It comes as no surprise that ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2009, held in Chicago, hosts a number of exhibits and presentations that intertwine green cleaning in facilities such as government buildings and schools. After all, Illinois was the second state — after New York — to initiate green cleaning legislation in their schools. And currently, legislators from the state are pushing forth legislation that mandates the use of environmentally friendly products in all government facilities.

The Land of Lincoln is a state on the forefront of green cleaning initiatives, further reflected by new exhibits and seminars at the trade show that runs October 6 to 9 at McCormick Place South.

New In ‘09

The centerpiece of the 2009 show is also in its first year of operation. The Green Connections Center was created by ISSA to spotlight the need to connect cleaning with the health of occupants and demonstrate the positive environmental outcomes related to green cleaning. The center will host a series of demonstrations in a mock restroom and mock classroom. Attendees can stop by the center’s resource library to take a look at the library’s case studies and white papers, all of which are free. The center also features the Green Pavilion where attendees can chat with representatives from government agencies, third party certifying bodies and industry consultants.

ISSA hopes attendees take vital information from the center to help convince others to adopt green cleaning policies, says Dianna Bisswurm, director of industry outreach at ISSA.

“Our intent is that in-house managers, distributors and building service contractors will be able to walk away with better arguments for the value of cleaning in protecting and improving health, as well as new information on how they can help their facilities green their operations most effectively,” says Bisswurm.

Another feature of the Green Connections Center is the Green Products Showcase. The showcase will be laid out in a museum style format. Visitors will have the chance to walk through and look at all of the new products. Each product will be displayed with typed product information and the booth number of the product’s manufacturer.

Sticking with the green idea, the featured session of the show on Friday, Oct. 9 is “Overview of the Illinois Green Cleaning for Schools Act.” Geared towards school facility managers, maintenance personnel and others who provide cleaning products to schools, the presentation will assess the state’s green cleaning act in relation to

K-12 schools. Speakers include Mark Bishop, deputy director, Healthy Schools Campaign and Kate Tomford, senior policy advisor, Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

ISSA has worked with legislative bodies — such as the Illinois Lt. Governor’s Office and the Healthy Schools Campaign — in the past on helping schools meet green requirements within their state. The 2009 show seemed a perfect fit to explain the intricacies of the act, says Bisswurm.

“We (ISSA) felt it would be a great opportunity to invite the many decision makers from school districts in the state, as well as those in neighboring areas, to gain a better understanding of how to best meet those new requirements,” she says.

Show attendees will also get to learn about ISSA’s efforts to establish a cleaning standard for K-12 schools. On Thursday, Oct. 6, Dr. Steven Spivak, Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) Science and Research Chair will preside over the “ISSA Research Update — Next Steps in the K-12 Clean Standard.” The session will give attendees an overview of the research intended to help define “clean” and determine the recommended method for scientifically measuring cleanliness in education environments.

Along with the emphasis on green cleaning, there are other features new to the 2009 show. This year is the first time that the Chicago-based Building Service Contractors Association (BSCAI) will host an Executive Seminar at the trade show. The two organizations announced a joint partnership to start co-locating their respective trade shows in 2010. For this year, BSCAI will host a six-hour seminar on Friday, Oct. 9, focusing on topics including growth strategies and leadership.

The new partnership with BSCAI is similar to the existing relationship between ISSA and the International Executive Housekeeping Association (IEHA), which will hold its Annual Convention during the show for the 10th straight year. Events will include seminars, certification exams for the CEH/REH designations, IEHA member events and much more. Both the BSCAI and IEHA events will allow attendees the opportunity to network with fellow cleaning executives and other leaders throughout the industry.

Networking events such as these have remained a major attraction at the show, so much that ISSA members have requested more networking opportunities. To answer the call, this year ISSA added a Roundtable Lunch on Thursday, Oct. 8. The luncheon is available for attendees who may not be able to make the All Industry Networking Lunch on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The roundtable will be held right in the exhibit hall, making it easier for attendees to step away from their booths during show hours.

According to Bisswurm, the luncheon will be moderated by a discussion leader at each table and will give attendees another opportunity to network and speak with others in the industry to solve some problems plaguing their departments.

Heeding another suggestion from their association members, ISSA created the Facility Maintenance Pavilion after more than 40 percent of the association’s in-house providers and BSCs asked for non-cleaning, maintenance options at the show. The pavilion was created for those looking for facility service providers and companies that offer maintenance equipment and resources such as a pest management company or a communications group.

The “Integrated Pest Management Initiative for the Cleaning Industry” is one such exhibit to be held in the Facility Maintenance Pavilion. Steve Ashkin, president, The Ashkin Group, and Kathy Seikel, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will speak on the EPA’s initiative to work with cleaners to introduce pest management as an extension of their traditional services.

Featured Speakers

Sticking with the show’s theme of “Just One Bright Idea Can Change Your Business,” ad man and television personality Donny Deutsch will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8:30 a.m.

Deutsch is an author, host of CNBC’s “The Big Idea” and chairman of Deutsch Inc., a $2.5 billion full-service agency and one of the Top 10 advertising agencies in the United States. While running the company, Deutsch implemented strategic marketing programs for companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Anheisier-Busch and Kodak.

Deutsch’s address will focus on why now is the best time for everyone involved in the cleaning industry to unleash and implement their best ideas.

Along with the keynote address, the 2009 show provides a stage for a number of other highlighted speakers, including Maxine Shapiro who is the featured speaker at the All-Industry Networking Luncheon entitled, “The Power of Making A Connection.” Shapiro will discuss how business managers can grow their business by using some unconventional methods.

On Thursday, Shapiro will again be the guest speaker at the Eighth Annual Women’s Forum, “Why Think Outside When It’s All Inside The Box.” Shapiro will speak on the importance of thinking quickly, being spontaneous and the value of trust in any business relationship. She will reinforce the idea to not only work towards a goal, but to enjoy the journey of attaining that goal.

The show will also feature a speech from a Chicago icon, Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Ditka. The legendary Chicago Bears’ coach will deliver “The Leadership A.C.E. — Attitude, Character and Enthusiasm” on Wednesday, Oct 7. The speech highlights the key characteristics people need to achieve personal and professional goals, including tips to implement along the way to reaching those goals.

Also on Wednesday, Nancy Combs will host “Coaching, Counseling and Discipline — Essential Skills for Managers.” The speech is part of the Skill Building Program and will disclose the business methodology of some of the world’s most renowned business coaches. Attendees will learn how to get the most from their team, how to be an encouraging, but not overbearing, leader and meet employee expectations at the same time.

With a combination of new exhibits and a wide range of speakers, this year’s show offers something for everyone in the cleaning industry. ISSA encourages attendees to reserve a spot in advance for any of the events they are interested in, since it is possible the event will sell out.

Nick Matkovich is a contributing editor to Housekeeping Solutions.




POSTED ON: 8/7/2009