APEX Hood Cleaning
A Fire-Safety Mission Built on Character and Consistency

David Gaver, VP of Sales and Recruiting

If one asks David Gaver, VP of Sales and Recruiting, what APEX Hood Cleaning really sells, the answer protects far more than a kitchen.

“Our work goes beyond keeping commercial kitchen exhaust systems clean. Its about reducing fire risk, protecting lives and livelihoods and helping businesses operate safely,” he says.

A passed inspection keeps a restaurant open, its insurance valid and its people working. Grease collects inside kitchen hoods, ducts and rooftop fans daily, invisible until a flame finds it and shuts a kitchen down. APEX has built its business on that risk since day one. APEX opened in 1978 to reduce fire danger by properly maintaining commercial kitchen exhaust systems, knowing that grease buildup ranks among the greatest hazards in any kitchen. Removing grease on schedule prevents fires from starting and that purpose still drives every job across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California.

Built to Be Easy to Work With

When Craig and Melissa Wood bought APEX in 2007, they traced customer frustration to a cause unrelated to cleaning quality. Rivals missed appointments and went quiet between visits. Their documentation did not line up with completed work, so clients felt like nothing more than accounts. The Woods rebuilt around the opposite promise. Answering the phone, arriving when promised and delivering exactly what was quoted turned reliability into the product and being easy to do business with became the company’s strategic identity. Keeping those promises consistently sets APEX apart from its competitors. For a busy operator, that reliability means one less vendor to chase and one recurring risk handled without a second thought.

One Accountable Chain

APEX owns every link in the chain. As the largest self-performing hood cleaning company on the West Coast, it sends its own technicians to every job in every branch and never hands work to subcontractors, so a kitchen in Boise meets the same standard set in Sacramento. A dedicated customer service manager handles scheduling and relationships in each region, local production managers guide field crews and a director of operations maintains consistent standards across branches. People hold that chain together, so hiring starts with character.

Technicians follow standardized procedures and train through APEX Academy. Their IKECA Certified Exhaust Cleaning Technician credentials keep them current as codes and equipment evolve. Each visit includes inspection notes, photos and management review. APEX starts with the first call, text, or email, gathering details on the hood, ductwork, rooftop fan and cooking volume. It assesses the setup on-site or through photos, recommends a service frequency and schedules the work without a contract. Immediately upon completion of service, customers receive an after-service report that provides proof for inspectors or insurers and flags deficiencies before they become violations.

Earning the Next Visit

APEX doesn’t require contracts. It keeps 98 percent of the over 6,000 locations it serves because performance alone has to earn the next visit. That discipline lifts standards and turns first-time clients into decade-long accounts. Steady service keeps a kitchen inspection-ready year-round and prepared when a deadline arrives.

Food Business Review recognized APEX as the Top Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Services of 2026, reflecting the same reliability customers experience every quarter.

Customer trust has also driven every expansion. When Red Robin asked APEX to bring its Pacific Northwest service into California, crews covered the first jobs through long road trips before APEX bought a Santa Rosa business to anchor the region.

Growth Driven by Customers

Customers wanted one partner for the whole kitchen, so APEX widened its scope to exhaust-system repair, rooftop fan service, access panels and hinge kits, catching faults before they become failures or code violations, at a lower cost than an HVAC contractor. With the new launch of APEX Fire Control, that accountability extends into fire suppression, moving toward one provider for cleaning, repair and compliance.

Gaver expects accountability, digital records and higher expectations to define the years ahead, with scarce skilled labor making people the real investment. Technology will sharpen the reporting. Character will still do the work.

Stay small as we get big, make it easy to do business with and never compromise on quality, says Gaver, tracing the growth back to one principle the team has held onto since the early days.