December 10, 2008 — ISSA has certified the final group of individuals as official Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) ISSA Certification Experts (I.C.E.) in 2008. This brings the total number of experts to 338 individuals representing 47 U.S. states and Canadian provinces as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.

ISSA is also pleased to announce that the first 2009 I.C.E. workshop has been scheduled for February 18, 2009, at Bally’s in Las Vegas, NV, and registration is now open. For more information and to register, visit www.issa.com/standard/ice.

Becoming a certified CIMS expert positions an individual to provide training or consulting services to those cleaning organizations interested in complying with the Standard and preparing to certify to CIMS—a consensus-based industry standard that sets forth the universally accepted management principles proven to be the hallmarks of well-managed and customer-centered cleaning organizations.

The I.C.E. program is designed to help attendees deal with their customers or their own organization’s likely budget cuts. Custodial operations around the country are being asked to reduce labor budgets by 5 percent to 10 percent, and it is becoming 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 professional and not to an entire organization. For more information regarding the 2009 schedule or to register, contact Dan Wagner at 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800; e-mail, daniel@issa.com.

A total of 85 industry professionals attended an I.C.E. workshop and successfully passed an I.C.E. examination during the last four months of 2008. This number includes those individuals who attended a general workshop in Las Vegas in September as well as those who attended either a specialized, custom program hosted by Triple S or one hosted by Procter & Gamble. The individuals who have been officially certified as CIMS experts are available at the following link: www.issa.com/08ice.

For the full list of CIMS experts and their contact information, click here.

For details regarding CIMS or on becoming a CIMS expert, click here or contact Dan Wagner at daniel@issa.com; phone, 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.

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 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 CIMS Certification

To become CIMS 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.

To date, 30 organizations 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, 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.