Every year, sanitary supply distributors flock to ISSA/INTERCLEAN-USA® to rub elbows with industry leaders, revitalize business acumen, and witness the newest cleaning and maintenance innovations manufacturers have to offer.

This year’s event, which takes place October 14-17, will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago. It promises to give attendees plenty to talk about, says ISSA education and training manager Anthony Trombetta. “Chicago is typically our best-attended city,” he said. “We’re guessing that we’ll break the attendance records that we set at last year’s show in Las Vegas.”

ISSA has attracted several notable personalities — from Alan Greenspan to Bill Cosby — as keynote speakers throughout the history of the show. This year, on Wednesday morning, October 15, James Baker, former secretary of state under President George H. Bush and former secretary of treasury under President Ronald Reagan, will offer jan/san executives perspectives on global leadership. Baker ran campaigns for presidents Gerald Ford, Reagan and Bush, and will give unique insights to leadership in both the public and private sectors.

“I was really looking for someone with a wealth of knowledge of geopolitical and economic issues,” said ISSA president Gary Gradinger. “We truly have a world-wide industry, and Mr. Baker really has an understanding of world events and situations. Regardless of political affiliation, I think he’ll have a lot to offer.”

Capt. Gerald Coffee will share memories of his experience as a POW in Vietnam later on Tuesday. “For five years, he was held captive, and he has a very interesting story about how he has grown personally and professionally,” said Trombetta. Another military hero, Rob “Waldo” Waldman, will speak on Thursday morning, October 16, about his experience as a fighter pilot during the Iran-Contra conflict.

ISSA will attempt to invigorate attendees in smaller settings with the continuation of its motivational seminars. “In previous years, most of the education topics were related to business operations or cleaning operations,” said Trombetta. “But last year we tried something new with the motivational — also known as the personal development — track of seminars. They were successful, so we’re going to continue doing that this year, and we’ll expand the category to three programs.”

On Wednesday, the exhibit floor is open only to sanitary supply distributors, but it will be open to end users and other jan/san professionals on Thursday and Friday.

This year will also mark the continuation of last year’s Women’s Forum. This year, Connie Glaser, author of What Queen Esther Knew, will speak at the forum. Glaser is a champion of women’s rights, especially in the workplace, said Trombetta.

Education and training will branch out in other directions, as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and ISSA co-sponsor an all-day workshop beginning Tuesday morning, to illustrate the benefits of high-performance “green” cleaning. The cost of attending the workshop is not included in general admission to ISSA/INTERCLEAN.

ISSA has a new and creative approach to promoting distributor-manufacturer interaction. “This year there will be a kind of game,” said Trombetta. “The show floor will be divided into four quadrants. You will be able to collect different-colored beads in each quadrant, and then you can exchange the beads for tickets at the ISSA resource center.” Tickets make participants eligible for a host of prizes, including digital cameras and DVD players.

More information regarding show registration or call: (800) 225-4772.

— Alex Runner

NEWS MAKERS

The University of California Board of Regents has voted unanimously in favor of a system-wide clean energy and green-building policy. All new campus buildings (except acute-care facilities) across the state must be built to green-building standards, according to the Board’s press release.

Tomar Industries, a wholesale distributor of janitorial supplies and packaging materials, recently announced that it has opened its new headquarters in Freehold, N.J., having moved from its location of 26 years in Marlboro, N.J.

The National Federation of Independent Business recently announced that its monthly index measuring optimism among small-business owners hit a 10-year low in March 2003. Only 1 percent of the business owners surveyed planned to create new jobs, the lowest percentage since 1990, and only 7 percent expected the economy to improve by the fall.

Richard Burr (R-N.C.), a former wholesale-distributor and 5-term Congressman in the House of Representatives, recently announced that he plans to run for office in the U.S. Senate to better represent the needs of wholesalers and distributors. The Senate seat is currently occupied by Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) who recently announced his bid for President of the United States.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Kellermeyer Co., Toledo, Ohio, one of the largest jan/san distributors in the Midwest, recently announced the acquisition of Femco, Mishawka, Ind. The move will allow Kellermeyer to have greater influence in the Indiana and Western Michigan markets. Femco’s former owner, Carl Reichanadter, will be retained as Kellermeyer’s vice president of regional development.

Triple S, Billerica, Mass., a network of jan/san distributors, recently announced that Sikes Paper and Chemical Supply Co., Atlanta, has been appointed a Triple S member dealer. Sikes can now market Triple S product lines.

REGULATORY NEWS

The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), recently distributed a survey produced by the Tax Relief Coalition, of which ISSA is a member, in an attempt to determine the effect of President Bush’s recently signed $350 billion tax-cut package.

Many jan/san distributors are still unaware of the advantages the package now avails, according to the ISSA legislative division. Some of the new benefits include:

  • A four-fold increase (from $25,000 to $100,000 from 2003-2005) in the amount of money spent on new equipment that small businesses can write off as an immediate expense. Small businesses are also now defined as companies with between $200,000 and $400,000 in capital expenditures.

  • An increase in bonus depreciation from 30 percent to 50 percent. The tax package also extends this provision through December 31, 2004.

  • Acceleration of the 2006 individual tax rate cut to 2003. Rates are reduced from 27 percent to 25 percent; 30 percent to 28 percent; 35 percent to 33 percent; and 38.6 percent to 35 percent.

  • Reduction of the top tax rate on dividends and capital gains to 15 percent until 2008.

Triple S and AmSan Sever Remaining Ties

In April 2003, Sanitary Maintenance magazine reported that Triple S, Billerica, Mass., and AmSan, Deerfield, Ill., had dissolved their alliance. Triple S is a sales and marketing network made up of 111 distributors, and AmSan is a national distributor of jan/san supplies.

An April press release from Triple S stated that although there would no longer be a formal alliance with AmSan at the corporate level, individual AmSan locations would be considered for continued Triple S membership. After further consideration by both parties, SM has learned that no AmSan distributor locations will continue as Triple S members.

“[The decision to split from] AmSan was part of a strategic plan that we spent eight months putting together,” said Alan Sadler, president of Triple S. “It really aligns us with independent distributors that are strongly driven by an entrepreneurial spirit; that’s our future, and that’s our direction.”

Many industry analysts have speculated that AmSan was experiencing difficulty in harnessing the selling power of multiple distributor locations throughout the country. However, the split from Triple S had more to do with the company’s success than its failure, said Michael Mulhern, president and CEO of AmSan.

“For AmSan, I think the decision was really grounded in two business realities,” he said. “First, our national sales — we’re literally coast to coast — allow us significant purchasing leverage. Second, we project significant earnings growth this year.”

AmSan plans to create its own privately labeled product line, as locations continue to unite behind the company’s new leadership, adds Mulhern.

“I’ve been on board now for nine months, and I’ve never been more energized about the leadership team we have throughout the country,” he said. “They clearly value moving in one direction.”

As SM reported in April, there appears to be no ill feelings between the companies. “We have nothing but the highest regard for the people at Triple S,” said Mulhern. “They are very strong at what they do. We’ve simply outgrown the Triple S value proposition.”

“AmSan just has a different direction,” said Sadler. “Thus, it doesn’t really makes sense for them to remain as members of Triple S.”

JWOD Suppliers Notice Increase in Government Buying

Distributors, wholesalers and manufacturers that are listed as JWOD-approved suppliers (named for legislators Javits, Wagner and O’Day) are finding increased business opportunities with U.S. government buildings. JWOD requires that many federal government agencies purchase supplies made by blind or severely disabled workers. Companies that are certified as JWOD suppliers are finding increased sales opportunities.

To qualify, distributors must complete the JWOD application for distributors.

One JWOD distributor, ServMart, sells cleaning supplies to U.S. Navy ships in Bremerton, Wash., and recently relocated off-base in order to continue growth, diversifying its customer base. Last year, ServMart sold more than $7 million worth of supplies to the Navy, much of it made by blind or disabled workers, while providing job training for adults with a range of physical and mental handicaps.

The JWOD requirements are not new; In 1938, the Wagner-O’Day Act was passed under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in order to provide employment opportunities for people who are blind by allowing them to manufacture mops and brooms to sell to the federal government. These employees work for jan/san manufacturers that have earned JWOD certification.

CLARIFICATION

A news brief in SM’s July issue, “Bobrick Prevails in Federal Lawsuit,” stated, “...the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Life Safety Code 101 standard requires that toilet partitions be regarded as interior wall finishes rather than being furnishings or fixtures.” To clarify, the NFPA does not specifically classify toilet partitions as an interior wall finish. In jurisdiction where toilet partitions are interpreted to be an interior wall finish, then the toilet partitions are required to be fire-rated.




POSTED ON: 8/1/2003