The shift that rarely gets thanked

March 23, 2026

This week, the cleaning industry gets its moment. International Cleaning Week, observed every March by ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, recognizes custodial professionals for what they are: the people who make every other profession possible. Fifty Melwood Enterprises’ team members hold ISSA certifications, a credential that reflects real skill in a profession that rarely gets the credit it deserves.

This International Cleaning Week, we want to introduce two Melwood Enterprises custodial workers whose stories remind us why this work, and the people doing it, deserve more than a passing nod.

Devan Deloatch has been on the custodial team at USDA’s APHIS since December 2007. He cleans restrooms, collects trash, and mops floors. He was Employee of the Month in 2018. Outside of work, he competes in track and field. “I like running and showing everybody my talents,” he said. “And I never give up.”

Stewart Williams will tell you he wasn’t ready the first time he worked at Melwood. “I was young. I wanted to party. I didn’t understand responsibility.” He came back. Now he’s a custodian at the U.S. Naval Academy, keeping classrooms, locker rooms, and pool decks ready for use every day. His supervisor gives him room to work and checks in regularly. “That gives me confidence,” Stewart says. Growing up with dyslexia, he spent years being judged for what he couldn’t do. “Melwood doesn’t do that. Here, I’m just treated like a regular human being.”

Devan and Stewart are two faces of a much larger workforce. Across more than 70 locations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., Melwood Enterprises employees serve some of the most important institutions in the country, including the FBI, the Department of Justice, Fort Meade, and the Naval Academy. Every day, they show up to keep those places running. They just don’t usually get a headline for it.

Melwood has been placing people in meaningful custodial jobs for more than 60 years. This week, they get their moment.

See what a workforce like this can do for your facility: https://melwoodenterprises.org/business-services/custodial-services/

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