Updates from the Leading Association for the Cleaning Industry Worldwide

Latest Group of ISSA Certification Experts Brings Total to More Than 400

A new group of individuals has achieved certification as official Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) ISSA Certification Experts (I.C.E.). The addition of these 36 new I.C.E. professionals brings the total count to more than 400 experts representing 47 U.S. states and Canadian provinces as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.

An interactive map containing a full list of CIMS experts and their contact information is available at www.issa.com/?id=cims_ice_map&lg.

“ISSA is very pleased with the manner in which the I.C.E. program continues to grow, and the association is very excited that there are now well more than 400 professionals who have achieved expert status,” said ISSA Director of Facility Service Programs Dan Wagner. “Most exciting is that the vast majority of CIMS applicants specifically list an expert with whom they are working as they prepare for their certification assessment. This proves that many I.C.E.-certified professionals are using their status to offer a true value-added service.”

The I.C.E. program is designed to help industry professionals deal with their customers’ or their own organizations’ likely budget cuts. Custodial operations around the country are being asked to reduce labor budgets by 5 percent to 10 percent, and it has become increasingly evident that such reductions cannot be accomplished by supply-price decreases alone. Professionals who wish to position themselves as an indispensable resource need to be armed with advanced operational and budgetary knowledge. Understanding the need to evaluate, reduce, and redeploy the work force is the most promising way to meet such budget reductions, and I.C.E.-workshop attendees are provided crucial information that will help them in this regard. In fact, past attendees have reported saving customers more than six figures annually by helping them comply with CIMS.

Facility service provider representatives as well as distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, consultants, and trainers are encouraged to become CIMS ISSA Certification Experts.

To become a CIMS expert, professionals within the cleaning industry must attend a one-day workshop and pass an examination regarding the management elements contained in the Standard. The CIMS-expert designation is earned by and applies to an individual rather than an entire organization.

ISSA will host its final 2009 I.C.E. workshop on October 5-6, in conjunction with ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2009, McCormick Place South, Chicago, IL. Please note that this session will take place on the afternoon of October 5 and the morning of October 6. Visit www.issa.com/standard for more information on the upcoming workshop.

Details regarding CIMS or becoming a CIMS expert are available at www.issa.com/standard or by contacting ISSA Market Development Manager-Facility Service Programs Annie Balonick at 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800; e-mail, annie@issa.com.

About Certification

There are currently 39 organizations that have achieved certification. Other organizations interested in pursuing certification are encouraged to submit an application to officially enroll in the program. For more information or to download an application, please visit www.issa.com/standard. The CIMS Certification Guide, which helps organizations better understand what is required to comply with the Standard, is also available to provide more in-depth explanations of how to meet the Standard’s various requirements.

IICRC at ISSA/INTERCLEAN

Don’t miss the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) programs at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® this year, conducted by well-known cleaning consultant Bill Griffin. On Tuesday, October 6, 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Griffin will lead you through the IICRC Apprentice Carpet-Care Certificate Program, giving you a basic understanding of how to maintain and restore carpeting used in commercial and residential locations. The session will explain why it’s necessary to identify and properly maintain all types of carpet fibers, styles, and constructions and how these variables impact the cleaning process and results.

Then, from 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Griffin will conduct the IICRC Apprentice Stone-Maintenance Technician Certificate Program, providing you with a basic understanding of how to maintain stone flooring, concrete, terrazzo, and clay/ceramic tiles. You’ll learn why it’s necessary to identify and properly maintain stone flooring and the benefits of doing so. A proficiency exam will be administered and a certificate provided to those who meet attendance and participation requirements for both programs.

The registration fee is $99 for each program. To register for ISSA/INTERCLEAN and these IICRC programs, go to issa.com/register.

CIMS Going Green!

To meet the growing demand for “green” and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, ISSA is expanding its popular Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and certification program. The expansion includes a new designation based on environmental-preferability criteria that is expected to be focused primarily on the specific green cleaning requirements of the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) Green Building Rating System.

This new designation, CIMS-GB, will offer cleaning organizations an optional certification that is closely tailored to provide their customers with precisely what they need to secure LEED-EB: O&M points while greening their operations overall.

“The response to our initial market research was unanimous: Adding an optional green section to the Standard is the natural next step in the evolution of the CIMS program and answers a specific market demand,” said ISSA Director of Facility Service Programs Dan Wagner. “Many organizations, including those that have achieved CIMS certification, have been asked to validate their ability to assist customers in achieving LEED certification, yet no such program currently exists that speaks directly to the LEED criteria. Ultimately, this new dimension of CIMS will help organizations fulfill their desire for both an effective management standard and green-services certification.”

Development of the CIMS-GB program is underway. A nine-member primary technical committee, including representatives of all industry segments, was assembled earlier this year to develop criteria through a consensus-based process. All criteria was subject to public review, which took place in August. The committee is now reviewing all feedback received to complete the final round of edits.

“Although the consensus-based process will have the final say regarding the criteria, our expectation is that it will be closely aligned with the specific requirements of LEED,” noted Wagner. “That is certainly not to say that the criteria will mirror exactly what is specified in LEED. One of the goals of CIMS-GB development is to raise the bar and encourage cleaning organizations to take steps to offer more environmentally preferable and sustainable options, which will likely necessitate that the criteria differ from LEED in some instances.”

ISSA intends for the final CIMS-GB criteria to be published at ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2009, in Chicago, IL, October 6-9, 2009. Organizations will be able to certify to the CIMS-GB designation following publication.