ISSA Foundation Offers Industry

Association News

The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Foundation is “investing in tomorrow” by awarding annual scholarships. Last year, the ISSA Foundation presented a total of 48 scholarships toward higher education.

Since 1987, the ISSA Foundation contributes financing for scholarships, research grants, seminars and other programs that promote welfare of the general public as it relates to the sanitation, cleaning and maintenance industries.

“The scholarships are a great way for successful people in the industry to give back,” says Susan Tansey, ISSA Foundation services manager.

The ISSA Foundation is offering approximately 30 scholarships of $2,500 each to ISSA member company employees, their families, or other individuals pursuing a college or graduate degree. “Many applicants enter after college as workers,” says Tansey. Additional designated awards will be given as well.

The application deadline for the 2001-02 academic year is April 1. Applicants are encouraged to apply online at the ISSA Foundation’s website. To get more information contact ISSA at (800) 225-4772.

Sansoni Joins SDA, 2001 Board Members are Elected
Brian Sansoni has joined the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), Washington, as vice president of communication and education.

“There could hardly be a more ideal background for this position,” says SDA president Ernie Rosenberg.

Sansoni previously was a senior manager for Grocery Manufacturers of America, Washington, a press secretary for several members of Congress, and a broadcast journalist.

The SDA also recently announced its newly elected board members at its annual convention.

Paul Polman, president of Global Fabric Care, a division of the Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, was elected to a two-year term as chair of SDA.

Also recently elected was Andrew Liveris, vice president of Specialty Chemicals, The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., to vice chair.

Ernie Rosenberg was re-elected SDA president, while Robert Bartlett, The Hewitt Soap Company Inc., Dayton, Ohio, was elected treasurer. Barry Cutler, Baker & Hostetler, Cleveland, will serve another term as secretary.

Haviland Corp., Linn. Mo., has promoted Gary Pilger to senior vice president of sales and marketing for all divisions. Other promotions include Randy Wolfe, who was promoted to senior manager of operations, replacement parts division, and Amy Monnette, who became senior account administrator for all divisions.

Amy Bollinger has been appointed industry manager for Uniqema’s Americas Specialty Cleaning business. She will operate from Uniqema’s headquarters in Wilmington, Del.

Dalloz Safety, Reading, Pa., has appointed Sharon Platt its marketing communications project manager for its MBU Americas industrial and construction channels.

Greg Martin has been named director of sales for Pulp & Paper of America, Berlin, N.H., and its affiliate American Paper Mills of Gilman, Vt. Jack Lyons and Doc Carr have been appointed mid-Atlantic sales manager and Midwest sales manager, respectively. Both companies are affiliates of American Tissue Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y.

United Sales Associates has appointed Jon Salmon as field sales representative for Michigan. United Sales Associates, Cincinnati, represents manufacturers of industrial safety products in eight states. Both companies are affiliates of American Tissue Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y.

Fortune Plastics, Old Saybrook, Conn., has appointed Wayne Eddy manager of national account sales. Scott Silverstein is sales manger of Parade Packaging, a division of Fortune, in Mundelein, Ill. Ron Robinson was appointed sales manager, central region, Lebanon, Tenn. Ron Sokota is sales manager, western region, Glendale, Ariz.

National Chemical Laboratories Inc., Philadelphia, recently named Chris Robertson as regional sales representative for New England and eastern New York.

Bell Laboratories Inc., Madison, Wis., recently appointed Scott Smith technical sales representative for the Midwest. Smith will advise distributors and pest management professionals through individual consultations and trade shows.

Edmer Sanitary Supply Co. Inc., Long Island, N.Y., has named 25-year Edmer veteran Ed Zeitlin its president.

Rex Shull has been promoted to manager of technical service, regional service, and training of Windsor Industries, Englewood, Colo. Shull will oversee Windsor’s technical and regional service departments and manage Windsor’s training and development facility as well as various other programs.

United Sales Associates, a Cincinnati-based industrial safety product manufacturer, recently announced its top sales awards. Line group leader plaque was awarded to Thomas A. Hayward, a 12-year company veteran. Eagle award MVP was given to Mark A. Hamilton, who has been with the company 10 years.

Valley Products Co., recently announced it received ISO 9001 quality system registration. Valley Products supplies soaps to a number of markets through its Valley Soap division in Memphis, Tenn.

Pete Rowan of Unified Sales Co., in Bethesda, Md., has received Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). “Pete Rowan is an example of the type of individual who cares about consumers and their belongings as well as his industry,” says Kenway Mead, IICRC executive administrator. Certification requires hours of instruction and study, after which a test must be passed.

John Florio of The Standard Cos., Chicago, recently won grand prize in a sales contest sponsored by Kimberly-Clark, Roswell, Ga. The contest tested distributors’ salespeople’s knowledge of two hand cleaners.

North American Corp., Glendale, Ill., joined forces with Creating Pride, Chicago, a non-profit educational organization that works to build stronger learning environments in school communities without art programs. In a presentation, 16 Chicago school children, from first to seventh grade, illustrated the theme, “Working Together as a Team.” The theme symbolized North American’s four business groups — commerical products, packaging systems, graphic services and custom business solutions.

A former part-owner of Miller-Norris Janitorial Supply Co., Oklahoma City, passed away recently at age 81. Donald Eugene Oldham retired in 1997 after 61 years at Miller-Norris.

Bruce Brydon, chairman of the board for Coast Paper, Vancouver, British Columbia, passed away at age 66. Brydon served as Coast Paper president from 1985 to 1998, and in 1999 was awarded the Stanley O Styles industry award for long time leadership and service.

A former ISSA district director (1970-1971), Jerry Whitehead, recently passed away at age 71. An industry member for 40 years, Whitehead was the owner of Sunland Sanitary Supply, Albuquerque, N.M.

Save the Planet...But From What?
New federal procurement policies mandate that environmentally preferable products be used in all cleaning applications. This policy has forced chemical manufacturers to modify their formulas to reduce or eliminate exotic chemicals such as butoxyethanol, a major component in many cleaners and strippers; heavy-metal linked polymers, the basis of most floor finishes; and the not-fully understood chemical that comprises Cheese Whiz.

Thus, a new generation of cleaning chemicals is arising, replacing these substances with solvents like D-Limonene, derived from citrus fruit peels; mild acetic acid, commonly known as vinegar; and granulated navel lint, “nature’s own” abrasive.

In fact, with the chemical industry under the watchful but benevolent eye of government regulators, I believe the entire range of floor finishes, cleaners and disinfectants can be formulated from the above three items plus: water (not from New Jersey, though), lemon juice, thistle, and St. John’s Wort, which won’t clean, but we’ll feel less troubled about being dirty.

Any other chemical ingredients must be registered with federal, state, and county environmental protection agencies, along with the local Elks Club and the PTA, unless it is proven that a gerbil can swim in the stuff for a weekend without getting diaper rash.

But a policy restricting ingredients does not go far enough to preserve our environment. While the chemistry may change, the methods we use to apply the finished products will not, since we will still be using various machines and equipment. This paraphernalia is usually made of steel or aluminum, created by industries that pollute in their mining and smelting processes. Machines also need energy, which is produced by atomic power plants that make kindergartners within a 20-mile radius glow during nap time.

Our industry should therefore be at the forefront of the “green movement” by voluntarily meeting these standards by the year 2000:

• All laundry machines and auto-scrubbers must be made of wood or mud.
  
• All such machines must run manually, or be powered by an animal no larger than a cat.
  
• By 2005, at least 25 percent of all disinfecting must be accomplished by crushing germs with tiny, recyclable hammers.
  

These new standards will require society as whole to adjust its idea of what is “clean,” so the world can be more “green.” For instance, what’s so bad about a few streaks on a mirror? Personally, I wouldn’t mind if my reflection lost some wrinkles and zits. And a family of dust bunnies under the bed doesn’t bother me; they’re quiet and all they eat is dust carrots.

We should also rethink our general opposition to disease. After all, sickness is another very-natural process that we vainly attempt to impede with polluting technology. Why not require “environmentally preferable” cures for major diseases? Such remedies should include bloodletting, poultices, vapors, and ritual dances. My HMO would rather pay for a bucket of leeches than a CAT scan any day, assuming, of course, that I had the appropriate referral from my primary care shaman.

On the public relations front, a federally funded program could promote the green side of being sick. I envision, for example, nationwide “Infect a Co-Worker Day” or “Dysentery Week” (forget the parade, though). These events will raise our consciousness of the issues, just as the first Earth Day did. On that day in 1971, 12 million hippies and others blew bubbles in support of cleaning up our Mother Planet.
Now wait a minute. Those bubbles were made from detergent solutions with cute names. So the marketing geniuses of the detergent business essentially founded the green movement? If they only knew...

Henry A. Levenstein is vice president/ sales and marketing for Supply King Inc., a Neptune City, N.J.-based distributor. “Satire” appears occasionally in Sanitary Maintenance.