Celebrating the 1970s: A Decade of Change

Distributors rolled into the 1970s with optimism and were met with change right off the bat. That set the tone for the 10 years that would follow, and Sanitary Maintenance was there to document it all. 

1970 

The industry focuses on environmentalism with campaigns like “Clean Up the Nation” and “Keep It Clean” that coincide with the first Earth Day in April. Later this year, the industry faces regulatory challenges with the launch of the Environmental Protection Agency in December, which implements stricter legislation on chemicals. 

Sanitary Maintenance begins a series of articles focusing on electronic data processing, which only a quarter of distributors were using at the time. Pocket calculators for warehouse operations and cassette tapes for slideshows were much more popular at the time. 

1973 

Bob Wisniewski joins Sanitary Maintenance as an advertising sales representative. After 15 years in sales, Bob shifted to CEO of Trade Press, the magazine’s parent company, where he’d spend the next 30 years of his career before retiring and selling the company/magazine to Forum Media Group in 2018.  

1974 

The Occupational Health and Safety Act was launched in December 1970, which then established the Occupational Health and Safety Association in April 1971. By 1974, distributors were frustrated with new legislation, policies and the threat that “...any worker can bring a government CO down the neck of his employer.” To address these concerns, Sanitary Maintenance launched a series of articles titled “Ah So, OSHA.”  

1977 

Harry Apple (seated), the founder of Sanitary Maintenance, is made an honorary member of ISSA for his many contributions to the industry. This same year, Apple also receives the first ever ISSA Industry Distinguished Service Award (later renamed the Jack D. Ramaley Award, who is ironically pictured far left).