From October 18-21, more than 16,000 members of the cleaning and maintenance industry will assemble under one roof in the heart of the neon-lit town known as Sin City for ISSA/INTERCLEAN® Las Vegas 2005.

Visitors from more than 65 countries will attend the largest convention of the cleaning and maintenance business, which will be held inside the newly renovated Las Vegas Convention Center. By day, participants will have the opportunity to delve into the newest products and information in the industry while mingling with their jan/san cohorts. Then they can experience the non-stop entertainment of the city — in the midst of its year-long Centennial Birthday Celebration — by night.

The days will be filled with educational seminars and training programs that will groom participants to be leaders in their fields. ISSA/INTERCLEAN® has bulked up its educational and training seminars and the food and lounge areas this year, and they have scheduled an inspirational keynote speaker.

Jim Collins, author of the best-selling book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t, will be dispensing his wisdom on how to create a better performing business on Wednesday morning.

This year, ISSA/INTERCLEAN® will feature a Product Innovation Fashion Show. Not only will this show allow attendees to survey and scrutinize the latest products in the industry and cast their votes as to which product or service they believe to be the most innovative, it also gives participants the chance to win a trip to ISSA/INTERCLEAN® Chicago 2006. There will be a new Executive Leadership Workshop on October 18 during the Distributor Educational Conference, before the actual trade show begins. Finally, a Show Floor Happy Hour will be held on Thursday, which will allow the show’s attendees an opportunity to relax and network with their jan/san peers.

Click here for more details on this year’s show, or look for more information in the upcoming ISSA Show Guide in the September issue of Sanitary Maintenance.

PLAYERS

Paul Lemieux was recently named president/CEO of PRO-LINK Inc., Canton, Mass. Lemieux has over 14 years of experience in the cleaning industry and most recently served as vice president of operations for PRO-LINK.

Matthew Wood was recently hired as president/COO of ProTeam, Boise, Idaho. Wood has 26 years of management experience in the manufacturing sector. He has worked with Preco Inc., and SCP Global Technologies Inc. He received his MBA from Portland State University.

Dennis Riffer was recently named president of AFFLINK, Tuscaloosa, Ala. He was formerly executive vice president of the company. Robin Mullen, former president of AFFLINK, was named chairman.

Willam Wymer has been named national sales manager of ETC of Henderson Inc., Henderson, N.C. Beginning his career in the jan/san industry in 1987 as a territory sales manager for a chemical company, Wymer most recently served as a regional manager for a major jan/san/paper distributor.

Chris DeBolt, CPMR, The DeBolt Co., Inc., Coral Springs, Fla.was recently elected president of the Manufacturers Representatives of America Inc. (MRA).

COMPANY NOTES

AFFLINK, after soliciting responses from distributors on the biggest challenges in business, has developed a program designed to offer solutions to its members.

The program, called BizVentures, teaches distributors how to meet challenges with seminars, service provider agreements, consulting services and other business resources. The program is geared toward helping independent distributors that otherwise would not be able to afford the assistance or simply would not seek out advice.

Cal-Chlor Corp., Lafayette, La., and Dow Chemical Co., Rochester Hills, Mich., recently agreed to open a new packaging and distribution center in New Jersey. The new facility is located in Bound Brook, N.J., and is owned by the Union Carbide Corp., Houston, a Dow subsidiary.

The facility will serve calcium chloride customers on the East Coast, which has seen increasing demand for those products.

ProTeam, Boise, Idaho, is adopting X-Ray Flourescence (XRF) soil removal test protocol developed in collaboration with NASA, private industry and the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI).

XRF is a process that specifically measures the types of soil removed through different processes. ProTeam said the XRF test will create healthier and cleaner environments because it provides a scientific assessment of carpet cleaning.

Distributor Partners of America Inc., Naples, Fla., recently presented Tolco Corp., Toledo, Ohio, with the”2004 Partner Supplier of the Year” award and named Master Chemical Products Inc., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., “2004 Partner Distributor of the Year.”

National Chemical Laboratories, Philadelphia, recently expanded its Philadelphia distribution center by adding 35,000 square feet of inventory space, for a total of 85,000 square feet. It also increased the number of loading docks to 16, up from 10. The additions to the facility were made due to customer demand and for future growth initiatives.

Rochester Midland Corp., Rochester, N.Y., recently announced the creation of a program to certify cleaning professionals in green housekeeping practices. Participants learn about health and environmental benefits of green cleaning, third-party product certification criteria, building audits, recycling and best practice cleaning methods and tools.

Unger Enterprises, Bridgeport, Conn., recently announced a patent-pending “Microfiber Grading System,” which is the industry’s first quality classification system. The grading system looks at four factors — durability, scrub factor, absorbency and wash cycles — to determine guidelines to offer customers.

WAXIE Sanitary Supply, San Diego, is celebrating its 60th anniversary by making charitable contributions to local organizations such as shelters that house homeless mothers, food banks and agencies that serve people with disabilities

JohnsonDiversey Inc., Racine, Wis, was named overall winner of the UK Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2005 for its operation of the Alfreton plant in the United Kingdom.

GREEN NOTES

Green Seal, Washington, D.C., recently announced it has received the required base funding to begin to develop an environmental standard for cleaning service providers

Six companies — Spartan Chemical Co., Maumee, Ohio; National Chemical Laboratories Inc., Philadelphia; JohnsonDiversey, Racine, Wis.; ProTeam, Boise, Idaho; Coastwide Laboratories, Wilsonville, Ore.; and PortionPac Chemical Corp., Chicago — each contributed $10,000 toward development of the standard.

The organizer is now seeking input from stakeholders.

ISSA was recently given an advance copy of the EPA’s guidance document, “Greening Your Purchase of Cleaning Products.” The document is targeted at federal purchasers of cleaning products, but is available to all purchasers.

The document gives a framework for purchasers to make informed decisions on green cleaning products. E-mail for an advance copy.

RoVic Inc., Manchester, Conn., was recently recognized as a ”Green Cleaning Champion” at its Sustainable Solutions Expo by The Ashkin Group LLC, Bloomington, Ind. The company advises and trains employees of several educational institutions, government agencies and private-sector companies on how to establish sustainable, environmentally preferable cleaning systems and programs.

Kimberly-Clark Professional, Roswell, Ga., is now a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Council’s efforts in advancing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was a main reason for the company’s interest in partnering with USGBC.




POSTED ON: 8/1/2005