ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Rockefeller’s Cleaning & Restoration Co., one of New Mexico’s longest-running family-owned cleaning and disaster restoration companies, is preparing to mark its 47th year in business in 2026. What began in 1979 as a side venture to fund two University of New Mexico graduate degrees has grown into a statewide operation with a30,000-square-foot facility footprint, a fleet of more than 30 vehicles, and the largest disaster restoration equipment inventory in the state.
Founded by husband-and-wife team Larry and Kelly Borgeson, Rockefeller’s was born out of necessity and built on craft. Kelly began her undergraduate studies at Carnegie-Mellon University. Larry, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War who earned the Bronze Star, a Presidential Citation, and the Purple Heart, was working for a general contractor after returning home from his service. The two came to Albuquerque together in 1975 to complete their educations at the University of New Mexico, where Larry earned BFA and MA degrees in photography and Kelly earned BFA and MA degrees in painting and drawing. The cleaning business they started together in 1979 was meant to fund their graduate school education. Forty-seven years later, it has restored some of New Mexico’s most treasured properties.
A Portfolio That Reads Like a Tour of New Mexico History
Rockefeller’s has been called in to restore Georgia O’Keeffe’s home, the University of New Mexico’s Zimmerman Library after a major flood, the El Rey Theater in downtown Albuquerque, Romano’s Macaroni Grill following a fire, and properties damaged by the Los Alamos wildfires. The company has served as the City of Albuquerque’s emergency-services board-up provider and counts among its institutional clients the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Public Schools, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Kirtland Air Force Base, Sandia Casino Hotel, Inn of the Mountain Gods, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and the Sandoval and Santa Fe County courthouses.
“Our passion is revitalizing The Land of Enchantment and helping New Mexicans get back to business,” the company says on its website — a mission that has guided every restoration project for nearly five decades.
A Second Generation Carries the Torch
The Borgeson family business is now firmly in its second generation, led by the founders’ two children, Cole and Alex Borgeson. Both have worked on and off in the family businesses their entire lives, and the two are stepping into leadership together as equal partners.Cole, the elder of the two, co-launched Rockefeller’s Construction, Inc. in 2010,expanding the company into licensed general contracting and full disaster reconstruction,and is the named license-holder on New Mexico contractor license CID #366145, valid through June 2028. Alex came on in business development in 2014, bringing prior experience from Accion New Mexico and the healthcare sector. Going forward, Cole will primarily lead the construction side of the operation and Alex will primarily lead cleaning and restoration, but the two will run both companies together.
“I feel most people think that a disaster is something that might never happen to them,but as a result there tends to be a lack of preparedness,” Alex Borgeson said in an earlier profile with Albuquerque Business First — a sentiment that captures the family’s quiet, ready-when-you-need-us approach to the work.
Built for the Worst Days
Rockefeller’s operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with a one-hour statewide emergency response commitment. The company is an IICRC Certified Firm and an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, and its technicians hold certifications spanning water damage restoration,applied structural drying, fire and smoke restoration, applied microbial remediation, crime and trauma scene decontamination, sewage remediation, and ozone deodorization. Few competitors in New Mexico offer the company’s full breadth of specialty services, which include fine art and document restoration, oriental rug cleaning, biohazard and trauma cleanup, methamphetamine lab remediation, CS-gas and pepper-spray decontamination, hantavirus remediation, asbestos and lead abatement, and prison and holding-cell disinfection.
The company’s vertically integrated structure — cleaning, restoration, and licensed reconstruction under one roof — sets it apart from the national franchise operators that dominate much of the Albuquerque market. When a homeowner or business owner calls Rockefeller’s after a fire or flood, the same family-owned company that boards up the structure overnight will dry it out, remediate the damage, rebuild what was lost, and coordinate directly with the insurance carrier from start to finish.
Giving Back to the Land of Enchantment
Across 47 years, Rockefeller’s philanthropic footprint has grown nearly as large as itsrestoration footprint. The company has supported more than 60 New Mexico organizations,including UNM Children’s Hospital — where the Borgesons are founding members of the Circle of Dreams donor society — UNM’s Tamarind Institute, where the family funded the main entrance of the new building at Central and Stanford SE, the Albuquerque Museum, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Albuquerque Youth Symphony, KNME public television, Ronald McDonald House, the Salvation Army, Casa Esperanza, the Animal Humane Association, March of Dimes, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, ACCION New Mexico, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and dozens of local schools from Bandelier Elementary to Albuquerque High School.
For many years, Rockefeller’s donated roughly 190 Thanksgiving turkeys annually to the Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, the Aquinas Newman Center, and Casa Esperanza. The company has also donated thousands of dollars in HEPA air-duct cleaning services to Ronald McDonald House and Sandia Preparatory School, and contributed library books, computer software, and equipment to Albuquerque High School — along with sponsorship of the school’s Senior Lock-up graduation event, designed to keep graduating seniors safe on graduation night.
“We donate because it allows us to strengthen, even in a small way, the circle of support for each child during this critical time,” said co-founder Kelly Borgeson, in a UNM College of Fine Arts donor profile.
Looking Ahead to Year 47 and Beyond
As Rockefeller’s enters its 47th year, the company continues to invest in equipment,training, and the next generation of New Mexico restoration professionals. With the second generation now actively leading day-to-day operations and a backlog of work that spans residential homeowners recovering from summer storm flooding to institutional clients planning long-term disaster response strategies, the Borgeson family says the next chapter is about deepening the company’s roots in the state it has called home since 1975.
For homeowners, businesses, property managers, and insurance professionals across New Mexico, the message after 47 years remains the same: when disaster strikes, Rockefeller’s will be there — by your side from start to finish.
About Rockefeller’s Cleaning & Restoration Co.
Founded in 1979 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rockefeller’s Cleaning & Restoration Co. and its sister company Rockefeller’s Construction, Inc. are family-owned and locally operated.The company provides 24/7 statewide emergency response for fire, water, mold, storm, biohazard, and trauma damage, along with comprehensive cleaning, restoration, and reconstruction services for residential, commercial, institutional, and government clients.Rockefeller’s holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, is an IICRC Certified Firm and EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, and operates the largest disaster restoration equipment inventory in New Mexico.
For more information, visit www.rockefellerscleaning.com or call(505) 268-5585.
Media ContactCompany Name: Rockefeller’s Cleaning & Restoration Co.Contact Person: Media RelationsEmail: Send EmailAddress:5514 Coal Ave SE City: AlbuquerqueState: https://www.rockefellerscleaning.com/Country: United StatesWebsite: https://www.rockefellerscleaning.com/
