“Hello, you’ve reached Precise Chemical. Our power is still down from the storm.”

The voicemail message, which continued to greet callers for days after Hurricane Isabel caused severe damage along the Atlantic coast in mid-September, was the only answer for customers of the Washington-based jan/san distributor.

The hurricane, which was later downgraded to a tropical storm, forced cancellation of close to 5,700 flights at East Coast airports and shut down train and bus routes. Thousands of businesses were forced to close — from South Carolina to Maryland — and dozens of others were destroyed completely.

“This was the worst hurricane our area has experienced since 1935,” said Connie Montgomery, executive manager of Capital Janitorial Supply Co. in Richmond, Va. “We’re two hours from Virginia Beach, so we didn’t get hit nearly as hard as those buildings on the coast, but it has still been tough,” she said. “The worst thing for our area was not having power. Our customers couldn’t go into their buildings, so we couldn’t make deliveries. Gradually, things are beginning to open up again.”

Like the power outages that affected many East-Coast businesses one month before, Hurricane Isabel also provided opportunities for jan/san distributors to solidify partnerships with customers.

“We’ve tried to be very flexible and help customers however we can,” said Rocko Curcio, a sales representative for Quality Janitorial in Fredricksburg, Va. “The hurricane went right through Fredricksburg, so there’s been a lot of damage. We’ve even been cutting down trees and ripping out carpets for customers.”

Quality Janitorial has worked to keep wet vacs, carpet dryers and dehumidifiers — items in peak demand after the hurricane struck — on hand, along with cleaning chemicals specially formulated to fight mold and mildew. “We’ve been pumping out a lot of basements — mostly in apartment buildings, and helping customers with a lot of water damage,” said Billy Kennedy, president of Quality Janitorial. “We even brought paper supplies to the help centers stationed outside many of the schools, who are our customers.”

Unfortunately, some customers couldn’t be helped. One of Quality’s largest customer segments, the Colonial Beach casinos, was destroyed completely by Hurricane Isabel.

“Colonial Beach is right on the Potomac River,” said Curcio. Although the eye of Hurricane Isabel hit the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, storm surges flooded inland coastlines along the Potomac.

“Most it hit around high tide, so that didn’t help our customers out either,” he adds. “Historic monuments were washed away and businesses were just gone.”

NEWS MAKERS

UNICCO Gets Harvard
UNICCO, Boston’s largest cleaning contractor, will take over cleaning duties for Harvard College’s 160 private restrooms. Previously, Harvard students were hired to work on “Dorm Crew” in order to keep student-living areas clean. This year, however, Harvard officials determined that students would not be able to keep up with cleaning demands, so UNICCO was contracted to provide cleaning services.


Congress Gets A Raise
Despite unfavorable economic conditions, The House of Representatives recently approved a 2.2 percent pay raise for Congress — slightly less than average wage increases in the private sector, but enough to bring the average lawmaker’s annual salary to about $158,000.


Mothers Know
Working Mother magazine recently named SC Johnson, Racine, Wis., “Best of the Industry” for working mothers in manufacturing or retail. The publication also listed SC Johnson in the Top 10 of its 18th edition of the 100 best corporations to work for.


EPA In Limbo
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), currently under the direction of acting director Marianne L. Horinko, looks to have trouble finding a successor to replace Gov. Christy Todd Whitman. Lack of support in his own state has lessened the chances of President Bush’s nominee, Gov. Mike Leavitt, being confirmed. In addition, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has requested to hold hearings on EPA Inspector General allegations that the White House pressured the EPA to ignore air-quality conditions at Ground Zero.

REGULATORY NEWS

The U.S. Senate will consider chemical security legislation offered by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) in early October as facility protection by the chemical industry is being scrutinized by Congress. Vulnerability assessments will likely be among the required provisions for facilities, reports the National Association of Chemical Distributors.

The City of Lansing, Mich., recently announced that it will require companies with city contracts of more than $50,000 to pay their employees at least $11.50 per hour, well above the $5.15 minimum wage.

A Federal Judge in Denver recently blocked the National Do-Not-Call Registry, hours after the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation to reinstate the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) authority over the Registry. U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham’s ruling gave a victory to telemarketers when he ruled that the registry, which exempted not-for-profit organizations, was unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

Days later, President Bush signed the legislation to reinstate the FTC’s authority.

Regional Associations Aid Charities Through Operation Clean Sweep

Six regional associations within the sanitary supply industry reported successful turnouts for Operation Clean Sweep in late September, an industry charity event started by the New Jersey Sanitary Supply Association (NJSSA) in 1993 to “enhance the quality of life within New Jersey communities,” said current NJSSA president Hank Josephs.

This year, the NJSSA cleaned St. Peter’s Village in Denville, N.J., an orphanage for children in the northwest part of the state. More than 30 volunteers from New Jersey-based sanitary supply companies scrubbed, mopped and buffed St. Peter’s Village.

In Chicago, 25 volunteers from the Greater Chicago Sanitary Supply Association (GCSSA) cleaned St. Leonard’s House, a shelter that helps men find jobs and improved lifestyles after being released from prison. “It was one of our most successful events. With so many volunteers, we were finished by noon,” said GCSSA president Jeanne Stahurski.

The South Eastern Wisconsin Sanitary Supply Association (SEWSSA) had its share of industry volunteers as well: 65 in all. The SEWSSA cleaned The Salvation Army’s Milwaukee headquarters, where homeless men, women and families stay to receive meals, shelter and education while applying for jobs and government assistance.

In Hollywood, Calif., the Southern California Sanitary Supply Association (SCSSA), which cleaned The Norma & Trudy Louis Valley Shelter, also had a large turnout of 65 industry volunteers.

Because of scheduling conflicts, the Georgia Sanitary Supply Association’s (GSSA) 26 volunteers cleaned Atlanta Union Mission, another homeless shelter, in January.

Finally, the Carolina Sanitary Supply Association (CSSA) and its 12 volunteers cleaned the Miracle Life Missions shelter in Spartansburg, S.C.

Microbiology Journal Defends Antibacterials

In the October 2003 issue of The Journal of Applied Microbiology, a new study “refutes widely publicized, yet unsupported, hypotheses that use of antibacterial products facilitates the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria from the home environment,” according to the publication, released by the Society for Applied Microbiology.

In the “randomized study,” environmental and clinical samples were collected from the homes of 30 antibacterial-product users and 30 nonusers for “the isolation of target bacteria for antibiotic and antibacterial testing in three geographical areas.”

Previously, antibacterial products had caused concern for some users who predicted that as weak bacteria was killed off by such products, only stronger, more harmful, bacteria would survive.

In the study, more target bacteria was found in nonuser homes than in user homes after selected antibiotic-resistant isolates were tested against common antibacterial agents (triclosan, parpa-chloro-meta-xylenol, pine oil and quaternary ammonium compound).

Industry Loses Vernon Kellermeyer, Founder of Toledo Jan/San Distributor

In 1944, Vernon Kellermeyer, in his early 30s at the time, saved $500 and borrowed $500 from his father. He used the money to start Kellermeyer Chemical Co., Toledo, a distributor with one of the richest histories in the sanitary supply industry.

Earning a reputation as an industrious and honest businessman, Kellermeyer hired his first salesman three years later, and his company, now Kellermeyer Co., has been growing ever since.

Family and friends recently mourned the loss of Kellermeyer, when he died of congestive heart failure in September at the age of 93.

“He was a quiet individual, but he was good with sales and good with people,” says Tom Kellermeyer, the son of the company founder and current president. “His word was his bond. If he said he would do something, he would do it. He wasn’t a flashy guy, but people could trust him.”

Vernon Kellermeyer’s first customer was the Boys Club of Toledo, and he did everything he could to keep the non-profit organization happy with his company’s service, says Tom Kellermeyer. “He’d go up to the Boys Club camp every summer and just help them clean and prepare for all the campers,” he says.

Vernon Kellermeyer was introduced to the sanitary supply industry by working for Van Nest Janitorial Supply. From Van Nest, he moved to National Laboratories, which was started by the Van Nest family, and developed the formulas for Van-A-Sol, one of the original liquid toilet and all-purpose cleaners.

“He wasn’t a chemist,” says Tom Kellermeyer, “but he really got to know the business.”

IP Announces Settlement in 1999 Antitrust Class Action

International Paper, Stamford, Conn., recently announced it reached an agreement to settle an antitrust class action lawsuit filed in 1999 in federal courts in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The plaintiffs, purchasers of corrugated sheets and containers from October 1993 through November 1995, alleged that International Paper, in addition to Weyerhaeuser, Georgia-Pacific and other integrated manufacturers, had conspired to increase prices. Weyerhaeuser and Georgia-Pacific have also agreed to settle with plaintiffs.

The settlement must be approved by the court, but the manufacturers have agreed to pay a total of $68 million to settle claims. International Paper recently announced that its share of the total settlement is approximately $24 million. International Paper’s share of the settlement also includes Union Camp, which was also a co-defendant in the class action suit and which International Paper acquired in 1999.

“We continue to dispute the plaintiffs’ allegations,” said Maura A. Smith, senior vice president and general counsel of International Paper. “However, given the costs and risks of defending even a meritless class action, and absent necessary legal reforms, this settlement is in the best interest of the company.”

Prior to this settlement, some of the original plaintiffs opted out of the class action litigation and have recently filed separate cases against the defendant companies. International Paper stated that the company is currently reviewing those cases.




POSTED ON: 10/1/2003