Latest Group of ISSA Certification Experts Brings Total Count to More Than 400

Final 2009 CIMS Expert Workshop Scheduled for October 5-6 in Chicago

Lincolnwood, IL, USA, July 7, 2009—A new group of individuals has achieved certification as official Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) ISSA Certification Experts (I.C.E.). The addition of these 36 new I.C.E. professionals brings the total count to more than 400 experts representing 47 U.S. states and Canadian provinces as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.

An interactive map containing a full list of CIMS experts and their contact information is available at www.issa.com/?id=cims_ice_map.

“ISSA is very pleased with the manner in which the I.C.E. program continues to grow, and the association is very excited that there are now well more than 400 professionals who have achieved expert status,” said ISSA Director of Facility Service Programs Dan Wagner. “Most exciting is that the vast majority of CIMS applicants specifically list an expert with whom they are working as they prepare for their certification assessment. This proves that many I.C.E.-certified professionals are using their status to offer a true value-added service.”

The I.C.E. program is designed to help industry professionals deal with their customers’ or their own organizations’ likely budget cuts. Custodial operations around the country are being asked to reduce labor budgets by 5 percent to 10 percent, and it has become increasingly evident that such reductions cannot be accomplished by supply-price decreases alone. Professionals who wish to position themselves as an indispensable resource need to be armed with advanced operational and budgetary knowledge. Understanding the need to evaluate, reduce, and redeploy the work force is the most promising way to meet such budget reductions, and I.C.E.-workshop attendees are provided crucial information that will help them in this regard. In fact, past attendees have reported saving customers more than six figures annually by helping them comply with CIMS.

To become a CIMS expert, professionals within the cleaning industry must attend a one-day workshop and pass an examination regarding the management elements contained in the Standard. The CIMS-expert designation is earned by and applies to an individual rather than an entire organization.

ISSA will host its final 2009 I.C.E. workshop on October 5-6, in conjunction with ISSA/INTERCLEAN® North America 2009, at McCormick Place South, Chicago, IL. Please note that this session will take place on the afternoon of October 5 and the morning of October 6. Visit www.issa.com/standard for more information on the upcoming workshop.

The following industry professionals achieved I.C.E. status at the recent workshop in Philadelphia, PA:

• Rod Bennett of The Bullen Cos., Folcroft, PA
• Neal Berman of Service Keepers Maintenance, Miami, FL
• Jamie Brown of Spartan Chemical Co., Inc., Maumee, OH
• William Choi of General Building Maintenance, Inc., Atlanta, GA
• Eric Christiansen of Facility Masters, Brea, CA
• Armand Coppotelli of Stoko Skin Care, Greensboro, NC
• Angelo Covellio of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Timothy Enright of Belson Co., Green Bay, WI
• David Esquivel of American EPAY, Chicago, IL
• Kimberly Fasano of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Jeffrey Geffert of State Chemical Solutions, Cleveland, OH
• Robby Griffin of JanPak, Davidson, NC
• Will Harrison of Eastern Bag & Paper Co., Milford, CT
• Harold Hill Jr. of General Services Administration (Region One), Boston, MA
• Scott Jarden of The Bullen Cos., Folcroft, PA
• Bob Jonap of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Richard Kiley of JanPak, Davidson, NC
• Jack Knapp of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Lisa Knapp of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Dale Krausnick of NSS Enterprises, Inc., Toledo, OH
• Charles Marasca of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Craig Miller of jpo/dow, Lemont, IL
• Frank Oliveri of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Gary Olson of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Joe Orednick of jpo/dow, Lemont, IL
• Ray Pagliarulo of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Andy Parker of T. Frank McCall’s, Chester, PA
• Cory Powell of JanPak, Davidson, NC
• Glenn Rasin of Eastern Bag & Paper Co., Hamilton, NJ
• Tom Rhodes of Cleaning Services Group, Danvers, MA
• Joyce Strauss Jonap of Strauss Paper, Port Chester, NY
• Rick Sturgis of Cleaning Services Group, Danvers, MA
• Marisol Tavera of Ameri-Kleen, Watsonville, CA
• Chris Wangberg of Aramark, Lenox, IA
• Jason Wilhelm of The Budd Group, Winston-Salem, NC
• Donovan Wolf of General Building Maintenance, Inc., Atlanta, GA

Details regarding CIMS or becoming a CIMS expert are available at www.issa.com/standard or by contacting ISSA Market Development Manager-Facility Service Programs Annie Balonick at 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800; e-mail, annie@issa.com.

About CIMS
CIMS applies to management, operations, performance systems, and processes. Compliance with the Standard demonstrates that an organization is structured to deliver consistent, quality services designed to meet the customer’s needs and expectations. It sets forth processes, procedures, and supporting documentation proven to be characteristic of customer-driven organizations. Given that CIMS is nonprescriptive, each organization has the flexibility to choose the most effective ways in which to meet its requirements.

The Standard was created through a true consensus-based process that brought together representatives of the cleaning, facilities-management, and purchasing communities. In total, more than 100,000 constituents were represented in the process, which included a full peer review and was administered by ISSA and the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences.

About Certification
To become certified, an organization must submit written documentation supporting its compliance with the requirements described in the five key sections of the Standard. An independent, accredited assessor then conducts an on-site review of the applicant’s systems, processes, and documentation to ensure compliance. To achieve certification, an organization must meet 100 percent of the mandatory elements and 60 percent of the recommended elements, per section.

There are currently 32 organizations that have achieved certification. Other organizations interested in pursuing certification are encouraged to submit an application to officially enroll in the program. For more information or to download an application, please visit www.issa.com/standard. The CIMS Certification Guide, which helps organizations better understand what is required to comply with the Standard, is also available to provide more in-depth explanations of how to meet the Standard’s various requirements.

About ISSA
The leading trade association for the cleaning industry worldwide, ISSA has a membership that includes more than 5,500 distributor, manufacturer, manufacturer representative, building service contractor, in-house service provider, and associated service members. ISSA offers the industry’s largest cleaning shows in conjunction with Amsterdam RAI under the brand name ISSA/INTERCLEAN, the popular Web site ISSA.com, educational products, industry standards, periodicals, and legislative and regulatory services that specifically focus on the professional cleaning industry.

The association is headquartered in Lincolnwood, IL, USA, with regional offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Leicester, United Kingdom; Monterrey, Mexico; Singapore; and Shanghai, China. ISSA also works with more than 75 associations, alliances, and government agencies around the world to represent the cleaning industry. For more information, visit www.issa.com.

CONTACT: Annie Balonick, Market Development Manager-Facility Service Programs
annie@issa.com
800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800

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