Nicholas Polaskey was born just one year before his parents opened Heaven Scent Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning of St. Joseph. Twenty-two years later, Nicholas knows the business like a sibling, he’s grown up around the work, and now he’s purchased the operation and is taking the reins immediately.
“I grew up in the family business. It was always neat to follow dad around and tag along on job sites to see the different things and services we do for customers. I’ve always had an interest in what went on and how things operated, and now here we are – full circle.”
As of this June, Polaskey is the new president at Heaven Scent. The 22-year-old bought the business from his dad who is keeping busy with his own purchase that he finalized in April 2023, Babe’s Riverfront Bar & Grill in Benton Harbor.
Polaskey says he knows the cleaning and restoration business is a lot of work. Even so, he’s anxious to take the helm.
“Is there a better time to do it? If you’re going to do it and run a company and burn yourself out, you’ve got to do it while you’re young,” Polaskey said with a laugh.
Recalling his earliest memory of Heaven Scent, Polaskey doesn’t remember how old he was, but he remembers he and his father were cleaning a customer’s basement after a flood from the St. Joe River.
“As a kid I thought I was doing a good service by grabbing all the towels I could to clean up some water. I had little to no effect, obviously. But just tagging along, playing around in the water as they would dry it up and bring in the equipment, I just enjoyed all that.”
Even though he was around the business for his entire childhood, Nicholas started working more regularly at Heaven Scent during high school. Over the last two years, he has taken on an even greater role, overseeing the entire operation in preparation for buying the company. One aspect he especially appreciates is that the company will remain locally owned and operated.
“It’s still family owned. We’re not selling out. It’s not a partnership with anybody. It (remains) a second generation, family-owned business.”
Asked about what might change now that he’s the decision maker, Polaskey says he plans to make some improvements.
“In the short term, (I’ll) refresh and reset employee benefits, taking some of the same approach (as my father) and mixing it up a little bit.”
For the long-term, Nicholas has his eyes set on expanding.
“Every company wants to grow and expand. It would be pretty big to get a sign out at the road and (redo) the front office. Over the long-term, the goal would be to grow with another location — whether that be south of Grand Rapids or north of Indianapolis.”
“It’s a very competitive field and I like that. I’ve always had somewhat of a competitive edge to me. I enjoy the competitiveness while getting along with other companies that are in the same industry.”
With plans to finish college at some point, Polaskey says he has the certifications he currently needs to continue the services Heaven Scent offers, including nationally recognized master certifications from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. Not everybody gets to experience this, and that’s something I’m very grateful for. Family businesses are hard to run. They’re hard to come by and they aren’t everywhere. It’s important to me and I cherish being able to take this over and see what I can do with the company and continue to grow.”
