Matrix Integrated Facility Management

Matrix's Shellville Facility Services Chosen to Clean Premier Center City Properties

2012-02-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

Shellville Facility Services, a division of Matrix, today announced that it has won two premier janitorial services contracts – Cushman & Wakefield’s 1601 Market Street, a 571,555 square foot premier Center City office property and Brandywine Construction & Management Inc.’s 456,922 square foot Stock Exchange building, a Class A office building located at 1900 Market Street.
These multi-year awards culminated an exhaustive competitive process that highlighted Shellville’s EcoSmart™ environmentally sustainable green cleaning program and its Cleaning Industry Management (CIMS-GB with Honors) certified service platform.
“These agreements underscore Shellville’s position as the most innovative and progressive facilities services provider in Center City,” noted Shellville President Peter Criville. “Our proprietary service platform consistently delivers superior service and our record of success at similar properties is a source of pride for our entire organization.”

Matrix CEO to Teach the Value of Cleaning

2011-11-21T16:34:00.000-08:00

Matrix CEO, Jim Peduto, will lead a free webinar: Leveraging the True Value of Clean on November 30, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m. (eastern time). The program dives into ISSA's valuable tool for calculating the financial impact and return on investment of a clean building.

Register now!

For more detials folow this link: http://www.issa.com/?m=events&event=view&type=&id=375&page=1&lg=

Trends shaping the Commercial Cleaning Industry

2011-09-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Jim Peduto, CEO of Matrix Integrated Facility Management, and David Frank, founder of the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences, discuss trends shaping the cleaning industry.
http://www.cleanforhealth.com/documents/RaisingStandards-IndustryTrends1-10.pdf

Matrix achieves CIMS and CIMS-Green Building Recertification with Honors

2011-08-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management proudly announces its recertification to ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard and the Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings with honors (CIMS-GB). “Achieving recertification confirms our dedication to providing cleaner, safer, healthier buildings and assures our customers that we continue to meet the highest standard and accountability required by CIMS” Jim Peduto, Matrix’s CEO. He also noted that Matrix attained one of the two highest scores certification scores ever.

In addition, CIMS-GB recertification with honors validates Matrix’s EcoSmart program provides greener and healthier workplaces and delivers environmentally preferable cleaning services. By achieving CIMS and CIMS-GB recertification, Matrix continues to rank as one of the most innovative and advanced companies in its environmentally sustainable practices. “We have been distinguished among our peers and are committed to maintaining the highest level of effectiveness and responsiveness in achieving our goal of total customer satisfaction” added Peduto.

About Matrix Integrated Facility Management
Matrix Integrated Facility Management is Upstate New Yorks and the mid-Atlantic's premiere cleaning and maintenance firm employing over 1,800 associates who maintain over 45 million square feet with the goal of "greening commercial real estate" through a comprehensive green cleaning approach and related environmental best practices.

By achieving the CIMS-GB Certification, Matrix continues to rank as one the most innovative and advanced companies in its environmentally sustainable practices which are increasingly being demanded by the commercial real estate industry.

Matrix EcoSmart® Client Earns LEED Platinum Certification

2011-05-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

Matrix Integrated facility Management is proud to announce that its EcoSmart® Green Cleaning System helped King + King Architects earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification for its headquarters at 358 W. Jefferson St. in Syracuse.
The achievement is especially notable because:

1. It is the first building in the city of Syracuse and Onondaga County to earn the highest level of LEED certification.

2. Of the 13 buildings in New York State that have been certified platinum, the King + King headquarters tied for receiving the highest score in the certification process.

3. Only eight other buildings in the country achieved more points than King + King in the LEED for New Construction category.

The property's sustainable features encompass air quality, natural lighting, heat reduction, ventilation, flooring, restrooms, and equipment, according to the firm. Matrix’s EcoSmart® Green Cleaning System is used to maintain the building and was instrumental in the certification process.

About Matrix and EcoSmart

Matrix is the region’s premiere cleaning and maintenance firm employing over 1,700 associates who maintain over 45 million square feet with the goal of "greening commercial real estate" through a comprehensive green cleaning approach and related environmental best practices. Matrix continues to rank as one the most innovative and advanced companies in its environmentally sustainable practices which are increasingly being demanded by the commercial real estate industry.

The EcoSmart® Green Cleaning System is a comprehensive strategy that encompasses training, purchasing, and operations. The company’s approach is built on the belief that green cleaning practices produce tangible client benefits. The EcoSmart® system even assists clients in qualifying for industry certifications, such as the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program (LEED).

Commercial Cleaning Company Invests in Western New York

2011-02-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management, the region’s largest and most respected commercial cleaning firm, underscored its commitment to Western New York by opening a Rochester/Buffalo regional office at 1175 Mount Read Boulevard, Rochester, New York.

James Peduto, Matrix Chief Executive Officer, noted that “This office will act as our local operational headquarters to support continued growth as we progressively expand our Rochester and Buffalo client base.” He concluded that “We are excited to bring new and innovative building service solutions to Western New York. The market’s embrace of our personal support and our EcoSmart® green cleaning programs is very exciting.”

About Matrix Integrated Facility Management
Matrix is the region’s premier privately held commercial cleaning and maintenance firm. Each day our 1,700 associates maintain over 45 million square feet with the goal of delivering measurably “Cleaner. Safer. Healthier.” facilities.

For more information contact:
Mark Olbrys, Vice President
Matrix Integrated Facility Management
1175 Mount Read Boulevard
Rochester, New York 14606
800.338.5603
http://www.cleanforhealth.com/

Matrix Integrated Facility Management awards OSHA 30 Hour Outreach Certifications

2011-02-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management, one of the nation’s leading and most progressive cleaning companies, today announced that Chris Smith, Director of Special Services and David Fowler, Special Service Operations Manager both earned OSHA 30 Hour Outreach Certifications following a week long intensive OSHA workshop.

“Chris and David’s certification serves to highlight Matrix’s commitment to safety through leadership development. The importance of Chris and David’s OSHA certification cannot be understated. The aggressive implementation of our Safety Program focuses on our industry safety processes, hazard recognition/elimination and, hazard prevention” noted Chief Executive Officer James Peduto.

Peduto concluded, “The OSHA 30 Hour Outreach Certification provides our Organization many short and long term benefits. Chris and Dave have gained essential skills to assess our current Safety Program’s effectiveness, identify existing compliance gaps, and access valuable OSHA resources through professional networking with other safety professionals. Most importantly, we will be protecting our employees, guests, and clients with safer workplaces.”

Cleaning Industry Leader to speak on Green Cleaning and LEED-EBOM

2011-01-29T14:10:00.001-08:00

Jim Peduto, one of the cleaning industry's leading authorities on green cleaning and the Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB) will present “CIMS-Green Building: Elevate Your Green Cleaning and Prepare for LEED” at 9:00 am on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at NFM&T’s 2011 Conference and Expo in Baltimore.

This presentation helps facility managers by:

Identifying standards to qualify cleaning services that are capable of delivering green cleaning services that support the LEED-EBOM certification process.
Presenting a framework for the development of a LEED-EBOM complaint green cleaning program.
Providing the key elements of a comprehensive green/sustainable cleaning program.

To learn more about this session follow this link to NFM&T's program:
http://www.nfmt.com/EducationEvents/sessiondescription.asp?id=1089

Jim Peduto, Esq., CBSE, is the Chief Executive Officer of Matrix Integrated Facility Management and Chief Operating office the American Institute for Cleaning Sciences

Toys for Tots 2010 Campaign

2010-11-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management and several local businesses are teaming up with the United States Marine Corps Reserve to kick off the 2010 Toys for Tots campaign. Our goal this year is to collect 1,000 toys, creating 1,000 smiles.

Anyone may donate by placing a new unwrapped toy in the donation boxes posted. For more information, contact John Zalenski @ 315.349.0969, or visit www.toysfortots.org.

Cleaning Industry Leader to Address ISSA

2010-09-27T05:35:00.000-07:00

Jim Peduto, Matrix's CEO, will lead two training seminars at the cleaning industry's largest trade show (ISSA/Interclean) on November 8 and 9, 2010.

On November 8th, Jim and David Frank will conduct the CIMS: ISSA Certification Expert (I.C.E.) Workshop. CIMS is the cleaning industry's quality standard. Attendees will learn how to use CIMS as a tool for benchmarking, evaluating and improving operations.

Peduto's Workloading Made Easy will teach cleaning industry leaders how to easily, quickly, and reliably determine the amount of labor required clean a building. The program will take place on November 9th at 2:45pm. For more details visit: http://www.issa.com/?id=tuesday_nov9_245_345_5

Janet Collins Elected IFMA Greater Philadelphia Chapter President

2010-06-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia, PA – July 1, 2010
Janet Collins Elected IFMA Greater Philadelphia Chapter President

Shellville Facility Services, a division of Matrix is proud to announce Janet
Collins has been recently elected to serve as the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) Greater Philadelphia Chapter president. Janet has been an active member of IFMA for over 5 years serving as the Program Chair for two years and serving on the Executive Board as Treasurer this past year.

Janet is the Vice President of Business Development for Shellville Facility Services, a division of Matrix headquartered in King of Prussia, PA. Janet is responsible for the creation and implementation of marketing strategies that are compatible with Shellville’s vision and philosophy. Her background includes a facility management role with Campbell Soup Company where she spent several years managing contracted services for the World Headquarters. Her experience as a building services provider includes over 11 years in operations as well as
business development.

About Shellville Facility Services
Shellville Facility Services is a division of Matrix, the region’s premiere privately held cleaning and maintenance firm. Matrix and its subsidiaries providefacility services to Fortune 500 firms and leading regional clients comprising over 40 million square feet of space throughout Northeast and Mid‐Atlantic regions.

For more information contact:
Shellville Facility Services, a division of Matrix
780 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610.584.0888
www.shellville.com

Shellville Facility Services Chosen For Premier Center City Properties

2010-06-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia, PA – June 8, 2010
Shellville Facility Services Chosen for Premier Center City Properties

Shellville Facility Services, a division of Matrix, today announced that it has won two premier janitorial services contracts: SSH’s 123 South Broad Street, an 892,000 square foot premier Center City office property and Brandywine Realty Trust’s 862,000 square foot Main Post Office building, one of Center City’s historic landmarks.

These awards culminated an exhaustive competitive process that highlighted Shellville’s EcoSmart™ environmentally sustainable green cleaning program and its Cleaning Industry Management for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB) certified service platform.

“These agreements solidify Shellville’s position as the most innovative and progressive facility service provider in the region,” noted Shellville President Peter Criville. “Our proprietary service platform consistently delivers superior results and our record of success at similar properties is a source of pride for our entire organization.”About Shellville Facility Services
Shellville Facility Services is a division of Matrix, the region’s premiere privately held cleaning and maintenance firm. Matrix and its subsidiaries provide facility services to Fortune 500 firms and leading regional clients comprising over 40 million square feet of space throughout Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

For more information contact:
Shellville Facility Services, a division of Matrix
780 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610.584.0888
www.shellville.com

Matrix Finds CIMS-GB: A valuable resource toward LEED certification

2010-05-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

A firsthand experience with the value of the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIM-GB)

Facility managers are increasingly requesting green cleaning programs. However, there still seems to be a lot of confusion in the cleaning industry and among facility managers about what truly constitutes “green cleaning.” Fortunately, standards are emerging that take the guess work out and provide contractors and facility managers with a tool to identify effective green cleaning programs.

Most facility managers want, and expect, more than a contractor to use a few green cleaning products – they frequently prefer that service providers’ green cleaning program meets the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED criteria to help them earn points toward green building certification. The ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB) makes the LEED-compliant cleaning decision easy.

CIMS-GB is a standard and a certification for cleaning organizations. It parallels the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance criteria (LEED-EBOM), making it a valuable resource for both cleaning organizations and their facility customers. Facility managers can rest assured that cleaning organizations certified CIMS-GB are positioned to deliver the maximum number of LEED points. Plus, managers have the added peace of mind that comes from choosing a CIMS certified contractor.

Third-party validation
As the founder/owner of a cleaning business, Matrix Integrated Facility Management, I directly experienced the benefits of CIMS certification with honors…superior quality, improved productivity, consistency throughout the company, and better performance. Matrix was one of the first companies certified CIMS when the Standard was launched in 2008.

We were also one of the first building service contractors in North America to develop a branded, focused green cleaning program, which we named EcoSmart®. Developed around green cleaning best practices, we knew EcoSmart® was a high quality, best-in-class program. But it wasn’t until we went through the CIMS-GB third-party assessment and certification that we were able to truly validate the program for us as a business, and more importantly, for our customers.

Earning CIMS-GB status could not have been better timed. Our customers were more determined than ever to earn LEED certification and with the alignment of LEED and CIMS-GB, we could now confidently assure them that we could help them accomplish their goals.

Business diagnostics
The process of going through the CIMS-GB assessment and certification process was especially valuable. Any organization that goes through the process will appreciate the results and the learnings that come from the process.

It is like taking your car in for a tune-up or going to a doctor for a physical. You obtain a thorough “check-up” on your business. You might find that regardless of the lack of symptoms, your organization could be doing better in one or more areas. This allows cleaning organizations to identify potential future issues that could one day hurt your business.

By going through this business check-up, we were able to identify and correct a few potential issues that we might not have discovered on our own.

One step ahead
Building service contractors that earn CIMS-GB certification today are one step ahead: A step ahead of potential business issues, a step ahead of facility managers seeking a green cleaning program, and a step ahead of the competition.

As facility managers continue to seek contractors that deliver green cleaning programs compliant with LEED, contractors with CIMS-GB certification will continue to win new customers and retain existing ones.

James Peduto first publised this article first appeared in the May 2010 edition of Cleaning and Maintenance Management

Matrix's EcoSmart Green Cleaning Featured In Magazine Cover Story

2010-04-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

"EcoSmart was developed based on best practices," remarks Matrix CEO Jim Peduto. "One of our biggest challenges was to ensure that these practices were being applied across our entire organization, and going through the CIMS-GB certification process helped to attain this goal."

Follow the link below to read article:

http://www.cleanforhealth.com/documents/GBMagazineArticle.pdf

Appointment of Brad Georgetti as Senior Vice President of Human Resources

2010-03-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management announces the appointment of Brad Georgetti as Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

Matrix Integrated Facility Management and its Shellville Facility Services Division have announced that Brad Georgetti will join the company as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Brad will assume his duties on March 29, 2010. He will be responsible for fostering higher customer satisfaction through human resource strategy and process alignment across the entire company.

Brad brings to Matrix more than 20 years of extensive human resource leadership experience in a variety of domestic and global companies such as BAE Systems and Honeywell.

Brad noted that, "Matrix is not only one of the nation’s leading facility service firms, it is also recognized as a superb place to work. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to provide the innovative services and programs that a diverse, forward-looking organization needs in an era of rapid change in the workplace."

"Brad's expertise and broad knowledge will be an asset to Matrix as we continue to grow the Company. His proven human resource leadership skills coupled with his extensive business and operating background, align very well with our needs. His solid organizational and leadership development skills and track record of building strong teams will be important as we add esources and strengthen the team to take advantage of the potential we see in the markets," commented James R. Peduto, Chief Executive Officer. "We are delighted to have Brad on our team."

About Matrix
Matrix is the one of the nation’s largest privately held cleaning and maintenance firms. Matrix and its subsidiaries provide facility services to Fortune 500 firms and leading regional clients
comprising over 40 million square feet of space throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

For more information contact:
Patricia Walsh
Matrix Integrated Facility Management
19 Avenue D
Johnson City, NY 13790
607.766.0700

Matrix and Shellville Featured in CIMS-GB Case Study

2010-03-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management and its Shellville Facility Services division were recently featured in an ISSA case study. The study examines the company's innovative EcoSmart green cleaning program and how it was the cornerstone of thier CIMS-Green Building (GB) designation.
http://www.issa.com/data/File/CIMS-GB_CS_Matrix.pdf

Shellville Beats the Blizzard

2010-02-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

When the blizzard brought the city to a standstill, Shellville Facility Services, a divsion of Matrix, was there for its clients.
http://www.cleanforhealth.com/fs_parkinglot.htm

Jim Peduto Chosen to Speak at NFM&T’s 2010 Conference/Expo

2010-01-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

Jim Peduto, Chief Executive Officer of Matrix Integrated Facility Management and Chief Operating office the American Institute for cleaning Sciences will present “Taking the Guesswork Out of Contract Cleaning” at 3:10 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2010 at NFM&T’s 2010 Conference and Expo in Baltimore.

This presentation helps facility managers who are looking for an easier way to find high-quality providers that deliver consistent service at the right price. For in-house staff, facility managers need the tools to manage the department and champion it to upper management. In this session you will learn about the new ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard(CIMS) tool and how it can help identify key elements of a well-managed and customer-centered cleaning operation and evaluate other service areas that have similar management structures.

To learn more about this session follow this link to NFM&T's program: http://www.nfmt.com/EducationEvents/sessiondescription.asp?id=820

Toys for Tots 2009 Campaign

2009-12-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management is helping to make a difference in the lives of many children this holiday season. Matrix LLC teamed up with several local businesses and the United States Marine Corps to kick off the 2009 Toys for Tots Campaign with Matrix donating the single largest contribution. As a result, over 840 toys were collected, creating over 840 smiles.

How to Lose a Customer in 5 Steps

2009-11-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

What not to do is just as important as what to do

Business owners often willingly invest tons of time and resources trying to attract new customers and grow the business. Meanwhile, they sacrifice valuable relationships through simple acts of carelessness and the failure to meet their current customers’ needs. As a result, many businesses lose existing customers faster than they can gain new ones.

While securing new business is essential to business growth, retaining customers is just as important, if not more so – your business is not growing if customers are leaving faster than new ones are coming in. And trust me; your competitors are working overtime to steal your key accounts. If you want to make it easy for them to do so, check out these five easy steps to losing your best customers.

Step 1: Don’t Listen.
Don’t bother learning as much as you can about the customer’s organization, facility and needs. Don’t ask open-ended questions to get the most information as possible, and when they talk, be sure to interrupt them and dismiss their comments. Shutting your customers down is a great way to make sure you miss out on what you need to do to deliver quality service. If you want to keep customers, ask questions, listen, and take notes.

Step 2: Don’t provide value.
Instead of providing what the customer views as valuable, assume what they want and deliver the services you think are best for the customer. After all, you are the expert and know what they want, right? Wrong. Find out exactly what they view is valuable and focus on delivering those things in the best way possible.

Step 3: Keep customers in the dark.
Customer relationships require constant communication in order to last. One of the fastest ways to destroy a customer relationship is to limit communication. This includes not letting the customer know when you’re making any changes anything from staffing to service levels to billing. Making changes with little or no notice just gives customers unnecessary feelings of uncertainty and adds strain to your relationships.

Step 4: Don’t treat customers with respect.
Sometimes, as the business owner, you might feel like the customer is being unreasonable. You may even be annoyed but, don’t have the luxury of letting the customer know it. The age-old adage, “the customer is always right” must live on in your mind and in the minds of your staff. If you are rude or disrespectful to your customers, they will your competitor’s customers tomorrow.

Step 5: Destroy trust.
Customers need to feel like they can trust you and your business or they won’t stick around. There are many ways to destroy trust and it doesn’t take one huge mistake; you can destroy trust little by little with small things. For example, don’t return their phone calls in a timely manner (within 24 hours), don’t follow up with them on issues or concerns or to see how they are doing, and be inconsistent so they just don’t know what to expect from you. Just like any relationship, customer relationships require trust or they won’t last.

Any of the above steps can easily send your customers packing. The key to keeping them from walking away is to do the just opposite of what the steps say: listen; provide what they define as valuable; communicate; treat them with respect; and work build and keep trust. Sometimes knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do.

EcoSmart™ Green Cleaning Program Earns CIMS-GB Certification

2009-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Matrix Integrated Facility Management and Shellville Facility Services have achieved the major distinction of being among the nation’s first commercial janitorial companies to be certified to ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard for Green Buildings (CIMS-GB).

The companies earned certification following a rigorous and comprehensive independent third-party assessment. “Our success in achieving CIMS-GB certification underscores our commitment to cleaner and greener buildings. Certification assures our customers that we meet the highest standard and accountability required by CIMS-GB certification," said James Peduto, Chief Executive Officer.

CIMS-GB Certification validates Matrix’s EcoSmart™ comprehensive sustainability services platform and its green cleaning practices. Through EcoSmart™ Matrix and Shellville deliver greener and healthier workplaces across all types of commercial properties. Peduto noted, “With this certification, our customers can be confident that Matrix is dedicated to maintaining the highest level of effectiveness and responsiveness in achieving our goal of total customer satisfaction.”

Peduto concluded, “Our commitment to environmental stewardship, innovation, and healthy buildings is embodied in CIMS-GB and EcoSmart™. As an industry leader, we have a responsibility to be at the forefront of green cleaning. With this certification, our clients can count on us to be the leader in commercial real estate green cleaning programs.”

About EcoSmart™
The EcoSmart™ Green Cleaning System is a comprehensive strategy that encompasses training, purchasing, and operations. The company’s approach is built on the belief that green cleaning practices produce tangible client benefits. The EcoSmart™ system even assists clients in qualifying for industry certifications, such as the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program (LEED).

About CIMS
CIMS is a management framework designed to assist building service contractors and in-house service providers in developing quality, customer-centered organizations and is based on universally-accepted principles that have proven to be the hallmarks of well-managed, successful cleaning operations.

Certification with Honors is the highest designation available to those who comply with CIMS, indicating that the cleaning organization meets 100 percent of mandatory management requirements and at least 85 percent per section of recommended elements set forth in the Standard (see CIMS checklist at www.issa.com/standard for more details).

Growth without Growing Pains

2009-10-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

Avoid the pain of learning the hard way by following a business framework

We have all heard the expression “sometimes it’s better to learn the hard way.” Throughout our lives, there are many opportunities to learn things the hard way. These lessons lead to twists and turns, and stumbles and falls, or “growing pains.” I am sure you can think of a time or two in your life when you learned a lesson the hard way, and are glad (or not) that you did.

As a business expands, management may experience growing pains. For many building service contractors the challenge is not getting more business; it’s keeping it. All too often, we see businesses losing accounts as quickly as they win them. Taking your lumps may be part of life but it should not be part of growing your business. With your business at risk, it’s essential to create a framework for growth that enables you to build the proper foundation for managing growth.

A standard framework
Fortunately, our industry already has already developed a framework for growth that can be applied to all types of organizations, including BSC organizations. That framework is found in ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), which sets forth processes and procedures for achieving well-run, customer-focused businesses.

Following the CIMS structure ensures that your organization has the right pieces in place to operate efficiently as operations expand. The best practice is to use the CIMS five management principles as a “platform for growth.” Well managed BSCs conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to see where they are doing well and where they need to improve. Fixing the areas that shout “needs improvement” now prevent growing pains later.

Quality Systems – This first principle ensures organizations have an effective quality system. This includes defining cleaning service requirements, implementing a quality plan, measuring performance, obtaining relevant feedback from customers, and committing to continual improvement.
Service Delivery – To ensure acceptable service delivery, organizations must have a service delivery plan that outlines the organization’s customer-related processes, including workloading, staffing, purchasing, and handling of unexpected events.
Human Resources – A cleaning organization will only operate in an efficient and professional manner if its employees are well-trained, customer-focused and dedicated to delivering a quality service. From hiring to training to the actual delivery of service, an organization’s human resources must be prepared to upload its commitment to quality.
Health, Safety and Environmental Stewardship – Businesses have to comply with existing legal and regulatory obligations. Documentation of this compliance is important. This also includes any other processes and systems related to health, safety and sustainability initiatives. An optional “green” component is also available.
Management Commitment – BSCs should have a clearly defined vision for the future and an understanding of its mission. Well-defined organizational roles and responsibilities as well as an effective communication plan are also must-haves. All of this will prepare BSCs for times of organizational change.

When a business goes through growth spurts, its owners should experience exciting times not tumultuous ones. A framework that helps prepare BSCs for steady, organized growth ensures owners avoid the pitfalls and growing pains so they can reap the benefits of a well-run, thriving business.

Hiring a Subcontractor?

2009-08-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Get it right and in writing.Hiring subcontractors takes care of your extra work and adds scalability to your business – but only if you protect your business with a written agreement.

Don’t do windows? Need some help with stone floor care? If so, it might be time to look into hiring a subcontractor or two.

Even the largest building service contractors do not always have on staff the skilled technicians necessary to handle the many special service tasks of our industry. Subcontractor experts in specialty areas bring that expertise to your business.

Moreover, if you have any regional and national contracts, you might have certain accounts that extend outside of your business’s geographic capability. Subcontractors can provide the extra coverage needed in those remote locations to secure more business.

Understanding how subcontractors can help you create a more scalable business is the easy part. The hard part is hiring a quality, reliable, honest individual or business. Keep in mind that the subcontractor is representing you and your business to your customer.

To protect your business and the subcontractor’s business, the working relationship mustn’t begin without a comprehensive, detailed written agreement.

Why a written agreement?
A written agreement should protect your business (and the subcontractor) in many ways. It goes far beyond the simple agreement to perform the work. First, you need to specify in writing that your subcontractors (whether they're individuals or other businesses) aren't employees and that they're responsible for paying their own taxes and benefits.

Second, the agreement must spell out the scope of work, including the subcontractor's responsibilities, and the payment rate (project or hourly) and deadlines. The agreement document also should contain a provision allowing your company or the contractor to terminate the contract within a certain amount of notice – 30 days, for example. Additionally, the agreement should include provisions in the event of non-payment or incomplete or substandard work. Also determine which party would be responsible for correction of substandard work.

Addendums to the agreement. The written agreement is the foundation of the subcontractor agreement. It is the base document in the file of documentation you will need to keep on each subcontractor you hire. There are three more key pieces necessary to obtain from subcontractors prior to the start of work.

Certificates of insurance. Include a provision in the agreement that requires subcontractors to obtain and maintain worker's compensation, general liability and automobile liability insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance, which is a form issued by the subcontractor's insurer that details the coverages, expiration dates and limits of their policies. Requesting a certificate of insurance does not transfer any risk, but it does tell the contractor whether the subcontractor has adequate coverage.

Indemnification. Require subcontractors to sign a “hold-harmless” or indemnity agreement, which are non-insurance, contractual agreements used to transfer risk from one party to another. This basically means the subcontractor agrees to take responsibility in the case of a lawsuit against your business as a result of an incident related to the subcontractor.

Compliance with immigration laws. The third document to be obtained in tandem with the written agreement is a certificate of compliance with immigration laws and regulations. When signed, the subcontractor is disclosing that workers are legally allowed to work in the United States.

With a written agreement in place, including certificates of insurance, indemnity agreement and certificate of compliance with immigration laws, you can trust that you will not be risking your business to do business with subcontractors.

Jim Peduto to Address IFMA World Workplace

2009-07-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

Jim Peduto will lead an important and useful session at IFMA's World Workplace. Participants will learn how to use the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) as a "pre-qualification" tool to help ensure that your cleaning organization is managed in a professional mannner and is dedicated to delivering quality services. They will also discover how the standard's key elements can be used as a tool for benchmarking, evaluating and improving operations.

Helping Facility Managers Take the Guesswork Out of the Cleaning and Services Equation will be presented at World Workplace on Friday, October 9, 2009 from 8:00AM - 9:00AM.

http://www.worldworkplace.org/2009/conference/sessions/ed_sessions_track.cfm?track=1&submit3=Search

More Than 400 CIMS Professionals Now Certified to I.C.E

2009-07-08T11:28:00.000-07:00

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&lg.

To read the full article click here