About Us
Our History
Viking Janitor Supplies was founded in 1972 as Viking Chemicals Inc. by Ellwood and Vera Hodges. In the late 60’s Ellwood was at a crossroads in his career: becoming a mortician or a distributor of cleaning supplies. Ellwood worked at Fitch Dustdown for a few years before leaving to start his own company. Viking Chemicals Inc. had a rocky start, as Ellwood’s previous employer urged vendors not to do business with Ellwood or his new company.
In time, business at Viking picked up. Their desire to create relationships with their customers while offering cost-effective solutions quickly made Viking second to none in the commercial chemical cleaning industry.
Viking Janitor Supplies has been a family operated business since the beginning. Ellwood and Vera’s daughter Shannon started helping around the office at age 13; answering phones, keeping the books, and really getting a feel for the business itself. When her father was diagnosed with cancer, Shannon took a more invested role at Viking, while attending grad school at night. Ultimately, when Ellwood passed away he left behind a thriving company in need of a leader and Shannon was the woman for the job.
Our Philosophy
It’s important to us now just as it’s always been to provide consistently outstanding service, products, and solutions to our customers. We like to think of ourselves as problem solvers, not order takers. With our collective knowledge and experience it’s tough to present us with a problematic situation that we haven’t seen before.We provide easy solutions, customized cleaning methods, and unique equipment to make cleaning your facility as easy and as cost-effective as can be.
Building and maintaining relationships with our customers has been a priority since the beginning. We understand that businesses today have to do more work with less time and labor, so we work with each customer to provide them exactly what they need, to save them time and money. Whether someone is making a quick order online, placing an order by phone, or visiting us at our facility, we are professional, personable, and reliable every step of the way.
Our Team
Viking Janitor Supplies boasts a team of seasoned professionals with over 100 years of combined experience. Everyone in the company– from the drivers to the sales people to the support personnel are all highly trained to support our customers, no matter their needs.
Shannon Hodges
President
Shannon has decades of experience as she grew up in the industry, learning everything she knows from her parents. Shannon loves being able to efficiently and effectively solve problems for her customers. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her young daughter, husband, and dogs.
George Duncan
Equipment Repair, Product Fulfillment
George has been an important part of Viking since 2008. George handles equipment repairs, inventory and order fulfillment so our customers get what they need when they need it. George has a great ability to trouble-shoot mechanical problems which makes him a natural at Viking's busy equipment repair center. In his spare time, George likes to spend time with his daughter and family. He also enjoys riding his motorcycles and restoring his 1977 classic bronco.
Jim Eddowes
Cleaning Consultant
Jim has been part of the Viking team since 1990. Jim leads with a friendly disposition and a knowledgeable approach to help clients find and implement cleaning solutions that work! Jim enjoys baseball, spending time with family and friends, and tackling home projects.
Billiejean
Client Services
Billiejean is the newest member of the Viking team but has been in this industry for 20 years. She commands a solid following of building service contractors, cleaning professionals and private businesses that look to her for guidance on products and practices. Billiejean is great at helping our customers find solutions that work effectively the first time around. In her spare time, Billiejean likes to be with her children, mother, and family. She loves pets and all things fun!
Our Favorites
We only carry products and brands that we know will help our customers keep their facilities clean, but each of us has our favorite that we tend to rave about!
Shannon’s favorite product is the Viking Eliminator in any of the “flavors”- as she likes to call them. Not only does it make the area smell like cotton blossom, mango, or cucumber melon, this product eats away at the odor causing proteins found in urine, blood, or soil deposits. With the Viking Eliminator, odors are eliminated at the source, the area is refreshed, and there is a noticeable difference in how clean the building feels, which Shannon loves.
George’s favorite product is Viking’s 729 Degreaser because it is effective without much effort. It’s a bio-based product, much like other commercial degreasers, but at a fraction of the price. George loves to use this product to clean cars (and anything else that gets super dirty)
Jim’s favorite product is Split! Restorative Non-Detergent Cleaner. Its power and versatility makes this a great product to use on just about any surface. Jim loves this product because it’s odorless, colorless, and Green Seal Certified, making it a safe option to use in any environment.
Billiejean’s favorite product is Viking’s floor care trio: Platinum Floor Finish, Terminator Floor Stripper, and Flashback Spray Buff. This product is labor saving, super effective, and easy to use. Billiejean loves this product because of its lasting results that help welcome people into all kinds of facilities.
Our Facility
For the last 17 years, Viking’s facility has been nestled in Baltimore City on 3 acres with a private fenced yard. Not only is their 38,000 square foot building home to all of the products and equipment a business would need to maintain their facility, Viking also offers onsite training classes and full-service equipment repairs.
Our Clients
Viking Janitorial Supplies serves anyone who has a facility to maintain and keep clean.
- Contract cleaners
- Manufacturing facilities
- Daycares (for both children and adult)
- Auto Dealerships
- Stadiums
- Airports
- State agencies and other municipalities
Some of our longstanding clients include:
And more!