Keep It Clean! - A Pro Cleaning Industry Podcast

Erik Hiltz is a long time carpet cleaner and founder of Zipper Wands. He tells his start up story from the very beginning of how he got started and what motivated him to jump into manufacturing of his own brand of commercial wands and stare them with the industry. He started like most of us did as a technician working for a different company and learned to like this business and continued on and has worn a lot of different hats in his business career. From working as a SEARS carpet cleaner and learning mostly the hard way of how to clean. What detergents would work and which ones did not. And how to give great customer service to his carpet clients and the folks who buy his Zipper Wands. 

Keep It Clean! has Rob Hanks this week for a very entertaining story of an older brother convincing his two younger brothers to help him in his carpet cleaning business. They had little training and little support, but big dreams and a lot of drive. Those three brothers started one of the largest carpet and restoration supply businesses in North America.Listen to how their partnership worked, how they planned and looked for, but also created opportunity after opportunity throughout their entire careers. Forty two years of hard work and dedication payed off with a sale to a larger firm and a well deserved retirement.Rob's message of never giving up and finding ways to innovate and market to a wide audience is not lost today on successful people in the professional cleaning and restoration industry. 

BK Semandic came to the US from Serbia and decided to make a life here. He has an appreciation for the land of opportunity. And what an opportunity it has been! BK applies himself through the power of visualization and creating a future that is attainable. He tells his startup story from learning the language to understanding how the cleaning and restoration industry actually works. Along the way he breaks many of the traditional rules that we commonly associate with operating and managing a  cleaning and restoration company.He inspires us with some powerful messages on how people should treat each other and how a responsible manager takes ownership of problems and create solutions to get things accomplished. This is a very inspirational story that needs to be heard!

An Interview with Bill Yeadon, all around nice guy, lover of business books and one of the pioneers of the professional cleaning industry. Bill has been a carpet cleaner for many, many years and a pure lover of marketing this industry.Bill talks about his early days as a carpet cleaning professional in Florida in the early days of on-location cleaning operations, building a multi-truck operation and then working for Bane Clene Corporate showing others how to do the same thing in their markets.Working with Bill Bane and taking training on the road was where Bill learned the lessons of being a road warrior and how much fun it was to help fellow pros learn about this wonderful industry. He continues that march today as a trainer for JonDon with instructing carpet cleaning courses, but also as a trainer in their flagship training program, "Strategies For Success".Bill has read almost every business book ever published and is always ready to offer help to our industry colleagues. Listen to Bill tell his story of starting up in our world. 

Craig Jasper has spent a lifetime in the professional cleaning and restoration industry. Starting as a very young adult, he learned literally from the ground up to clean floors, carpets and fabrics. As most of us do, he then journeyed into the professional Restoraton industry and has become one of the most sought after instructors in the industry.His down home instruction style fits well with his Chicago upbringing. He tells it like it is. Listen to the story of his startup and the obstacles he overcame  on his way to the top of the industry food chain. Some of the historical names he brings up will trigger memories in all uf us that listen.

If you are in the professional cleaning industry and you have not heard of Courtney Lee, you have been living under a rock. This guy is everywhere on FaceBook and many different cleaning related pages. Always a positive person and always willing to lend a hand to fellow cleaning professionals, Courtney had found himself struggling with some of the same issues we all face, busy vs profitable. After coming to his own "moment of clarity", he completely changed his business model and is now enjoying a much more comfortable lifestyle and less stress compared to his early days in our industry.His startup story starts out very familiar to others we have heard from in past interviews but takes a dramatic turn at a fast food drive up window. Listen to a very inspiring story of Courtney Lee on Keep It Clean.

Jessika James has been around our professional cleaning and restoration world for 37 years, seeing many new changes and challenges for the industry. She is a pioneer of contents processing from the middle 80's and a pioneer of contents processing education by recently organizing an IICRC class dedicated to this venture.Jessika got her start in the family business, doesn't that sound familiar? By working with her families cleaning and restoration business first as a carpet cleaning technician and floor care specialist. No easy roads for most owner's children in our industry!!As an approved IICRC Instructor and a frequent guest speaker on many different topics related to restoration and cleaning, Jessika is one person from our industry that should get your attention. She tells her startup story from beginning to today and has some fresh advice for those just getting started. Please give a listen to Jessika James on the Keep It Clean podcast!!

There are few people we meet in life that will stand out forever in our hearts and minds. Kenway Mead was one of those people in my life. Always positive, always kind and an absolute class act.    He was the face of IICUC and later IICRC as the Executive Administrator of the organization through his own company Kenway Consultants, Inc., or KCI. We called his office and spoke to his employees when we contacted headquarters office to deal with IICRC certification issues. Callers would never know that they had not called the IICRC directly.  He started like many of us, working with carpet. First as an installer and then as a cleaner and embraced and appreciated the service industry. He and his wife Pat, who ran the financial side of the office at Kenway's side, were a one-two punch of professionalism. His son, Brad Mead gives us the industry story of Kenway Mead as only a son could. Through the eyes of someone who admired what his father had created and learned some of his own skills by watching Kenway work through the myriad of personalities and people brought together in the volunteer world of IICRC.  Keep It Clean was thrilled to have one great person (Brad Mead) talk about another great person (Kenway Mead). 

Dr. Dan Bernazzani discusses his start in the carpet cleaning/building services industry beginning in the late 1970's. Starting small during his college years, his operation grew to two locations and worked for some of the most well established family names in the New England area, mostly in Vermont.Dan spent years honing his craft by saying yes to many different types of clients and projects, all the while learning something new every day. His lifelong quest for knowledge also afforded him the opportunity to earn his Ph.D in his early 60's and work with some of the most knowledgable people on the planet in Environmental Science.He has a philosophy of collaboration with all stakeholders in a project and used his collaborative skillset to lead the IICRC through one of most exciting times in that organization's  history. He is a world renowned consultant for large commercial losses and an author of numerous papers and articles on water and fire damage restoration. Sit back and listen to how it all started.

Reg Rogers shares with Keep It Clean! his transition from rock and roll drummer to carpet cleaner. No, we are not kidding. It really happened just the way Reg tells it! The music industry is just that, an industry.  Just like any other industry, some talented folks struggle to monetize their dreams and search for new opportunities.Reg tells a motivating story of his startup in the professional cleaning industry, cutting his teeth on empty, nasty apartments like most of us in the industry. Being someone what is quick on the uptake, Reg transitioned into management in a short time and learned how to handle a multi truck operation. Sensing his talents could find more out of life, he found a niche in the high end residential market and used his skills to leap to a franchise company directing the operations of the franchisees. Flooring sales followed to help round out the skills package and learn how to direct sales of products instead of services.Economic downturn hit everyone in the late 2000's and Reg found himself searching for a new gig, but carpet cleaning called him back with the founding of Carpet Cleaner America. An Austrian carpet cleaning machine manufacturer needed talented people to help establish a beach head in the US and Reg found himself back in carpet care using dry compound and encapsulation for a new look at an old problem, dirty carpets. Hear the story as it unfolds in episode 20 of Keep It Clean!

Listen to this latest interview with special guest Barry Costa. Barry talks about his start in the cleaning and restoration world while working with his Dad in the 1960's and 70's as a helper and starting his own company while working as a school teacher in New Hampshire.  He is an award winning school teacher and if you have had the great fortune of taking any of his restoration or installation classes, you know that this is a true statement. He is an outstanding educator and is able to combine his passions of education and restoration work. Barry talks about his entry into the industry and his time as an industry volunteer with IICRC. Barry has a passion for helping the education portion of our industry. He spent many years as the Education Committee chairman of the IICRC to help us understand the education challenges of adult learning and how to add a practical element to our training courses.  Give this episode a listen and hear from one of the most popular instructors in our world and his personal story of his startup. Barry Costa is one of the good guys that has spent a lot of energy to make our businesses better. 

A true gentleman that reaches back in our industry over 50 years. One of the first education providers in the industry, and still going strong today, Ron Toney. Ron started back in 1969 as a high school custodian and over  5 decades later still has a passion about cleaning fabrics and working with current technicians to make the industry a better place.From shampoo machines to HWE and all processes in between, Ron has seen and done it all. He is even a certified tufting machine operator. Ron has been there and done that almost as long as anyone we have talked to on this podcast.He gives out little nuggets with sales and marketing techniques that have stood the test of time. Give a listen and you won't be disappointed.

Shawn Bisaillon has had quite a journey in the professional cleaning and restoration industry! Starting at age 18, for some 30 years has had several different views of industry roles from cleaning technician to manufacturer and many things in between. Shawn is most recognizable in his role as an IICRC Instructor, training thousands of technicians over the years with a level of passion and energy that always keeps students entertained and engaged.  He continues to be at the helm of his own cleaning and restoration firm in Colorado today. Shawn works with large commercial clients all across the world and has worked with Shaw Total Care as both a trainer and consultant for many different types of flooring and the associated maintenance challenges. He has a wide range of experiences within the professional cleaning and restoration industry and has received awards for his outstanding humanitarian work within his community and our industry.

In the fall season of 1986, the professional carpet cleaning  industry was challenged with a new stain resistant carpet product introduced to the public. This product was unlike anything else we had ever worked on. StainMaster nylon was produced and delivered to carpet manufacturers and advertised to the public...and consumers could not buy it fast enough!!DuPont had made arrangements with Stanley Steemer to be their warranty claim partner to service StainMaster carpets that were spotted by customers spilling things on them. The deal from DuPont was, if the professionals could not remove the spot, DuPont would replace the carpet. Other carpet cleaning professionals that were not affiliated with Stanley Steemer were not too happy.Our hero, Bill Doan swooped in, with a lot of help from IICUC, and launched programs where other Certified carpet cleaning professionals could participate in the StainMaster cleaning claims. Industry education took off from that point and we now enjoy the benefits of 35+ years of quality education and increased revenue because of the ladies and gentlemen that spent the time and energy to engage in difficult conversations. Bill Doan is one of the catalysts of those conversations.  He liked working with carpet cleaners so much, he actually became one! Bill spent time working for SteamWay International and Spectra, Shaw Industries carpet cleaning division. Give a listen and hear his side of the story.

Mike Dunmyer, owner of Advanced Degree Carpet Cleaning, earned an MBA from Duke University, has worked as an executive in corporate America, and as a partner in a national non-profit organization that is helping to save our oceans. Then, he decided to become a carpet cleaner. Mike went from dining with US Senators and Congressional reps to cleaning customers' carpets and loving every minute of it. He brings a unique perspective to our industry, one that I really enjoy sharing with all of you. Mike explains how his former business background was the launching pad for his new venture, and how our industry changed his thinking about how service businesses actually operate in the field. He feels lucky to be a part of the cleaning industry and loves the opportunity it provides for him and his family. He entered the business with a well thought out plan and ideas on how to tame the wild carpet cleaning frontier. He continues to adapt and change his plan as the marketplace dictates, and as his company grows. Mike talks about his company's team development plan, business plan, his marketing strategy, and what the future will hold for him as he moves forward in life as a professional carpet cleaner

Robert Falzone of Robert Falzone Consulting and Sales is our guest on this rip roaring edition of Keep It Clean. Robert is outspoken to say the least and got his start with cleaning and restoration refurbishing historical buildings in Brooklyn New York in the 1980's. He has a world of knowledge from his days in the field and brought that knowledge into his sales career in Las Vegas NV. The difference in restoring historical  buildings to their grand luster in NY, versus the demolition of anything old in Las Vegas he finds humorous.Listen to how he learned on the job, without much personal protective equipment or training to become one of the most sought after consultants to fine fabrics and expensive natural flooring in the Western part of the United States.

Doyle Bloss of HydraMaster speaks about his early years in the cleaning business and his entry into the supply side of the business. He talks about the influence his father, Ralph Bloss had on him and our entire industry, about helping people, especially young couples grow their business and therefore their lives. He and I reminisce about early days without truckmount hot water extraction and how we were able to still make a living even without the best tool or information available.

Howard Partridge spent all of their wedding cash on a carpet cleaning machine and he is still married!! He struggled like we all did in the beginning of his career and turned it around by understanding the power of referral marketing. Howard now trains thousands of people all around the world on how to use his system of referral marketing. His company in Houston Texas, Clean As A Whistle, runs with his management team in charge so Howard can focus on helping others, in several different service industries, build their businesses.His interview brings us from the beginning to where Howard is now and gives glimpses on how you yourself can use his strategies in your own company. 

Mike Pailliotet has been cleaning carpets for awhile and has seen every side of the industry. From  high pressure sales processes in his early years, to the more consultative approach today, Mike still cleans carpet every day and has an army of cheerleaders as current customers. Mike started out learning from the internet and now has a list of other cleaning professionals he has helped, yelled at and nurtured into better professionals. He owns Mikey's Board, a forum where carpet cleaning pros can go to learn, research and enjoy the company of other pros in the carpet cleaning industry. Mike also has many opinions about how this industry should operate and equip itself to do the best job for his and your customers. Listen on how he started and is continuing his voyage through the carpet cleaning industry.

Claude Blackburn, Founder of Dri-Eaz Products, talks about his early days with carpet cleaning and operating his business in Northwest Washington state. It is an interesting story of overcoming, dedication, optimism, and downright stubbornness to keep the dream alive and then some. One man's take on pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and how to learn along the way. Claude's story is very inspiring.

Joe Dobbins has been a carpet cleaner, restoration contractor, wholesale product and equipment supplier,   licensed building contractor, property insurance adjuster and an IICRC trainer and volunteer. That is enough to last most professionals a lifetime, but Joe keeps on going. He is a man of few words, but the words he uses should be heeded. Joe Dobbins is a tireless  human being. He is an advocate for "always doing the right thing" every time, all the time. Joe has been an inspiration to countless students he has trained over almost 30 years of training. Joe did not look to be in our industry at all, but when the Musical Education major from Jacksonville State University realized that a career as a  high school band director may have to take a back seat to another career in fast food management. Fast food management was a "pressure cooker" environment and took a toll on his health and he quickly pivoted to professional cleaning. He purchased an existing business and was able to grow it into on location services very quickly and realized while watching IICRC trainers teach at his supply facilities why he was not training those students himself. Fast forward 30 years later and Joe has fulfilled his dream of teaching.  He continues to teach today, but as a substitute teacher for elementary, middle school and high  school students and sometimes gets to be the band director!

Mark Saiger tells an amazing story of a carpet cleaning startup in a very rural area of the "North Country" in Northern Minnesota. His family was in the carpet cleaning business and Mark is 3rd generation cleaning, teaching the 4th and 5th generations to carry the torch forward.Mark has an amazing ability to make everyone feel comfortable around him. That may come from his many years as a high school band director and musician. Teaching for over 25 years Mark developed strategies to help him direct others to do what needs to be done as a team. Mark Saiger is also a tireless volunteer in our industry constantly helping those who need assistance with technical issues or business related issues in the carpet cleaning world. Well known and well liked are the usual descriptions that one hears when asking about Mark Saiger. This podcast will show you some of the reasons that the cleaning industry talks about Mark that way.

Paul Pearce has been cleaning since the 1970's in the United Kingdom with great success. He has the proper attitude to understand customer service from a unique viewpoint. He has had actual royalty as his customer, but has not been phased as he treats all his customers like royalty!! Paul's startup story is quite fascinating. From a farming background, and a stint as an apprentice electrician, Paul literally drove himself into the carpet cleaning industry as a hired driver for a carpet cleaner. His vision of what was possible in the carpet cleaning industry led him to purchase the company he worked for and bring it to new levels of success. He also has volunteered at every level of the industry in multiple countries, which shows his dedication to our industry. He continues to volunteer today to make us all better at what we do. Give a listen to a great cleaner, trainer, volunteer and all around nice person!!

We coaxed Jeff Bishop out of retirement to give us some insight from his long service and unique perspective of the professional cleaning and restoration industry. From the 1950's to 2018, Jeff was a force in the carpet cleaning industry. He commanded attention in everything he was involved with, from his early days in cleaning to his military service during the Vietnam war, Jeff marched steadily forward through it all.In our interview he gives insight into how he found his talent for writing during his military career and how that affected his management of Bishop's Clean Care's multiple locations in the Southeast. His technical training programs were one of the founding ideas behind the IICRC Standards development for multiple industry standards. His volunteer efforts during and after managing his cleaning empire brought about major changes in how industry training programs were built and sustained to this day. He has written volumes on how to clean flooring, especially carpets and wrote many of the beginning procedures for fire and water damage restoration.This wide ranging interview allows Jeff to give us some sage advice and is part history lesson from someone that has quite frankly "seen it all". Listen in on Jeff to get some free info on how he managed his business from the ground up.

Keep It Clean! has Rob Hanks this week for a very entertaining story of an older brother convincing his two younger brothers to help him in his carpet cleaning business. They had little training and little support, but big dreams and a lot of drive. Those three brothers started one of the largest carpet and restoration supply businesses in North America.Listen to how their partnership worked, how they planned and looked for, but also created opportunity after opportunity throughout their entire careers. Forty two years of hard work and dedication payed off with a sale to a larger firm and a well deserved retirement.Rob's message of never giving up and finding ways to innovate and market to a wide audience is not lost today on successful people in the professional cleaning and restoration industry. 

Bob Merkt tells his story of his startup in the professional cleaning industry. And it is a doozy!! When a person finally comes to terms with how he will live his life and learns lessons along the way by just listening and doing what he has been trained and taught to do. Bob has a unique angle on being a product of the industry, absorbing lessons like a sponge and keeping himself focused on making his way in professional cleaning. He has a remarkable feel for human nature and inspires everyone around him. Along with his wife, Linda, Kettle Moraine Professional Cleaners, Inc. has a fabulous reputation for getting the job done because no one will ever out work him, however he has learned to delegate and not micro manage as the second generation begins to take over the company. 

BK Semandic came to the US from Serbia and decided to make a life here. He has an appreciation for the land of opportunity. And what an opportunity it has been! BK applies himself through the power of visualization and creating a future that is attainable. He tells his startup story from learning the language to understanding how the cleaning and restoration industry actually works. Along the way he breaks many of the traditional rules that we commonly associate with operating and managing a  cleaning and restoration company.He inspires us with some powerful messages on how people should treat each other and how a responsible manager takes ownership of problems and create solutions to get things accomplished. This is a very inspirational story that needs to be heard!

Listen as Rick Love shares his inspirational journey through the cleaning and restoration industry. When asked why he chose this industry, Rick's answer - “it chose me!” I think a lot of us can relate to this sentiment. Rick was truly inspired to support his young and growing family and found this industry a sound way to accomplish that goal. Rick progressed through his career to work as a supplier, corporate restoration franchise employee, and large manufacturing (cleaning equipment) sales manager. All while staying connected to the industry that he feels so passionately about.  Unbelievably, he returned to own his own restoration franchise after 20 plus years away from the day to day operations of a restoration business. His success in that second venture, and his operational and financial goal setting for that operation is what a lot of us dream of for our own businesses.  Listen as Rick Love tells us exactly how he did it.

Ruth Travis explains her career in the professional cleaning and restoration industry. Fashion design was the early goal and realizing she could not be a part of the fashion industry in Chattanooga, TN, she opted for carpets and rugs.First working for Fiber Seal in the 1980's, she found her calling with textiles you walk on and fell in love with rugs and their beauty and history. She has led several junkets over to the Middle East to rug shop and help other rug cleaners understand how these beautiful textiles are constructed.Her world class knowledge of all things rug related helped her as an IICRC Rug Technician Instructor for many years. Her knowledge of color and fashion helped her become a Color Repair Instructor also for IICRC. Ruth takes great pride to be a volunteer with the IICRC, reaching the point of ChairPerson of the Board of Directors in her lengthly volunteer career with many different industry trade organizations as well as the IICRC.

In this episode I interview Larry Cooper, formerly of the Professional Cleaning Network and now producer of The Experience Convention and Trade Show. Larry has been a tireless volunteer in the cleaning and restoration industry, working with regional cleaning and restoration trade associations and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) for over 35 years.In the podcast Larry talks about the beginnings of his cleaning and restoration career, the challenges he faced and how he and his team overcame a multitude of obstacles. Larry talks about the importance of education and the value of relationships with customers and suppliers and how those connections helped him achieve millions of dollars in sales volume. He talks about the absolute necessity of business planning and how those planning sessions literally changed everything.Listen as Larry explains how he and his wife Tryna built an extremely successful business and family life by taking advice from industry mentors and as they continue to have the family life today as their business has moved on to another role in the cleaning and restoration industry. Larry continues to bring people and ideas together to further his vision for how cleaning and restoration should be considered as essential now and into the future.

Everybody's favorite cleaning guru tells his startup story for Keep It Clean! and what a story it is.  From an early computer "enthusiast" in his garage, working with his Dad in the family window cleaning business, Scott Warrington figured out a side hustle while still in high school as a carpet cleaner for a little spending money. Even while teaching computer microprocessor design at UT, he so enjoyed the technical side of our business using the college library to research the best ways to accomplish the carpet cleaning tasks. His studies found some of our industry's early pioneers and set Scott on a course with destiny.while running his own large cleaning and restoration business Scott began taking calls for other cleaners looking for solutions to problems they had encountered. Scott was able to build a worldwide reputation as a technical wizard and thus find his passion of helping others solve problems in their cleaning businesses as well as their lives.

John Downey was the son, of a son, of a son of a carpet cleaner. When your professional lineage goes back to 1897, you may know a few things about the carpet cleaning business. And John does not disappoint! An inside look to the staggering history of carpet cleaning from a city in Central Ohio that has been the home to 4 multi-generational carpet cleaning businesses. Because it was a family business, you can imaging that things were not always smooth sailing and you would be right. John details some of the pitfalls of the "two boss" companies and how difficult that can be.John branched out into publishing, spring boarding from a volunteer position and literally changed the way the carpet cleaning and restoration industries received information until the internet took over in the early 2000's. John continues to this day as an owner operator of a carpet cleaning business, along with an Executive Directorship of CIRI and also continues to publish industry specific product because he just can't sit still and do one job at a time. John's story is similar to many in the industry, just a tad longer and possibly with more drama.

Reg Rogers shares with Keep It Clean! his transition from rock and roll drummer to carpet cleaner. No, we are not kidding. It really happened just the way Reg tells it! The music industry is just that, an industry.  Just like any other industry, some talented folks struggle to monetize their dreams and search for new opportunities.Reg tells a motivating story of his startup in the professional cleaning industry, cutting his teeth on empty, nasty apartments like most of us in the industry. Being someone what is quick on the uptake, Reg transitioned into management in a short time and learned how to handle a multi truck operation. Sensing his talents could find more out of life, he found a niche in the high end residential market and used his skills to leap to a franchise company directing the operations of the franchisees. Flooring sales followed to help round out the skills package and learn how to direct sales of products instead of services.Economic downturn hit everyone in the late 2000's and Reg found himself searching for a new gig, but carpet cleaning called him back with the founding of Carpet Cleaner America. An Austrian carpet cleaning machine manufacturer needed talented people to help establish a beach head in the US and Reg found himself back in carpet care using dry compound and encapsulation for a new look at an old problem, dirty carpets. Hear the story as it unfolds in episode 20 of Keep It Clean!

An Interview with Bill Yeadon, all around nice guy, lover of business books and one of the pioneers of the professional cleaning industry. Bill has been a carpet cleaner for many, many years and a pure lover of marketing this industry.Bill talks about his early days as a carpet cleaning professional in Florida in the early days of on-location cleaning operations, building a multi-truck operation and then working for Bane Clene Corporate showing others how to do the same thing in their markets.Working with Bill Bane and taking training on the road was where Bill learned the lessons of being a road warrior and how much fun it was to help fellow pros learn about this wonderful industry. He continues that march today as a trainer for JonDon with instructing carpet cleaning courses, but also as a trainer in their flagship training program, "Strategies For Success".Bill has read almost every business book ever published and is always ready to offer help to our industry colleagues. Listen to Bill tell his story of starting up in our world. 

Patrick Ladinig has a long history in the carpet cleaning business, but from a very different angle than most of us here in the US. He started as a child working with his Father and learning from the ground up.After completing school, he began working for the family business, Carpet Cleaner Industries in Austria and understanding what works in this industry.  Knowing that they needed to break into the US market, he came over to open Carpet Cleaner America in 2010 and saw carpet cleaning from an American mindset. Patrick explains the founding of the company, his role in the importing of the Austrian CRB machine into the US market and describes the role of dry compound cleaning into the commercial side of our industry. Since returning home to Klagenfurt, Austria, Patrick has taken over the family business, moved their cleaning focus from strictly carpet to a variety of flooring surfaces and is keeping pace during our worldwide pandemic with manufacturing and developing new ideas and resources for the floor cleaning industry.

Listen to this latest interview with special guest Barry Costa. Barry talks about his start in the cleaning and restoration world while working with his Dad in the 1960's and 70's as a helper and starting his own company while working as a school teacher in New Hampshire.  He is an award winning school teacher and if you have had the great fortune of taking any of his restoration or installation classes, you know that this is a true statement. He is an outstanding educator and is able to combine his passions of education and restoration work. Barry talks about his entry into the industry and his time as an industry volunteer with IICRC. Barry has a passion for helping the education portion of our industry. He spent many years as the Education Committee chairman of the IICRC to help us understand the education challenges of adult learning and how to add a practical element to our training courses.  Give this episode a listen and hear from one of the most popular instructors in our world and his personal story of his startup. Barry Costa is one of the good guys that has spent a lot of energy to make our businesses better. 

In the fall season of 1986, the professional carpet cleaning  industry was challenged with a new stain resistant carpet product introduced to the public. This product was unlike anything else we had ever worked on. StainMaster nylon was produced and delivered to carpet manufacturers and advertised to the public...and consumers could not buy it fast enough!!DuPont had made arrangements with Stanley Steemer to be their warranty claim partner to service StainMaster carpets that were spotted by customers spilling things on them. The deal from DuPont was, if the professionals could not remove the spot, DuPont would replace the carpet. Other carpet cleaning professionals that were not affiliated with Stanley Steemer were not too happy.Our hero, Bill Doan swooped in, with a lot of help from IICUC, and launched programs where other Certified carpet cleaning professionals could participate in the StainMaster cleaning claims. Industry education took off from that point and we now enjoy the benefits of 35+ years of quality education and increased revenue because of the ladies and gentlemen that spent the time and energy to engage in difficult conversations. Bill Doan is one of the catalysts of those conversations.  He liked working with carpet cleaners so much, he actually became one! Bill spent time working for SteamWay International and Spectra, Shaw Industries carpet cleaning division. Give a listen and hear his side of the story.

Dr. Dan Bernazzani discusses his start in the carpet cleaning/building services industry beginning in the late 1970's. Starting small during his college years, his operation grew to two locations and worked for some of the most well established family names in the New England area, mostly in Vermont.Dan spent years honing his craft by saying yes to many different types of clients and projects, all the while learning something new every day. His lifelong quest for knowledge also afforded him the opportunity to earn his Ph.D in his early 60's and work with some of the most knowledgable people on the planet in Environmental Science.He has a philosophy of collaboration with all stakeholders in a project and used his collaborative skillset to lead the IICRC through one of most exciting times in that organization's  history. He is a world renowned consultant for large commercial losses and an author of numerous papers and articles on water and fire damage restoration. Sit back and listen to how it all started.

Hear from one of the actual founders of IICRC. Tom has spent over 50 years in the professional cleaning industry and has the history of the on-location carpet/upholstery industry. He also served as one of the first ever IICUC instructors and relates the tales of the first classes ever held in carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, water damage restoration and fire restoration.  These classes were developed by just a few people and were the stepping stones for the 29 IICRC Certifications available today. Hear from one of the first instructor “road warriors” and how he crisscrossed the country delivering education first for local and regional trade associations and later for cleaning supply distribution locations. Live the life of an early “shampoo professionals”, using in plant machines for on-location work. The horror stories of cellulosic browning, shrinking carpet and unhappy customers. He was there when the first extraction machines were being developed and how hungry carpet cleaners were for education. Tom Hill is one of the best people this industry has ever had representing us with numerous organizations that helped bring the carpet cleaner out of the background and hear about how one company really helped the independent cleaner carve out a huge niche in residential services.

We coaxed Jeff Bishop out of retirement to give us some insight from his long service and unique perspective of the professional cleaning and restoration industry. From the 1950's to 2018, Jeff was a force in the carpet cleaning industry. He commanded attention in everything he was involved with, from his early days in cleaning to his military service during the Vietnam war, Jeff marched steadily forward through it all.In our interview he gives insight into how he found his talent for writing during his military career and how that affected his management of Bishop's Clean Care's multiple locations in the Southeast. His technical training programs were one of the founding ideas behind the IICRC Standards development for multiple industry standards. His volunteer efforts during and after managing his cleaning empire brought about major changes in how industry training programs were built and sustained to this day. He has written volumes on how to clean flooring, especially carpets and wrote many of the beginning procedures for fire and water damage restoration.This wide ranging interview allows Jeff to give us some sage advice and is part history lesson from someone that has quite frankly "seen it all". Listen in on Jeff to get some free info on how he managed his business from the ground up.

Mike Dunmyer, owner of Advanced Degree Carpet Cleaning, earned an MBA from Duke University, has worked as an executive in corporate America, and as a partner in a national non-profit organization that is helping to save our oceans. Then, he decided to become a carpet cleaner. Mike went from dining with US Senators and Congressional reps to cleaning customers' carpets and loving every minute of it. He brings a unique perspective to our industry, one that I really enjoy sharing with all of you. Mike explains how his former business background was the launching pad for his new venture, and how our industry changed his thinking about how service businesses actually operate in the field. He feels lucky to be a part of the cleaning industry and loves the opportunity it provides for him and his family. He entered the business with a well thought out plan and ideas on how to tame the wild carpet cleaning frontier. He continues to adapt and change his plan as the marketplace dictates, and as his company grows. Mike talks about his company's team development plan, business plan, his marketing strategy, and what the future will hold for him as he moves forward in life as a professional carpet cleaner.

Claude Blackburn, Founder of Dri-Eaz Products, talks about his early days with carpet cleaning and operating his business in Northwest Washington state. It is an interesting story of overcoming, dedication, optimism, and downright stubbornness to keep the dream alive and then some. One man's take on pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and how to learn along the way. Claude's story is very inspiring.

Doyle Bloss of HydraMaster speaks about his early years in the cleaning business and his entry into the supply side of the business. He talks about the influence his father, Ralph Bloss had on him and our entire industry, about helping people, especially young couples grow their business and therefore their lives. He and I reminisce about early days without truckmount hot water extraction and how we were able to still make a living even without the best tool or information available.

Listen as Rick Love shares his inspirational journey through the cleaning and restoration industry. When asked why he chose this industry, Rick's answer - “it chose me!” I think a lot of us can relate to this sentiment. Rick was truly inspired to support his young and growing family and found this industry a sound way to accomplish that goal. Rick progressed through his career to work as a supplier, corporate restoration franchise employee, and large manufacturing (cleaning equipment) sales manager. All while staying connected to the industry that he feels so passionately about.  Unbelievably, he returned to own his own restoration franchise after 20 plus years away from the day to day operations of a restoration business. His success in that second venture, and his operational and financial goal setting for that operation is what a lot of us dream of for our own businesses.  Listen as Rick Love tells us exactly how he did it.

A quick review of what is important to the cleaning customer.

In this episode I interview Larry Cooper, formerly of the Professional Cleaning Network and now producer of The Experience Convention and Trade Show. Larry has been a tireless volunteer in the cleaning and restoration industry, working with regional cleaning and restoration trade associations and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) for over 35 years.In the podcast Larry talks about the beginnings of his cleaning and restoration career, the challenges he faced and how he and his team overcame a multitude of obstacles. Larry talks about the importance of education and the value of relationships with customers and suppliers and how those connections helped him achieve millions of dollars in sales volume. He talks about the absolute necessity of business planning and how those planning sessions literally changed everything.Listen as Larry explains how he and his wife Tryna built an extremely successful business and family life by taking advice from industry mentors and as they continue to have the family life today as their business has moved on to another role in the cleaning and restoration industry. Larry continues to bring people and ideas together to further his vision for how cleaning and restoration should be considered as essential now and into the future. 

Planning The Future Around The Kitchen Table In this episode, we sat down with one of the founders of IICRC. Tom Hill has spent over 50 years in the professional cleaning industry and has the history of the on-location carpet/upholstery industry.  Tom served as one of the first ever IICRC instructors and relates tales of the first classes ever held in carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, water damage restoration, and fire restoration. In this episode, we discuss what it was like to be one of the first instructor “road warriors” and how he crisscrossed the country delivering education - first for local and regional trade associations and later for cleaning supply distribution locations. We learn how it was to live the life of an early “shampoo professional”, using in-plant machines for on-location work. Tom relates horror stories of cellulosic browning, shrinking carpet, and unhappy customers. He was there when the first extraction machines were being developed and shares how hungry carpet cleaners were for education. Tom Hill has represented us with numerous organizations that helped bring the carpet cleaner out of the background. Learn about how one company really helped the independent cleaner carve out a huge niche in residential services. Please subscribe, rate, & review Keep It Clean on Apple Podcasts.For more from Dane Gregory, visit danegregory.com

Quick reminder about how important attitude is to your cleaning business

Quick hit on the importance of training in the cleaning industry.

Product knowledge is important, but so is understanding the customer.

Isn't it time to have the success you deserve? Find out how you may need some help to get there.