Putting People Over Profit – Metro Brothers Launch Cleaning Company With Compassion

Maybe about the only thing more difficult than starting a business during a pandemic is starting one with your brother. 

"There’s definitely some challenges butting heads and stuff like that. I’m the youngest, so I have to always be right," said Jake Golden, vice-president of Golden Environmental Laboratory.

But all kidding aside, Jake and his brother Zac work well together, and that’s a necessity in getting their new business going. 

We caught up with them at Papa Dio’s at May and Hefner, just about a month after they launched Golden Environmental Laboratory. 

They’d been planning to start an environmental company for years but added disinfection services to their repertoire when they saw a need in their community. 

“We saw something, that, hey, we need to get with the community now and we need to start pushing our services and getting out there and helping as much as we can," Jake said. "It really brought us together quicker than we planned.” 

These brothers also have hearts of gold. 

They’re offering a “name your price” incentive where businesses and residents who can’t afford their services can pay whatever they can, no questions asked. 

“We feel like we have a duty as a company to our community. We’ll ride this out and hopefully pick up more and more business that sticks with us," said Zac Golden, president of Golden Environmental Laboratory.

Papa Dio’s owner Candace Gideo said her restaurant has been doing well thanks to a loyal customer base and PPP funding, but said it’s inspiring seeing Golden put people over profit. 

 “I think it’s a great opportunity for those guys to get out there and help Oklahomans, as everyone does in this town. We all stick together. We all help each other," she said.

“It’s been big and challenging but seeing the things that we’ve seen with the community of helping the people out and helping them feel safer, it’s a big deal to us," Jake said.