Articles – Higher Education & K-12 Facility Cleaning

Maria Cardona on Empowerment, Visibility, and the Power of Community at the ISSA VEO Gala

By |2025-10-06T10:08:50-05:00October 6, 2025|

When Maria Cardona took the stage at the VEO Gala, she didn’t waste a moment connecting heart to purpose: “I love, love, love the theme of the conference. Visión, Empeño y Oportunidad. Vision, Resolve, and Opportunity. Mi gente, that is amazing!” From her first words, The Dewey Square Group principal made clear that this was ...

Comments Off on Maria Cardona on Empowerment, Visibility, and the Power of Community at the ISSA VEO Gala

When City Hall Meets Mop Buckets: The VEO Conversation

By |2025-10-02T14:40:17-05:00October 2, 2025|

From the moment Gilbert “Gil” Villegas and Karina Neff took the stage, the room leaned in. This was not a theory talk about technology. It was a working session on how cities and service companies can use tools, data, and common sense to serve people better. Villegas arrived with the perspective of a Marine Corps ...

Comments Off on When City Hall Meets Mop Buckets: The VEO Conversation

Stop Being a Seagull Boss: Quit Squawking, Start Building

By |2025-10-02T09:00:44-05:00October 2, 2025|

When Yigal Adato walks onstage, he does more than tell stories—he polishes the lens through which leaders see themselves. An entrepreneur-turned-leadership coach based in San Diego and the founder of Leaderato, Adato spent decades building and scaling service businesses, leading hundreds of employees and generating tens of millions in revenue. Today, he helps owners and ...

Comments Off on Stop Being a Seagull Boss: Quit Squawking, Start Building

From Lost Girl to Legacy Builder: Poverty, the White House, and VEO’s Main Stage

By |2025-10-02T09:04:23-05:00October 1, 2025|

Rebecca Contreras did not come to VEO with a tidy origin story. She came with the kind of journey that makes a room go quiet. Contreras is the president and CEO of AvantGarde (AG), the women-owned human capital, IT, and strategy consulting firm she co-founded in 2011 and scaled across multiple states. Before joining AG, ...

Comments Off on From Lost Girl to Legacy Builder: Poverty, the White House, and VEO’s Main Stage

2025 ISSA State Pesticide Registration Survey Now Available

By |2025-10-03T18:31:01-05:00September 15, 2025|

ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, is pleased to announce that its 2025 State Pesticide Registration Survey is now available to ISSA members. This valuable resource provides essential information on pesticide registration requirements for each U.S. state, as well as for Washington, DC; Puerto Rico; the Virgin Islands; and Guam. Pesticide registration is a critical ...

Comments Off on 2025 ISSA State Pesticide Registration Survey Now Available

Moving From Continuous Appearance to Continuous Improvement

By , |2025-09-08T14:02:22-05:00September 8, 2025|

The Latin phrase, “Esse Quam Videri,” or in English, “To be, rather than to seem,” is the motto of the state of North Carolina. It highlights the importance of knowing the difference between how things may appear and how they actually are. In a world increasingly driven by perception, branding, and marketing, the distinction between ...

Comments Off on Moving From Continuous Appearance to Continuous Improvement

Harvard Services Group Inc.

By |2025-07-21T13:09:01-05:00July 21, 2025|

As a leading provider of commercial cleaning and building services across the United States, this woman-owned company is committed to innovation, sustainability, and diversity, ensuring workplaces are both pristine and environmentally responsible. It focuses on enhancing health, safety, productivity, and asset preservation, helping businesses create cleaner and more efficient environments. Harvard® Services Group Inc. is ...

Comments Off on Harvard Services Group Inc.

Cleaning for Health

By |2025-08-25T11:00:17-05:00July 18, 2025|

As ISSA president, I often find myself reflecting on how far our industry has come and how far we still need to go in shifting the perception of what we do. For too long, cleaning has been viewed primarily through the lens of appearance. Shiny floors and spotless lobbies were the markers of success. But ...

Comments Off on Cleaning for Health

Defining Cleaning for Health Through Metrics

By , |2025-07-18T10:04:35-05:00July 18, 2025|

While cleaning for health (CFH) is critical to protect the well-being of facility users or residents, service providers often struggle to define its purpose and explain how it reduces exposure to specific unhealthy indoor elements. Building service contractors (BSCs) and in-house facility service providers (ISPs) who can define what a CFH program means to their ...

Comments Off on Defining Cleaning for Health Through Metrics

Advocating for Clean in a Cost-Obsessed World

By |2025-06-19T15:48:22-05:00June 19, 2025|

When it comes to cleaning, too many organizations still focus on what’s visible—shiny floors, empty trash bins, and spotless windows. But Laurie Sewell, president of ISSA and the CEO of Servicon, believes the real goal should be cleaning for health. And she’s not just talking about hospitals. From school classrooms to warehouse floors, Sewell said, ...

Comments Off on Advocating for Clean in a Cost-Obsessed World