Wallowa Countys Busy Bee Carpet Cleaning owners Jon and Wendy Stewart decided to observe their 25th anniversary in the county this spring, even though theyre a couple years late.

The couple actually moved to Wallowa County in May of 1986 27 years ago to headquarter an off-shoot of Jons parents business, Busy Bee Carpet Cleaning.

I started helping my dad cleaning carpets when I was 9 years old, Jon Stewart said. I kind of grew up with it.

The La Grande business had so many customers in Wallowa County that Jon and his two brothers were asked if any one of them would be willing to move here to work, and Jon cheerfully volunteered. In 1990 he and Wendy became independent when they bought out the Wallowa County branch of the family operation.

The Busy Bee family business also continues to thrive in La Grande.

While the basic equipment of carpet cleaning has remained pretty much the same through the decades, it has become much more powerful a 16 horsepower piece of cleaning equipment is now 60 horsepower, which allows for much faster cleaning and much faster carpet drying. The drying time used to be 24 hours; now its as low as two hours, Stewart said.

Stewart originally pulled his cleaning equipment around on a trailer and now has a self-contained van.

This year the Stewarts are observing their 25th anniversary, a couple years late, by offering a 25 percent discount to customers through the end of April.

When asked how hes stayed in business through the last quarter of a century in Wallowa County, which has seen many economic ups and downs, Stewart said one key is Busy Bees versatility. In addition to carpet, Stewart cleans upholstery and also cleans up after water damage and smoke incidents, for example when pipes burst in subzero weather or a misbehaving oil furnace misfires and belches soot all over the house.

One of Busy Bees biggest jobs ever in Wallowa County was when the sprinkler system in the Wallowa Senior Center malfunctioned and drenched the facility in 2006. Busy Bee spent three weeks with several employees on its $40,000 part of the insurance-paid contract, drying and cleaning up the water-damaged center.

The other reason for the success of Busy Bee here, Stewart believes, is the fact his customers and his quality of work are the enterprises best advertisement. I rely on repeat business. I dont cut corners and I rarely get a complaint, Stewart said. Im a nut when it comes to quality of work. I dont want to leave any room for improvement.

Versatility and good worksmanship Busy Bees recipe for success in Wallowa County.