ServiceMaster: A Case Study in the Real-world Influence of C. S. Lewis’s Christian Humanism - Part I
“Mere Christian Social Thought” paper for 4th Acton Academic Conference, 10/25/24 at the Acton Institute, Grand Rapids, MI
Introduction: Origin and nature of this paper
As initially proposed, this paper set out to explore the ServiceMaster corporation as a case study of the long tradition of Christian humanism (I’ll unpack that term) that its early leaders discovered revived in their favorite Christian author, C S Lewis. The paper is part of a larger project, which is very much a work-in-progress.
About me, you should know that I am a lumper, not a splitter. These terms were applied to historiography by historian of Tudor England JH Hexter. The distinction he was making is what it sounds like: lumpers like me look for large patterns that explain diverse evidence. Splitters spoil lumpers’ fun, emphasizing differences in the evidence and resisting simple schemes.
I’ll admit that at this stage of the larger research project, a splitter could walk through any number of probably glaring plot holes in my “simple scheme.” In the next few months I will, in the larger project, follow the evidence to seal the gaps and smooth the argument. But what you’ll hear now is about halfway through that process. So, I will probably regret saying this, but . . . Splitters, pile on! The Q&A will be brief, but I’d be happy to hear from you on any aspect of this paper’s topic later either after the session here or via email.
What is ServiceMaster and who were its formative leaders?
ServiceMaster as unique company
For those unfamiliar with ServiceMaster, it was founded in 1929 by Marion Wade, as a moth-proofing company in Chicagoland. From these humble beginnings grew one of the powerhouses of the service sector. What does ServiceMaster do? Essentially, it’s a cleaning company. More philosophically, it’s a company (and in fact, many companies under one corporate umbrella) that stands athwart entropy, working heroically against dirt and disorder. Biohazard-laden hospital rooms, weed-choked lawns, bug-infested houses, disaster-stricken neighborhoods—in each of these arenas and more, ServiceMaster’s employees battle valiantly to turn back the forces of chaos and disruption. Given this mission of restoring orderliness and cleanliness, I suppose ServiceMaster is the quintessential Midwestern company – though it has now moved its headquarters to Atlanta, by way of Memphis.
But the story I’m pursuing here is less about the nature of ServiceMaster’s front-line work and more about the experience of the people who have done it, and of their managers and executive leaders.
Leaders
So, first the leaders. ServiceMaster’s first four CEO’s were Marion Wade (CEO from 1929-1957), Ken Hansen (from 1957-1973), Ken Wessner (from 1973-1983), and Bill Pollard (from 1983-1993 and again from 1999-2001).
Hansen, Wessner, and Pollard all graduated from Wheaton College, and Wade had connections with the institution. Wade is commemorated on campus with an impressive archive and library bearing his name and dedicated to the works of CS Lewis and the “Inklings.” Hansen, when he wasn’t running the company, was holding literature reading groups in his home, with a focus on C S Lewis. Recently his children and friends funded an Inklings lecture series at Wheaton and dedicated it to Ken’s name—the series has already resulted in eight Intervarsity Press books.
Pollard spoke all over the country, to both faith-based and business-based audiences, and he almost never failed to quote Lewis as he did so. The quotation he used was in fact almost always this one, from Lewis’s sermon “The weight of glory”:
It wasn’t until 1993 that a non-evangelical broke into the C-suite at ServiceMaster: the devout Roman Catholic Carlos Cantu, who came over from Terminix when the pest control company was absorbed.
Cantu was the Texas-born son of Mexican immigrants—a brilliant man who read voraciously and led well. When the company promoted Cantu to chief executive, Hansen and Wessner were still alive (though they would die the following year), and they clearly, along with Pollard, saw that this Catholic leader resonated with the people-first principle on which they had built their business. (In a section excised from this paper for length, I suggest that his Catholic background may in fact help explain this alignment.)
Due to file size, I need to continue this introductory section in a second post! Will do so shortly, before continuing the story in other, subsequent posts . . .