Our Journey: The History of Elite

Elite’s story stretches back more than 40 decades.

The company was established in 1984 by Ivan Stroud.

At that time, the business operated under the name Elite Maintenance Services.

During its early years, the company delivered a broad range of cleaning services.

The idea for Elite began when Ivan travelled to the United States to study a cleaning method known as Magna Dry.

While there, he met the system’s owner, Charlie Borg.

Ivan obtained the formula for the cleaning solutions through a handshake agreement.

As part of the arrangement, he also traded a set of golf clubs.

The Ivan Stroud Years

Ivan managed the business from 1984 until either 2007 or 2009.

Over that period, Elite expanded to roughly 40 franchises across Australia.

The network reached as far north as Cairns and as far west as Perth.

Ivan built a strong family-oriented culture within the company.

He organised company conferences every two years.

He also arranged trips to Tangalooma for staff members and their families.

• Established Elite in 1984.
• Expanded the company to around 40 franchises.
• Built a strong family-focused culture.

The Rob Lovett Years

Ivan eventually sold the company to Rob Lovett and his father.

Rob led the organisation from either 2007 or 2009 until 2019.

During his leadership, the company was rebranded as Elite Carpet Dry Cleaning.

The new name reflected a stronger emphasis on specialist dry carpet cleaning.

Rob also restructured the Brisbane operating model.

Under Ivan’s leadership, the Brisbane vans were owned by the company and staff were directly employed.

Under Rob’s approach, Brisbane territories were converted into franchises.

• Rebranded the company as Elite Carpet Dry Cleaning.
• Strengthened the focus on specialist services.
• Shifted Brisbane operations to a franchise structure.

The Guosheng Years

Guosheng became the owner of the business in 2019.

He maintained the company’s strong focus on dry cleaning services.

He also broadened the service offering to include steam cleaning.

Under his leadership, Elite continued to hold IICRC approval.

This ensured the company continued meeting industry and government standards.

• Became the owner in 2019.
• Introduced steam cleaning services.
• Maintained IICRC certification.

How Elite Has Evolved

A key element of Elite’s history is its in-house production of cleaning solutions.

From the beginning, the company produced its own products.

This approach helped keep operating costs lower for franchisees.

It also ensured consistent product quality across the network.

These solutions were never sold through retail outlets.

Over time, the company also refined the language it used when discussing its services.

The term chemicals was gradually replaced with the word solutions.

The company also moved away from offering guarantees on stain removal.

Instead, the focus shifted toward helping customers understand factors like wear and tear.

The People Behind the Business

Elite’s history has also been shaped by long-serving team members.

Cheryl joined the company in late 1984 or early 1985.

She began after a chance connection related to her cousin’s franchise training.

She has worked through all three ownership periods.

Lindsay is another long-term member of the Elite team.

He has been part of the company for around 20 years.

He first worked as a manager for a franchisee.

Later, he became a franchise owner himself.

He eventually moved into a senior role at head office.

• Cheryl has been with Elite since its early days.
• Lindsay has held several roles over two decades.
• Long-term staff have helped shape the company’s culture.

Elite Today

Today, Elite continues to build on more than forty years of experience.

The business combines its original dry cleaning expertise with expanded service offerings.

It also maintains a strong commitment to quality, training, and industry standards.

This long-standing history has helped establish Elite as a trusted cleaning brand across Australia.