ISSA & CIRI Partner on Cleaning Standard

ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute (CIRI) have announced a long-term partnership for the cooperative development of science-based cleaning standards that would develop industry data, training, measurement and certification programs.

The first initiative this joint partnership will undertake is to fund a series of independent research initiatives leading to the development of a Clean Standard for K-12 schools. The partnership supports one of the ISSA strategic initiatives to identify the link between cleaning, science, and occupant health, as set forth by the ISSA Board of Directors.

“CIRI functions to make the connection between science and cleaning,” said CIRI  Chairman Jim Harris. “The CIRI Symposium will feature research scientists from around the world reporting on specific issues, such as hospital or community acquired infectious disease and control, including MRSA, and cleaning science research in special environments.”

“The ISSA project is to make the connection between science and cleaning for health,” said ISSA Executive Director John Garfinkel. “We are very pleased to fund such a worthwhile independent effort to identify and develop standards for cleanliness, utilizing a group of highly credentialed scientists and researchers.

The CIRI Clean Standard Science Committee managing this much-needed research will be free from any outside influences or biases, including any from ISSA; CIRI; or the staff, board, or members of either organization.

“Many other facility services industries have long been based in engineering and science, while our industry has largely had to prove its public health value based on assumptions and perceptions. Today, we want to remove any doubt about the benefits cleaning brings to facilities and their occupants, and we hope this initiative will bring the independent scientific verification many facility managers have been requesting.”

Following a significant period of laboratory and field testing, ISSA will lead the process of creating standards and certification based on the scientific findings, involving key stakeholders in the cleaning, facilities management, and education industries.

“Each organization will do what it does best during this project,” said Harris. “CIRI will conduct research on measurement methods and current conditions in K-12 schools. ISSA will use the results as a basis for developing standards regarding what defines “clean” in these very important and sensitive environments.”

Dr. Steven Spivak, CIRI Science chair and professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, is also looking forward to the new partnership: “We are pleased that the K-12 Clean Standard will be the launching point for this long-term partnership in cleaning science and related certification programs. ISSA is at the forefront of professional development and elevation of the cleaning industry. This partnership will lead to the definition of what is clean under real world conditions, in specific school environments as well as how it is measured and how it is achieved.”

The goal of the project is that individuals and organizations can then be certified with respect to their knowledge and use of methods that lead to measurable improvements in school cleanliness and hygiene, a topic of great concern to a large percentage of the public, especially those with children in K-12 environments or who work within them.

The research will be conducted by CIRI through a Cleaning Standards Science Committee (CSSC), which will be established specifically for this project.

The committee will be organized by Dr. Spivak along with Dr. Gene Cole of Brigham Young University, who was instrumental in developing the overall research plan the partners have agreed to pursue.

The first update regarding this project is expected to be released at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America convention, Sept. 8-11, 2008, in Las Vegas, NV.

Having recently revised its LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) standard to make a green-cleaning policy mandatory for certification, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has added credits for an audit using APPA’s Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities.

According to APPA, institutions can earn up to two LEED points for using APPA’s guidelines as part of the Quality Cleaning section of LEED’s Operations and Maintenance guide to determine the appearance level of the facility.

The intent of the assessment, according to the LEED guide, is “to reduce the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical, biological, and particulate contaminants—which adversely affect air quality, human health, building finishes, building systems, and the environment—by implementing, managing, and auditing cleaning procedures and processes.”

LEED-EB can help K-12 and higher educational institutions reduce energy consumption, water consumption, and solid-waste disposal. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/leed/eb.

Initially published by APPA in 1992 and now in its second edition, Custodial Staffing Guidelines covers five levels of clean used to assess facility appearance.

The guide includes information on such specialized facilities areas as dormitories, health-care facilities, and more. Thirty-three room categories in all are covered by the APPA staffing guidelines.

The guidelines are based upon the feedback of hundreds of individuals and institutions and have been in use for over two decades by an ever-increasing number of institutions to validate staffing requirements at institutions in higher education as well as K-12 and to justify the need for custodial budgets.

For more information on APPA and to order APPA’s Custodial Staffing Guidelines for Educational Facilities, visit the APPA bookstore at www.appa.org.

Looking for new ideas and techniques to minimize waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the EPA is calling on the nation’s architects, builders, students and others to participate in the second Lifecycle Building Challenge.

The competition seeks designs that facilitate building material adaptation and reuse, minimize waste, and cut greenhouse gas emissions. Ideas generated by the contest will help divert more of the 100 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris sent each year to landfills in the United States.

The “Lifecycle Building Challenge 2” – co-sponsored by the Building Materials Reuse Association, the American Institute of Architects, Southface Energy Institute, and West Coast Green – invites professionals and students nationwide to submit designs and ideas by July 31, 2008 that support cost-effective disassembly and anticipate the future use of building materials.

Outstanding entries in each category will be recognized and publicized in national journals and at conferences nationwide. The competition’s partners will also recognize exceptional entries in three other categories. The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) will select the Best School Design, West Coast Green will recognize the Best Residential Entry, and Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) will select the Best Greenhouse Gas Reduction Design.

“The Lifecycle Building Challenge explores new ideas and techniques to minimize waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Alan J. Steinberg, EPA Regional Administrator. “I encourage all building professionals in our region - New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands - to submit entries.”

Lifecycle building maximizes material recovery to reverse the trend of disposing large quantities of construction and demolition debris in landfills. In the United States, buildings consume 60 percent of total materials flow (excluding food and fuel) and account for 33 percent of the solid waste stream. Building renovation and demolition accounts for 91 percent of the construction and demolition debris generated each year, while new construction accounts for only 9 percent. Between 2000 and 2030, 27 percent of existing buildings will be replaced and 50 percent of the total building stock will be constructed.

These issues can be addressed by planning for a building or building component’s  eventual deconstruction or adaptation. By creating building components that can be easily recovered and reused, materials are kept at their highest value, resulting in reduced consumption of energy and resources. Reusing building components reduces the energy and greenhouse gases emissions associated with extracting, producing and transporting materials.

For more information, go to www.lifecyclebuilding.org.

Nilfisk-Advance, a manufacturer of professional floor-cleaning equipment, has acquired all the assets of Cyclone Environmental Technologies LLC and its affiliate company’s patents.

Based in Tempe, AZ, Cyclone is an industrial cleaning technology and manufacturing company specializing in technologies for cleaning outdoor surfaces with improved productivity and minimal environmental impact.

The acquisition will form a new company within Nilfisk-Advance called “Nilfisk-Advance Technologies, Inc.”

“Cyclone is an innovator in bringing new cleaning technologies to market that leverage high pressure washing, waste water recovery and water recycling,” said Joergen Jensen, president and CEO of Nilfisk-Advance. “We will continue Cyclone’s leadership in this area by further developing and expanding the market reach of these innovative technologies.”

Cyclone’s cleaning technologies and products are used today by a wide range of customers such as airports, amusement parks, convention centers and other facilities with large outdoor surfaces.

Cyclone’s water recovery and recycling technologies are “green” environmental features because they allow the end-user to save and reuse large amounts of water.

In addition, Cyclone’s technologies limit the amount of pollutants and debris in water runoff, allowing for disposal that is better for the environment.

Following the acquisition, Cyclone will continue to operate at its Tempe, Arizona facility. Cyclone founder Richard Rohrbacher and President Ellen Rohrbacher will continue to be involved in the company.

Nilfisk-Advance’s North American operations are headquartered in Plymouth, MN. It manufactures and distributes professional floor-cleaning equipment under the brand names Advance, American-Lincoln, Clarke, Kent, Euroclean, Clarke American Sanders, CFM, HydraMaster, Nilfisk-ALTO, US Products, Viper, and Nilfisk.

Other recent acquisitions include Chinese manufacturer Viper Inc. in August 2007 and Washington-based HydraMaster in March 2008.

UGL Unicco, a subsidiary of United Group Limited (UGL), has increased its support of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) to become a Corporate Circle member.

This, the highest level of corporate support for the college administrators and financial officers’ organization, demonstrates UGL Unicco’s commitment to advancing NACUBO’s goals in higher education.

“UGL Unicco has long been an active member of NACUBO, participating in its conferences and volunteering to support its goals,” commented UGL Unicco Vice President Randy Ledbetter. “It is appropriate that we build on this involvement by moving to the highest level since it benefits the company, NACUBO, and the scores of colleges and universities that we count as customers.”

The NACUBO Corporate Circle is comprised of a select group of fewer than 20 companies, out of its 300 corporate members, that have made substantial resource commitments to the organization. In addition to recognition by NACUBO, representatives from firms in the Corporate Circle are also invited to meet with other higher education thought-leaders, contribute content to NACUBO programs, and participate in activities affecting future NACUBO initiatives.

“Corporate Circle membership brings together top companies that are committed to serving higher education and advancing professionalism and best practices,” said Bill Dillon, vice-president for Business Development, NACUBO.

“We’re pleased to have UGL Unicco, a company that has served our market since before NACUBO was founded, step up into this leadership role.”

In pursuit of growth by creating customer-focused “value stream” organizations, Zep Inc. has established eight market-facing businesses and named William Holl chief operating officer with responsibility for these businesses.

“Bill and his team have clearly demonstrated results in the early transformation of Zep Inc. as we position ourselves for profitable growth,” said John K. Morgan, president and CEO. “My congratulations go out to those selected to run the businesses and to the many people who will be given new opportunities and challenges as we grow.”

“Individuals leading each business or ‘value stream’ will run them with entrepreneurial vigor to help drive performance more assertively by making decisions and deploying resources as close as possible to our customers,” Morgan continued.

The eight businesses are:

• Zep West, which includes Western Canada and several western U.S.states. Ralph Puertas, formerly president, Zep Canada, has been named president of Zep West;

• Zep Central, which includes many southwestern U.S. states and some Central Plains states. Robert L. Droke II has been hired to serve as president of Zep Central. Prior to joining Zep Inc., Droke was a vice president at Banner Commercial, a real estate advisory and consulting firm;

• Zep Southeast, which includes many southeastern U.S. states. Joe Dymecki, previously vice president, Southeast division, has been named president of Zep Southeast;

• Zep Midwest, which includes the upper midwestern U.S. states. Tom Moffett, previously vice president and general manager for Zep and Selig, has been named president of Zep Midwest;

• Zep East, which includes several eastern U.S. states and the Canadian provinces east of Manitoba. Tom Moffett is overseeing Zep East until a new president is appointed;

• Zep Europe, which includes all of the company’s European business. Alessandro Brighenti, previously general manager, Italy, has been appointed president of Zep Europe;

• Zep Retail, which includes all of the company’s business with retailers. Lisa B. Malloy has been hired to serve as president of Zep Retail. Before joining Zep Inc., Malloy was senior global product merchant with The Home Depot’s $1.7 billion retail carpet and installation supplies business;

• Zep Industrial Distribution will develop and manage the company’s business through industrial distributors.

Philip Snellen, formerly head of the company’s core marketing team, has been named vice president of Industrial Distribution.

“Backed by shared, corporate services, each of these businesses will be closer to our customers and will have more decision-making authority to meet customer needs,” concluded Holl, who previously was executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “We are convinced that this new operating structure will enable Zep Inc. to recapture our market position and build for the future.”