Team Clean Founder Donna Allie among the Presenters at The President’s Forum of Philadelphia Wednesday, June 11th


Philadelphia, PA – June 10, 2008 – Donna Allie, the award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Philadelphia’s largest minority-owned business, will be among the presenters at The President’s Forum of Philadelphia. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11th at the Union League of Philadelphia.

The Presidents' Forum is an invitation-only, annual, all-day event for presidents, founders, CEOs and top executives, with case study presentations, small group strategy discussions, and one on one networking elements in an interactive format. It was created through the efforts of The Entrepreneurship Institute (TEI) and its Philadelphia Advisory Board to provide practical solutions, relevant information and valuable contacts needed to thrive in the “new economy.”

Allie’s presentation, “Capitalizing on Your Passion,” will incorporate elements from her personal story of professional and entrepreneurial growth. Team Clean Chief Executive Officer David Rivers will be a member of a panel discussion on “Keeping the Right Team in Place.” Among the other prestigious faculty and presenters at this year’s President’s Forum of Philadelphia are Fran Dunphy, the head coach of the Temple University’s men’s basketball team; Herb Taylor, Vice President and Corporate Secretary of The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; and Scott Addis, President and CEO of The Addis Group and Addis Intellectual Capital.

The president and founder of Team Clean, Inc., a leading provider of janitorial services in the Philadelphia region, Allie launched the company in the mid-1980s as a solo entrepreneur, and has grown the company to over 550 employees and over $16 million in sales. The company she founded on a shoe-string is now the #1-ranked Minority-Owned Business in Philadelphia according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Team Clean serves a variety of clients in government, education, industry, professional offices, sports and entertainment venues and events. Among the highlights of Team Clean’s growth are clients such as the landmark National Constitution Center, and the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, Citizens Bank Park, on behalf of Global Spectrum.

Originally unable to find employment in her chosen field after college graduation, Allie was a single parent determined to find a way to support herself and her child. She had accompanied a friend on a job cleaning a home, and realized that there was an excellent income potential in cleaning houses. She answered newspaper advertisements for “cleaning ladies,” and began cleaning homes throughout Philadelphia’s suburban Main Line. Team Clean grew when Allie began to respond to those newspaper ads by hiring women herself and sending them off in pairs to clean homes, establishing the burgeoning company’s “team” approach to cleaning. She took her first commercial contract in 1985 with the Upper Main Line YMCA.

Allie has been the recipient of numerous professional awards. In April 2007, she was honored by the Philadelphia Phillies with the inaugural Most Valuable Diverse Business Partner during ceremonies on Jackie Robinson Day at Citizens Bank Park. In 1994, the African American Chamber of Commerce honored Allie with their Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, and in 1995 she received the Business Acumen Award from the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women. In 1996, Team Clean was selected as one of Philadelphia’s 100 Fastest Growing Small Businesses by the Wharton Small Business Development Center and the Philadelphia Business Journal, and in 1997 Allie was named one of Pennsylvania’s 50 Best Women in Business. Also in 1997, Allie and Team Clean received the Special Recognition Award for Excellence of Service from the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

In 2001, she was selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the "District Minority Small Business Person of the Year." The Business Center at New Covenant Campus honored Allie in 2006 with their Harriet Tubman Trailblazer Award. In addition, Allie has received the 62nd National Freedom Day Community Service Award, the City of Philadelphia’s Supply, Service and Equipment Award, and the Main Line Martin Luther King Jr. Association’s Business Leadership Award.

A graduate of Wilberforce University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Vocational Rehabilitation, Allie has attended the Loyola Advanced Minority Business Executive Program as well as several courses at The Wharton Small Business Development Center. Throughout the history of her company, Allie has remained committed to community service. She is an active board member of a number of non-profit organizations, including the African-American Chamber of Commerce; the Fund for Philadelphia; the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board; the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation; Philadelphia Women in Business; the Universal Charter School; and The Business Center in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood.

About Team Clean:
Team Clean is a leading provider of janitorial services in the Philadelphia region. The company serves a variety of clients in government, education, industry, professional offices, sports and entertainment venues and events. Active in the Philadelphia community with a variety of social and economic programs, Team Clean was recently ranked as the top Minority-Owned Business in Philadelphia according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. Additional information is available at http://www.team-clean.com/.

Media Contact: Jim DeLorenzo (for Team Clean)
Phone: 215-564-1122
E-mail:
jim@jhdenterprises.com