Articles

ISSA 2019 Elections: Meet Your Candidates

Categories: ISSA Insights

Vice President/President Elect

Ken Bodie 
“During my 30-plus years in our industry, I have learned a lot about what all member classes of ISSA face daily: eroding margins, new channel competition, difficulty finding and recruiting young professionals. As president, I will do my best to help ISSA and its member face these and other challenges head on to assure a prosperous future.”

About the Candidate
Ken Bodie is president and CEO of Kelsan, Inc., a Knoxville, TN-based janitorial, sanitary, and packaging supplies distributor that services the Southeastern United States. He has been with Kelsan for 23 years and has served in many different roles including sales, marketing, operations, finance, acquisitions, and strategic planning. Prior to Kelsan, he spent 10 years working with one of Kelsan’s sister companies, food service distributor The IJ Co., first as its information systems manager and, later, as a district sales manager for the company.

He has previously served ISSA in a variety of capacities, including on the ISSA board as a distributor director (2008-10) and executive officer—secretary and treasurer (2015-17). He also served as a Young Executive Society (YES) Coordinator on the YES Committee (2002-04) and as the YES liaison on the ISSA board (2009-10). Active in the industry overall, he served a six-year term on the board of Network Services, Inc. (2009-15) and has held seats on several manufacturer-distributor councils, including those of Johnson Wax, Georgia-Pacific, and Tennant Co. His community service includes being an active member and serving on the board of Junior Achievement of East Tennessee and Keep Knoxville Beautiful. His bachelor’s in business administration is from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Executive Officer (BSC)

Roman C. Chmiel
“In 1923, Alfred Richter, founder of ISSA, said, ‘An exchange of ideas from successful distributors from various metropolitan cities would be beneficial to all.’ This concept continues to be the bedrock of ISSA’s success realized through mutual support and the ongoing desire for continual improvement in our industry. It is my desire to continue the opportunity for sharing of experiences and ideas to support us as individuals and our companies as successful entities.”

About the Candidate
Roman C. Chmiel is CEO of Chicago, IL- based Scrub, Inc., a company that specializes in servicing the health, education, and now the aviation industries. (Scrub broadened its services to include aircraft cabin cleaning and provisioning and is now the largest aircraft and facilities cleaning provider at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.)

With more than 40 years of experience in the cleaning and maintenance industry, he attributes his success and the growth of his company largely to his and his team’s hands-on approach, supporting his staff with training, and encouraging innovation. He is a great believer in the value of hard work and strong ethics ensuring quality service. He is proud that as an immigrant, he is an example of achieving an American Dream, a fact he says motivates him to give back to the community by being active in many charitable organizations.

Manufacturer

Andy Clement
“I am running for this position on the ISSA board because I am passionate about the industry. I have worked for Kimberly-Clark (K-C) for 27 years in variety of positions. I hope to use this cross functional background to continue to expand ISSA membership while adding more value for existing members. Specific areas of interest for me are driving diversity, technology (e-commerce/omni channel), and innovation within our industry. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will work diligently to further promote our industry’s only true worldwide association, ISSA, in hopes of advancing clean and driving innovation.”

About the Candidate
Andy Clement has been vice president of sales for K-C Professional since August 2013. Since joining K-C in 1991, he has had 16 different jobs, including roles in sales, marketing, strategy, innovation, manufacturing, and general management. More specifically: he has served on K-C’s corporate strategy team where he worked on a North America Consumer Products sales team restructure and the company’s health care strategy. His K-C past also includes heading the North America Hand Hygiene and Tissue business, during which time he helped launch key initiatives, such as The Healthy Workplace project, Reduce Today-Respect Tomorrow campaign, and the MOD dispensing system. He has also been a manufacturing director and a research and innovation director for K-C Professional. He has a bachelor’s from Wake Forest University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Distributor

Nick Morris
“I have been attending ISSA conventions and involved in our industry and association for more than 25 years. I have a vision to expand the importance and role of cleaning in our society. If elected to serve on the ISSA board, I will do all I can to drive this message and to grow our industry in size and importance.”

About the Candidate
Nick Morris expanded his family’s distribution company to Colorado while attending The University of Colorado in 1988. He graduated in 1990 and since then has grown Western Paper Distributors to be a leading supplier of cleaning supplies and equipment, food service packaging products, and related services to clients throughout the Rocky Mountains and Southwestern United States. Today, he is the company’s CEO. He also is a current member and past chairperson of Network Services Co.’s board and a current member on the Foodbank of the Rockies board. He also works with various nonprofit organizations in his community.

Representative

John Beers
“I am very passionate about our industry and believe the more I put into it, the more I receive in return. My service on the ISSA Yes and ISSA Manufacturers Rep Council has helped me learn a lot about different aspects of our industry and introduced me to great people from different parts of the industry and the world. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, my focus will be to continue to advance the professional reputation of reps in our industry. Since we touch all member classes in the industry, we are in a unique position to be true ambassadors for ISSA. Two specific goals I have are to promote the ISSA rep scholarship fund and help the YES Council in any way I can.”

About the Candidate
John Beers began his 28-year career in the cleaning and maintenance industry in 1990 as a regional manager for Flo-Pac covering the Northwest U.S. region. In 1998, he joined Wind Associates a manufacturer representative firm covering Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. He has been an owner of Wind Associates since 2003 and took over as president in 2009. He served on the ISSA YES Council (1996-2003), including as YES Coordinator (2003), the same year he received the YES Industry Special Achievement Award recognizing his dedication to the group. He also served on the ISSA Manufacturers Rep Council twice (2010-11 and 2016-18). Outside the industry, his community service includes spending the last eight years coaching Little League baseball and a select baseball team. His political science degree with an emphasis in law is from Western Washington University.

Cast Your Ballot!

These are the nominees for the 2019 ISSA Board of Directors. Election ballots are being sent electronically to all voting members June 26, 2018, and elections close July 26, 2018. Be sure to cast your ballot for the individuals who will lead our association in the coming years!

About the Author.

Lisa Veeck is media communications and publications director and ISSA Today editor. Reach her at [email protected].