Cleaning Industry going High-Tech!

Last month, I travelled to Las Vegas to join thousands of other cleaning-geeks on our annual pilgrimage to the ISSA North America Trade Show.  This event is held each fall and is an opportunity for thousands of professionals in the Cleaning Industry to get up close and personal with representatives & products from the world’s leading manufacturers of cleaning products, equipment and support systems.

For an industry in which innovation seems to mirror the Dark Ages for decades, things are suddenly getting exciting.  Yes…I said it…things are getting EXCITING in the cleaning industry.  And this is directly related to a shift in products and equipment that are becoming smarter, more user-friendly, and in some cases…even autonomous (not quite Jetsons…but close…more like a Roomba on steroids!)

With regard to “smarter” products, we are seeing everything from powered-equipment (floor scrubbers) to restroom dispensing systems becoming “smart-enabled” with the use of IOT (Internet of Things) that allow for real-time reporting and alerts.  For example, a Day Porter or Site Supervisor could receive alerts to be informed that a specific soap-dispenser is less than 10% full.  Or, an Operations Manager could track equipment activity and usage to ensure it’s being used properly at the job site.

In addition, more and more powered-equipment is going cordless via the use of advances with Lithium Batteries.  Cordless = Higher Productivity, Elimination of Trip Hazards, and the freedom to clean the hard to reach spaces!

And lastly, robotics are coming to cleaning.  Smart-technology enabled equipment with sensors and programmable routes are the first wave of truly autonomous equipment.  We realize that this type of equipment is never going to truly replace the value and impact of a front-line cleaner.  But, there will be some specific duties and functions that will be supported by robotic equipment. 

For us cleaning-geeks, this is not only exciting…it is also important to surviving in a changing economy in which minimum wage is escalating towards $20 per hour over the next five years.

In our industry, Performance / Productivity / Safety are paramount to our survival and success.
I look forward to sharing more industry news and advancements in the coming years!

All the Best - Greg

The Joy of Giving

When we kicked -off the new year in January, the CleanOffice/PorterPlus management team began a series of monthly off-site meetings to identify goals, strategies and initiatives for 2019.

One of the initiatives that we identified and committed to was to increase our “giving.” In short, we wanted to take actions to show our clients, our employees and the community at-large that we truly care and are willing to make monetary and personal investments to help ensure that our impact is felt.

We are delighted to know that we have kept good on our pledge, and through the first few months of 2019 have the following highlight to share:

• Continued participation and support of Women Giving Back (WGB), an organization that supports women and children in crises by providing a place to shop for gently used clothing.

• March 2019-Donated to Associa Cares as part of program that provides immediate financial relief to families that have been impacted by a catastrophic event.

• April 2019 - Brad Buchner got his hands (and feet) dirty while participating in the CAI DC Area Watershed Clean-Up Event at Four Mile Run.

• May 2019 - The PorterPlus team supported the First Service Residential annual field day event held at Fairfax Hunt Club.

• Employee recognition programs have been rolled-out and maintained to demonstrate our true appreciation and to increase employee connectivity.

In business, there is always fear and uncertainty in making investments that don’t guarantee a tangible, trackable return. But when you capture some of this activity with photographs, you immediately understand that the value is priceless.

2019 Already Moving Fast!

It’s amazing how time flies when you’re having fun (and/or extremely busy).

It seems like yesterday we were preparing for the 2018 Holiday Season, and now we’re already in the second month of 2019.

2018 proved to be an incredibly exciting and successful year for CleanOffice/PorterPlus.

The company achieved 15% growth as we continued to expand both geographically and by client types. This included more “urban” activity in DC, Arlington/Alexandria and Montgomery County, MD. In addition, our Multi-Family Division (PorterPlus) continued to gain traction in both the urban and sub-urban markets of DC, MD and Virginia.

To support this growth, the company has made some key strategic decisions including moving our corporate headquarters and adding experienced operational talent to ensure our accounts are properly managed, and that our employees receive effective guidance and training and support.

As we move forward, we are placing an increased emphasis on communication. With that in mind, we’ll do our best to keep you informed via e-newsletters, e-promotions, client surveys and social media (be sure to find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram).

And of course we want to hear from YOU as well. So be sure to stay in touch!

Our goal is to truly be a trusted partner that delivers high-quality services and provides easy and reliable platforms for communications. If we are falling short of this goal, let me know directly at greg@cleanoffice.com.

All the best in 2019!

Greg

Navigating the Challenges of a Changing Labor Market

In this day and age, you can’t turn on the news or read a publication without hearing something about the following: 

• Unemployment at Record Lows

• Minimum Wage Rate Mandates go into Effect

• Immigration Policy Impacting the Workplace

 For some Americans, these topics are in the background, and don’t seem to directly impact their daily lives.

However, for businesses in service industries that rely on lower-wage, front-line employees, these topics are front and center of our daily conversations and have a direct impact on our ability to support our clients each day.

 As a business in the service-sector, our key to success is attracting, training and retaining front-line employees who care about the services they provide and the clients they support.

 The 3 factor mentioned above (Low Employment, Minimum Wage Increases, Immigration Policy / Legal Workforce), make this mission a bit more challenging.

But as entrepreneurs & business leaders, that’s what we signed-up for…Challenges!

 Every company has their own strategy and game-plan, but at CleanOffice / PorterPlus, we feel that the key starting point is situational recognition and communication.

 Our clients hire us because they are confident that we are experts in what we do, and it is our job to manage the situation effectively.

In addition, it is our responsibility to keep our clients informed, not only of situations that are specific to their accounts, but on a global-level too.

 Currently, there is a swift under-current of the 3 factors, which is shrinking the available labor pool.

But we are constantly looking at programs to optimize our ability to attract, train and retain the very best candidates for each position at each jobsite.

 This includes monetary programs like improving wage rates & subsidizing health care costs.  But it also includes working with our front-line employees to ensure that we are working with them on a successful plan. 

 Our HR Department includes a full-time Recruiting & Staffing Coordinator who is dedicated to working as a conduit between our Operations Team and our work-force to ensure that our staffing efforts are as successful as possible.  During the hiring / placement process, we work through a number of factors to make this happen:

• Are we assigning them to a location that has a manageable commute?

• Does the employee need access to public transportation?

• Is this job a good fit for their skills and experience?

• Are their skills and experience going to meet client expectations?

• Is the client’s budget realistic based on their work-force needs?

• Is the wage rate competitive with similar positions in the same geographic sub-market?

 Like most challenges, there is no clear-cut answer or solution.

So our mission is simple – Keep our Clients Informed and Develop Programs that Optimize Successful Hiring / Staffing.

Elevating the Value of Clean! The TRUE Mission of Building Service Contractors!

I find it truly amazing that after 16+ years of sitting in the same desk and running the same company in the same market, that epiphanies continue to occur.

Sometimes it’s seeing things in a new way, or coming up with an idea that has meaningful impact on our internal operations, and sometimes it’s simply recognizing something that has been there just staring us in the face.

Recently on a flight home from an industry conference in Miami, I was reflecting on the messages of the keynote speakers along with the numerous conversations and casual discussions with my industry peers.

This conference was a gathering of 250 Executives from commercial cleaning companies across the country.  We call ourselves BSC’s (Building Service Contractors).  And this event in Miami was a congregation of the best and the brightest in our industry.

So, what was my epiphany…?

As I reflected back and replayed the conference in head, I became clearly aware of the fact that this collection of BSC’s truly and deeply care about their company, their clients, their employees, their industry at large and the properties we support.  As a group, we refuse to accept and adhere to the status quo.   We aspire to be “needle-movers’ and we are collectively on a mission to elevate our game and to transform the role of “cleaning” from a mundane task to a mission-critical component of running a successful property or facility.

From improving front-line performance to using technology and tools to offer seamless, real-time communications, we are truly pioneers in a new era of cleaning and facility support.

We are truly elevating cleaning (and other associated property support functions) to a valued service that requires effective management and support.

As a business owner / operator, I fully understand that there are literally thousands of options for cleaning / facility support in the DC Metro area alone.

And I realistically recognize that CleanOffice / PorterPlus cannot support every property in the DC Metro area.

But I do encourage you to work with a contractor who is an active and dedicated member of BSCAI.

Take a quick visit to the BSCAI website and you’ll quickly see how the members of this association are committed to Elevating the Value of Clean.