ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and the Association of Residential Cleaning Services International (ARCSI) are pleased to announce that the ARCSI Board of Directors has unanimously approved a resolution to merge with ISSA, subject to membership approval.

The members of ARCSI and ISSA will vote on the merger at their annual meetings, Tuesday, October 25, and Friday, October 28, respectively, during ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America, which takes place October 25-28 in Chicago.

Under terms of the agreement, ARCSI members will retain their ARCSI memberships, but those memberships will expand to include global ISSA membership and benefits. If the merger is finalized, ARCSI members will have access to ISSA member benefits, including expanded educational opportunities, market exposure, networking opportunities, business tools and data, and other industry information.

“It is my pleasure to inform you that the ARCSI Board of Directors has unanimously passed the attached resolution regarding the merger of ARCSI into ISSA and will be recommending to our membership that they approve the merger at our annual meeting on Oct. 25, 2016,” ARCSI CEO Ernie Hartong says. “We see this as a great opportunity to expand the benefits afforded to our members through ISSA’s well-respected brand and broad worldwide reach.”

ISSA Executive Director John Barrett is equally excited about the partnership. “The merger with ARSCI is in keeping with ISSA's mission to change the way the world views cleaning in all sectors of the industry, ” Barrett says. “The line between commercial and residential cleaning has grown closer in recent years. I believe the merger of ISSA and ARCSI is yet another move toward creating one strong, unified, industry.”