UBM closes its doors after 37 years

Carol Stream-based UBM Facilities Services, a large Hispanic family-owned janitorial service, closed Wednesday after 37 years when it incurred about $6 million in debt, the company's founder and CEO James S. Cabrera said.

Cabrera said Thursday that the debt began mounting in 2012 after he accepted a $54 million, 3-year contract to clean the Chicago Public Schools, a major client for his business.

"I am looking at my legal options now," Cabrera said.

When the company closed, Cabrera said he was able to place his 2,100 workers with other companies. However, he put his business property up for sale.

Cabrera started the company in 1979 as a carpet cleaning firm with one partner and a truck out of his home in West Chicago. It moved a few years later to Carol Stream, where it remained until it closed Wednesday, Cabrera said. UBM added a broad array of facility maintenance services over the years including snow plowing, electrical and HVAC services, underground computer floor maintenance and window washing.

Some companies that used UBM's services included AT&T, ComEd and United Airlines.

NegociosNow.com first reported the contract woes of UBM.