Insider.gr: From a… mop to a multi-million turnover

https://www.insider.gr/epiheiriseis/30048/apo-mia-sfoyggaristra-se-tziroys-ekatommyrion

Manifest was founded in 2003 by its chairman and founder, Dionysis Ammolochitis, and… his mother. Coming from a sales background, he would close deals with clients in his suit and then change into overalls to help clean the buildings.
Today Manifest is one of Greece’s leading building facility management companies (Facility Management). It employs more than 500 people across Greece, has an annual turnover of up to €7.5 million, and counts large companies such as Coca-Cola and Nestlé among its clients. It recently welcomed its first investor, SouthBridge.

Over time the company grew, and it kept expanding even during the crisis. As Mr Ammolochitis explains, Manifest has doubled in size over the last five years. “It is no coincidence that between 2014 and 2015 the company increased its profitability by 300%,” he points out. Today, “we are a productive and growing team of professionals, with more than 500 employees providing specialised services to 1,000 buildings,” notes Mr Ammolochitis.
But what does a facility management company actually do? “Broadly speaking, everything to do with managing a building.

From cleaning and security to consumables management, energy management and maintenance,” explains the chairman and CEO of Manifest. “What we tell companies is to focus on their core business and leave everything else to us, saving time and money,” he adds.

€3.5 million investment
2016 was also a key year for Manifest, as it welcomed its first investor. The private equity firm SouthBridge invested €3.5 million in Manifest.
SouthBridge is an investment fund, backed by private capital and institutional investors such as the European Investment Fund, that supports small and medium-sized businesses in Europe in strengthening their sustainable growth. “This investment gives Manifest the opportunity to accelerate its growth and expand its activities,” comments Mr Ammolochitis.

Today Manifest manages 1,100 buildings, employs 500 people in Greece and operates in eight countries, and multinational groups make up 75% of its clients. “An interesting fact is that we ‘produce’ more than 3,000 working hours a day for our clients.”
One of its most recent partnerships is with the Grace hotel group’s hotel in Santorini.