How much difference does a decade make to an industry? Contracting Profits celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. I read through our first issue from 1996 and found that the old adage — the more things change, the more things stay the same — is more or less true. In our inaugural articles, we talk turnover, cost control and cash flow — the same issues BSCs tackle today.

On the other hand, not all of the “movers and shakers” we profiled in our cover story are even in the industry anymore; those who are work in different roles in different companies. And, in another piece in that issue, a consultant tells us we’re on the cusp of a “robotic revolution” — and, while there are some robotic scrubbers and carpet machines on the market, they haven’t come close to replacing conventional equipment. (Our Top 10 list of products that have revolutionized cleaning)

But where do we go from here? While we can’t know what the next decade has in store, we can say that, according to economic experts and BSCs, the next year looks bright (see our forecast). After several years of recession and uncertainty, contractors are beginning to express some optimism about the months ahead.

Stacie H. Rosenzweig, Editor




POSTED ON: 1/1/2006