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As a result of the Recent elections, the following individuals have been elected to the International Sanitary Supply Association’s 2005 Board of Directors. The newly elected members will assume office at the General Meeting on Friday, November 19 (9 a.m.) at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. All ISSA members are invited to attend the meeting.
New Board Members
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Continuing Members
The following individuals will continue to serve on the ISSA Board in the following capacities:
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Expanding Our Reach
Presidents' Interview
By Laura Bayard, Contributing Editor
As the U.S. economy continues to evolve under increased international influence, the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) is working to build an organization whose goals reflect the changing needs of the jan/san industry. Sanitary Maintenance magazine recently spoke to ISSA’s president and president-elect about the challenges ISSA faces this year, as well as its goals for improving the organization by expanding its reach.
“The biggest challenge this year is the move toward establishing new classes of membership to afford building service contractors (BSCs) and in-house service professionals (ISPs) a legitimate voice in our association,” says Randy Brame, ISSA president. “There is a desire to bring all components of the cleaning world together to further our professional voice, enhance our position as cleaning professionals, and significantly increase our role and sphere of influence.”
The question of whether or not ISSA will expand its membership has been a much-discussed topic. The association currently invites facility service providers (FSPs) to attend the annual ISSA/INTERCLEAN® trade show, but those who participate have no other ISSA privileges. This year, the ISSA Board of Directors will continue to move toward the goal of fully including FSPs with a bylaw amendment vote by the current membership. The Board will also discuss how to improve the trade association so all supply chain members — manufacturers, distributors and end users — will benefit.
“We are living in very interesting times,” says ISSA’s president-elect, Mattie Chinks. “We must realize that change is necessary for the growth and sustainability of the ISSA.”
As for expanding ISSA membership, Chinks says, “There is a realization that joining forces makes good business sense.”
Chinks wants ISSA to be able to offer the best services and opportunities to its members, he says. He believes alliances with supply chain partners can help accomplish this goal. Bringing all jan/san professionals into one united trade association can produce stronger business relationships. Distributors will have the opportunity to get to know more about end users and gain insight into their concerns.
The benefits may be even more far-reaching: having a wider range of members may increase ISSA’s influence in the public realm. Both Chinks and Brame say they hope that one day, ISSA will be an even stronger voice for the industry on government issues.
“I tend to be an optimist, and I think that, although there will be challenges, more benefit than harm will be derived,” Brame says. “If we’re successful at drawing more participants to the ISSA, it will improve our advocacy efforts in Washington.”
Other Goals
While extending membership opportunities to FSPs is one of ISSA’s key concerns this year, a number of other goals will also be top priorities for the Board:
- Improve and expand the association website, www.issa.com, to be the leading site for information and commercial resources for the cleaning industry.
- Expand international membership and services without compromising U.S. and Canadian interests.
- Expand the U.S. trade show to participants and products allied to the cleaning industry.
- Continually enhance the ongoing educational, regulatory and other strategic services of ISSA.
Allowing FSP membership is only the first step toward improving communication between end users and distributors. Chinks says he hopes to see a certification program in the future that will show FSPs the value of using an ISSA-trained distributor. “We have to prove to the end users that it makes good sense to work with a distributor that is an ISSA member because we know what we’re doing, and we represent the highest professional and ethical standards,” he says.
If ISSA can continue to improve its educational and training opportunities, hopes are that the association will be even more widely recognized as the premier source for jan/san industry information.
ISSA’s website will also play a role in improving and creating new educational opportunities. The association plans to make the site more user-friendly, while adding new resources for sanitary supply professionals. Chinks says the website should be the first place someone looks for news about the jan/san industry.
“More emphasis has to be put on driving everyone to ISSA’s website for more industry information,” he says.
The association can also use the Internet as a tool to reach the rest of the world.
“The international market is clearly a significant initiative of ours,” Brame says. “But navigating through the language and cultural barriers takes a bit more time and expertise, and alignment of our interests with potential international partners is not without challenges.” Still, Brame says much of the membership growth this year came from outside North America.
Chinks says he hopes to make training programs and educational materials more available to international members. And he emphasizes the importance of making the trade show a world event.
“We must have a global focus where we reach out via our trade show to absolutely reinforce the fact that the ISSA is a world leader,” Chinks says.
The trade show is a major — and successful — event each year, and top in the industry.
“If you want to see what the latest innovations are, you should attend the ISSA show,” Chinks says.
Besides being the premier venue for discovering the latest jan/san innovations, Brame stresses the fact that the show is a great place to reconnect with peers or form new friendships.
“I’ve referred to our trade show as our industry’s equivalent of a family reunion,” he says. “The convention is the best time from an efficiency standpoint to renew acquaintances, add new ones and monitor new developments that could affect our marketplace. There is simply no other three- or four-day period that will expose us to so much at once.”
Still, Chinks says there is always room to reevaluate, especially in the changing industry environment. “We have to continually question ourselves as far as improving the trade show for the new members and the existing members,” he says.
Despite the goals and plans for improvement, the most important aspect of ISSA is its members’ contributions. “Get involved with the ISSA,” Chinks says. He urges members to share their opinions and make sure the Board hears any comments or ideas for improvement.
“We, as members, can and should be critical of the organization,” he says. “But at the same time, recognize where we have come from, where we are today, and our plans for the future.”
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
ISSA's 2004 Venue
By Laura Bayard, Contributing Editor
The seventh largest convention center in the nation is the setting for 2004’s ISSA/INTERCLEAN® USA trade show in New Orleans. With a total of 3.1 million square feet of space — enough to hold about 53 football fields — the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center boasts a 4,000-seat auditorium, 140 meeting rooms and a 1.1 million square-foot exhibit area that can accommodate more than 110,000 people. ISSA’s trade show will occupy Halls B-F, nearly 600,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Built as a modern replacement for the city’s former exposition hall, the Center’s first use was as a temporary focal point for the 1984 World’s Fair. Since its permanent opening in 1985 as the New Orleans Convention Center, the building has hosted more than 1,480 major events. In 1992, the city renamed it the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, after the late New Orleans mayor who had advocated the Center’s construction.
The Morial Center is currently in the process of Phase IV of a building expansion project. By the expected completion in 2008, the Center will offer an additional 524,000 square feet of exhibit space, plus 61 more meeting rooms and a 60,000 square-foot ballroom.
With all the events throughout the week and nearly 650 exhibitors to visit, attendees may not have time for anything more than a lunch on the go. Grab a quick bite to eat at stops throughout the exhibit halls, such as Deli Corner, Gretel's Bakery, Leghorn's Grillworks or Itza Pizza. For a more relaxed lunch break, the 400-seat Atrium restaurant in the lobby near Hall C is the Center’s largest dining area.
Convention-goers looking to discover the city after a busy day can stop by the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau’s information booth in the Atrium restaurant. Tickets to local events, such as New Orleans Hornets basketball games, are available, as well as passes to the Audubon Zoo, the Aquarium of the Americas and the Audubon Nature Institute. For some impromptu exploring or relaxation, the Center’s prime location directly on the Mississippi riverfront can’t be beat. Plus, it’s within walking distance to many of New Orleans’ major sights and attractions, including the French Quarter and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.