management founded?
HES Facilities Management was founded in 2020. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is HES Facilities Management based?
HES Facilities Management is headquartered in Knoxville, United States, in the North America region.
How does HES Facilities Management make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Facilities Management Services Contracts are the primary driver. The others are plant Operations & Maintenance Services.
Who are HES Facilities Management's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sodexo, ABM Industries and Aramark. Direct peers are ServiceMaster Clean, GCA Education Services, Varsity Facility Services, Marsden Services, SSC Services for Education, Malace Enterprises and National Building Maintenance.
Does HES Facilities Management have an API?
No public API is recorded for HES Facilities Management.
What industry is HES Facilities Management in?
HES Facilities Management's product category is Educational Facility Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAAAA, Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) & Hard/Soft Services, with a secondary code of EDAEALAF, Facilities Operations Outsourcing (Integrated FM, Work Orders, Asset Mgmt). Its NAICS code is 561210 and its SIC code is 8744.