Barnett Gershen, President and Owner
About our PresidentPrior to becoming an independent consultant, Mr. Gershen gained invaluable experience as Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Associated Business Services (ABS), a $120-million service firm that consistently ranked in the top 5% of like companies in the US and achieved margins higher than industry standards.
2005 – Present
President/Owner – Gershen Consulting
Privately owned organization whose mission is to apply Mr. Gerhsen’s experience to profitably provide the best consulting, mentoring, advisory, and investing services for CEOs in the building services industry – and have fun doing it!
2005
VP Organizational Development – Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc
Initiated an overall organizational restructure and created infrastructure positioned for growth and profitability.
1978 to 2004
Chief Executive Officer – The ABS Companies, Houston, Texas
Began as laborer in 1955, moved up through the ranks, gaining unique and irreplaceable experience in every role from janitor all the way to management, and eventually CEO. As CEO, successfully grew the company to be one of the premier janitorial services providers in the country, with over 12,000 employees and $230 million in sales.
Proven Success
Our History
Barnett Gershen is the owner/CEO of Gershen Consulting, LLC and specializes in business advisory services.
Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Mr. Gershen gained invaluable experience as Chief Executive Officer and co-owner of Associated Business Services (ABS), a $120-million service firm that consistently ranked in the top 5% of like companies in the US and achieved margins higher than industry standards.
Mr. Gershen is qualified by multiple academic degrees and 30 years experience in executive management roles. He is an innovative leader, with appreciation for strategic alliances, particularly in applying technological advances to enhance and expand market presence. He was also responsible for generating a client list of domestic/international Fortune 500 companies. He implemented unique growth strategies that enabled successful transition from a local business to a national company within a highly competitive, tight-margin business. Simultaneous with the sale of ABS, this national service company became part of a $230-million structure with 13,000 employees nationwide – the 9th largest company in the field.
He is the son of Margie Abrams, who began Associated Building Services (formerly XGI Services) in 1945. As a young widow with three small children, her sheer determination provided the basics for a very small janitorial service. Her integrity was her calling card. She built the business up to annual revenues of $10k, at which time Barnett stepped up to the helm.
As President in 1975, Barnett (Barney to his friends) implemented growth procedures that would make The ABS Companies one of the largest, most profitable maintenance companies in the U.S.
When the company sold in 2004, it employed over 13,000 employees across the nation with revenues of $230 million.
Barnett is now lending his hard-earned experience to friends and associates. He believes that this is his opportunity to pass on what contributed to his success. He is endeavoring to build the same hopes and dreams in a new generation of business owners.
Testimonial
“…Over the past two years, we’ve seen turnover rates in our executive leadership team drop to 0% with internal surveys indicating our team is very satisfied working within our organization. Our teams sincerely appreciate the professional development opportunities we offer through Gershen Consulting not only in our group seminars, but in the one-on-one sessions with Patti and Barney. As a leader of an executive team that delivers consistently on very high expectations, there is no doubt that integrating and investing in the Birkman assessment along with the continuous education about the assessment has been a key factor in our success.”
Travis Lambert, Vice President of Operations, Olympus Building Services, Inc.