ISSA will present the following awards to these achievers in the professional cleaning industry during ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2013, which takes place November 18-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.
 
Jack D. Ramaley Industry Distinguished Service Award
The Jack D. Ramaley Industry Distinguished Service Award honors a person who has demonstrated leadership, professionalism, and exceptional service through his or her innovation, elevation of industry standards, This year’s award recipient is Arlo Luke, Varsity Facility Services.
 
Luke is chairman of the board of directors of Varsity Facility Services (formerly Varsity Contractors, Inc.), a leading building service contractor based in Salt Lake City, UT. In his position, he serves as an advisor to the president/CEO and other Varsity leaders while overseeing two Varsity subsidiaries companies: System 1, a minority janitorial company, and Nuvek, a software company. He also represents Varsity as one of seven owners of NSA - an industry buying group. Luke has served the facility services industry for more than 55 years, starting in college at Idaho State University (ISU) where he met his lifelong friend, Don Aslett, and the two built the Varsity house cleaning company. Luke graduated from ISU in 1964 with a degree in pharmacy, a profession he practiced for just three years before leaving it to become a part owner of Varsity. In 1978, he became president and CEO of the company, a position he held for the next 28 years,followed by two years as CEO, before he assumed his current chair position.Luke is well known in the industry: He has served three different board terms, as 1997 president, and on several committees, for the Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI). His service has earned him BSCAI’s highest industry awards, including the James E. Purcell Leadership Award and the Walt L. Cook Award for Distinguished Service. He is active in ISSA and continues to give direction and provide support in the partnership between ISSA and BSCAI.  Varsity was the first company to earn the CIMS With Honors distinction. Outside of the industry, Luke was named ISU 2008 Businessman of the Year; he has earned the Boy Scout's highest ranking of Silver Beaver and was inducted into the Boy Scout's Grand Teton Hall of Fame. He presently serves on seven community boards and has earned various awards for his service.
 
Lou Goorland Honorary Membership Award
The Lou Goorland Honorary Membership Award recognizes individuals who are no longer actively involved in the industry and have made substantial contributions to its advancement. This year’s award recipient is: Beth Risinger, IEHA
 
Risinger is CEO/executive director of IEHA, a professional Westerville, OH-based member organization for persons employed in facility housekeeping at the management level. She has held the position since 1987, working hard to increase membership to its currentfigure of more than 3,500 professionals worldwide.
 
In 1998, under her leadership, IEHA became the first facility service provider organization to co-locate its annual convention with ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America, and 2013 marks the 15th anniversary of this highly successful partnership.

In addition to the co-location of the show, Risinger and IEHA have been strong proactive supporters of ISSA programs, including helping ISSA promote such programs as the Regional Meetings, Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building, the Value of Clean Calculator, and most recently, Transpare and the new Clean Standard. Outside of ISSA, Risinger has led countless educational seminars and developed certification programs for cleaning industry professionals. She also has authored numerous articles for Executive Housekeeping Today and other leading industry publications, produced Infection Prevention for Dummies and Clean and Healthy Schools for Dummies, and authored Kip the Koala, the first coloring book for children about cleaning that has sold in the tens of thousands of copies.
 
Manufacturer Representatives’ Distinguished Service Award
The Manufacturer Representatives’ Distinguished Service Award recognizes a person within the industry who has had a positive impact on the industry and the association, and who has been supportive of manufacturer representatives. This award is presented on behalf of all independent manufacturer representatives. This year’s award recipient is Tom Vander Bie, Viper North America, a Division of Nilfisk-Advance, Inc.
 
Vander Bie is general manager of Viper North America, a brand of Nilfisk-Advance, Inc. Vander Bie began his career in 1979 as a sales representative for Castex Industries, Inc. of Holland, MI. Using his leadership, marketing, and sales abilities, he quickly rose through the ranks assuming the top position as president of Castex in 1985. To grow the company, Vander Bie convinced the owners to use independent manufacturer representatives to handle sales. In 1989, Vander Bie and Castex chief financial officer Steve Lubbers acquired Nobles Industries of St. Paul, MN, and Vander Bie served as president of both companies from 1985 to 1994. Sales continued to climb. In1993, Castex and Nobles were acquired by Tennant Co. of Minneapolis, MN, and he served as a senior vice president of Tennant from 1994 to 2001. In 2001, Vander Bie cofounded Viper North America and once again he turned to manufacturer reps to spearhead sales. In 2007, Viper was acquired by Nilfisk-Advance. Vander Bie continues to run the Viper brand, one of the five Nilfisk-Advance brands that exhibit at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN show. Vander Bie was a cofounder of the American Association of Cleaning Equipment Manufacturers and outside of the industry, is a member of the Young Presidents Association.
 
YES Industry Special Achievement Award
The YES Industry Special Achievement Award honors an individual or company from our industry who hasmade substantial contributions to the advancement of the cleaning industry and our association and who has demonstrated strong support of YES. This year’s award recipient is: Richard Rones, Americo Manufacturing Co., Inc
 
Rones has worked in the cleaning and maintenance industry for 26 years and currently serves as president of Americo Manufacturing Co., Inc., a manufacturer of floor pads, hand pads, and floor matting based in Acworth, GA. The company, which was founded by his father Jim, and has been a member of ISSA for 43 years and an exhibitor for four decades.
 
Shortly after graduating from the University of Georgia in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business, Rones joined Americo as a sales associate. Throughout his tenure with the company, he has served in various positions, including vice president-national accounts and vice president-operations, before being promoted to president in 1998. In addition to Americo’s ongoing membership, Rones personal support of ISSA includes serving on the ISSA Board of Directors as secretary (2009-11) and as southeast district director (2004-06) and on the ISSA/INTERCLEAN Committee (2000). During his board service and beyond, he has remained a strong supporter of ISSA’s Young Executive Society (YES), providing advice and insight to its coordinators and even the chairperson. Outside ofISSA, Rones has served as secretary on the Georgia Sanitary Supply Association Board of Directors (2001-03), and he currently holds the position of manufacturer at-large on the Sanitary Supply Wholesalers Association board of directors.