Eye On Orlando

Despite lower-than-predicted turnout, ISSA/Interclean-USA 2001 in Orlando proved successful for many attendees. The show provided encouragement that the cleaning industry will rebound quickly in light of the economy’s dulling effects, and the fear and uncertainty that followed the September 11 attacks. This year’s ISSA motto, “Let’s Get Going!” seemed the prevalent sentiment during the days of seminars, selling and networking that took place October 15-19 at Orlando’s expansive Orange County Convention Center.

The seminar lineup for the year focused on the trend toward increased channel member cooperation and included — in addition to seminars for manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers — courses designed specifically for business service contractors and in-house professionals. And though the number of technology-based companies that exhibited dwindled this year, many seminars were based on technology and its role in distributors’ businesses. A toned-down version of last year’s e-commerce push, the message has become: e-business will have an undeniable role in future business, but it’s a tool, not a panacea.

Another business basic was the focus of the keynote speech, “The Secrets of Success,” given by Stephen Wynn, the Las Vegas mogul responsible for the creation of the gambling capital’s Mirage, The Desert Inn and Beau Rivage. The innovative entrepreneur told the audience of more than 3,000, “The central issue in business is the good will that is created between the public and your enterprise.” The secret to Wynn’s success? Empowering employees.

“The answer is human resources, not technology.” Empowerment fosters responsibility, which in turn makes for employees who want to do the best job possible — employees who take pride in their work and in the organization. When this is the case, employees are happy, which makes the hotel’s guests happy. And when customers are satisfied, they’ll continue to do business with a company.

“If employees feel good about the enterprise and themselves, anything is possible,” he added. Wynn offered some tips on accomplishing this ideal:

• Ready the employees for change. If they’re empowered to be reactive to whatever the situation, they’ll be able to more easily satisfy the customer.

• Employees base feelings of the company on the way supervisors treat others and each other.

• Do things to increase employees’ sense of self-worth. Wynn offered ways for employees to seek further education, and rewarded them when they accomplished it.

In another featured speech, “Partnership With a Vision,” Ron Segura, president of Segura and Associates and former manager of janitorial services for Walt Disney Co., discussed the increased emergence of partnering in jan/san supply chain relationships — and why it will continue to be vital in the future.

Show News
Nearly 700 exhibitors filled the floor of the Orange County Convention Center. Attendance was down, though the exact number of attendees was not known at press time.

Stephen Swigart stepped down and Roger Parrott Jr., RoVic Inc., took the helm as the ISSA Board president during the ISSA general meeting held on Friday of the show. Gary Gradinger became vice president/president elect. Four other new board members assumed their duties at the meeting.

Two amendments to the ISSA bylaws were passed during the meeting. The first was designed to enhance the role of the chairmen of the European and Mexican board of representatives in ISSA. The amendment states:

“The President of the ISSA Board may, at his or her discretion, invite the Chairmen of the European and/or Mexico Board of Representatives to an ISSA Board of Directors meeting. When so invited to a board meeting, the Chairman of the European and /or Mexico Board of Representatives shall act as a voting member of the ISSA Board for that specific meeting only.”

The second bylaw change eliminates “publisher membership” and assigns publishers Associate status, meaning they no longer are allowed to vote.

SM hopes you enjoy the look back at the days spent in Orlando captured on these pages.

If you didn’t make it to George Colombo’s ISSA seminar — or would like a refresher course — this month’s Tech Central article offers a review of his seminar titled “Sales and Marketing Success in Today’s Post-Dot Com World.”