ISSA Show North America 2025 opened with energy, momentum, and a forward-looking message from its president, Laurie Sewell, CEO of Servicon.

Sewell stands at the center of a milestone moment for ISSA as it embraces a broader identity: The Association for Cleaning & Facility Solutions.

Why it matters

In her monthly President’s Message with host Jeff Cross, media director for ISSA, Sewell discussed why ISSA officially updated its tagline. The association now identifies as the Association for Cleaning & Facility Solutions—a shift Sewell championed in her role as board president.

Sewell explains that the change reflects broader shifts in the industry. “I think we all know the world is changing, I mean faster than we can even keep up with,” she said. “Which means we are changing and we need to continue to change.”

For ISSA, adding “facility solutions” acknowledges that modern building management extends beyond cleaning alone. It incorporates maintenance, asset longevity, building technology, data sharing, and the full life cycle of the built environment.

“It just really describes the full, almost like a life cycle of a building… but it also includes the full supply chain. And it just makes sense,” Sewell said.

A philosophy that mirrors Servicon’s direction

Sewell notes that the shift aligns closely with Servicon’s own evolution. “Our company tagline used to be ‘changing the face of the cleaning industry,’” she said. “And we changed it a number of years ago because we included more than just cleaning as part of our services.”

Servicon’s current scope already embraces facility maintenance and long-term asset care, ideas Sewell sees reflected in the association’s redefined identity.

New opportunities for members

For ISSA members, the updated tagline signals growth and an expanded sense of community.

“What I’m excited about is it just opens up the world for us to have more of our customers in the room,” Sewell said. The shift, she explained, invites more collaboration between building owners, managers, vendors, and solution providers. It also creates pathways for new training, new certifications, and new ways to elevate the industry’s visibility and value.

“I think in general, just more awareness and recognition of what our total industry is, which is going to allow us to be more relevant and forward in things like advocacy, and just in the way we market to the industry, and I think the way that people value our work,” she said.

A holistic view for the built environment

Sewell describes the new direction as a holistic approach—one that looks beyond the task of cleaning and toward the full health, performance, and longevity of buildings.

“We’re looking at the longevity of the assets, not just cleaning the assets,” she said. “We’re looking at how long the assets will live. We’re looking at how the work that we do and IoT integrates with building technologies and how the work we do integrates with data sharing.”

The future of cleaning and facility solutions

As ISSA steps confidently into this expanded identity, Sewell sees a moment of transformation, not just for the association but for the entire ecosystem that keeps buildings functioning, healthy, and resilient.

The refreshed tagline signals a future where cleaning professionals, facility leaders, and technology partners move in tandem, shaping smarter environments and elevating the value of the work behind them.

It’s a shift that invites the industry to think bigger, collaborate deeper, and embrace a vision where cleaning and facility solutions are inseparable from the success of every modern space.