Presidents Message
By Tim Greene

It's been a couple of months since our technical seminar in Dallas, and I’m still getting positive feed-back from those who attended.

We had some of our best programs yet, beginning with an excellent pro-gram by Tom Venafro of NelBud Services Group. Tom took us through many of the safety requirements we all know we need but never seem to get around to. I know I returned to my office with a renewed commitment to upgrade our safety program and make sure everyone is on the same page.

In addition, Glenn Fellman of Fellman Business Consulting and our own Barney Besal of Besal Services, Inc. made presentations regarding kitchen exhaust inspections, providing useful instruction for maintenance of equipment as well as their usual excellent equipment demonstration.

Butch Houck of Capital Kleen-Air led us in a lively discussion regarding pricing strategies.

We asked participants what they liked best about these programs and what things they would like to see next time. The following are some of their responses: 

• "Liked Best" —  Barney, equipment demonstration, talking with fellow business owners, OSHA in-formation, nice hotel, new members, great show/excellent pro-gram, food at receptions, interaction of old and new members.

• "Possible Changes for Next Time" — group purchasing plan, job scheduling programs, need more vendors, software options for our industry, small groups and more Round Table discussions, how to get and keep good labor, don’t start so early, videos showing how to tell if your job was done right and what to look for.

To those who attended, THANK YOU for your continued support of the organization. For those who were not able to attend, we missed you and hope to see you in San Antonio in March.

For those who would like to become more involved, please contact me and I will help direct you to a committee that could use your help.  Our committees include member-ship, certification, and others. If you know of any contractors in your neck of the woods who are "doing the job right," please forward those names to Butch Houck of the membership it to IKECA headquarters in Chicago so that we can look for prospective members and send out informational packages. If you think someone would be a good nominee for the board, please contact Fred Kahn, our past president.

Most of our membership is aware that we have been in a protracted lawsuit with PWNA regarding copy-right infringement of our certification program. I am pleased to announce that PWNA President Tom Daughtry and I have reached a settlement agreement "In Principal," which, when executed, will allow our organization to return its focus to our primary objective of membership services and industry leadership. As the agreement is finalized, I will provide our membership with complete details and accounting.

Thanks again to all of you for your continued support and please let us know what other things we can do to keep IKECA the premier representative of kitchen exhaust cleaning contractors.

Tim Greene is owner of Airways Cleaning of Florida in Fort Lauderdale and IKECA’s president.

IKECA'S CORNER
Climbing the ladder to safety…

Ladders are one of the most common pieces of equipment found in the workplace. Unfortunately, every year many workers are seriously hurt and some fatally injured as a result of falling from ladders. With education and commitment, many of these accidents can be prevented.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act lists the following as important measures to consider before using a ladder:

• Inspect the ladder for defects before each use. Report any findings to management immediately.
• Wear the proper footwear. Secure portable ladders as outlined in Section 73 of the Industrial Regulations before using a ladder. Assess working conditions that might affect the use of your ladder. Are the floors wet? Will you be using the ladder in a high traffic area? Develop alternative procedures for using the ladder when conditions are not ideal.
• Use a ladder only as a means of access, not a work platform.
• Use a three-point contact to help prevent falls. Workers should always have both hands and one foot or one hand and both feet on the ladder.

Executive Director's Report
Credit Where Credit Is Due

As predicted, IKECA provided its membership with yet another successful Annual Technical Seminar. Without further adieu, let me formally thank the member-ship body as well as the board of directors for their continuous commitment and dedication to this event. The repeated success of the technical seminar directly correlates with the keen guidance of the board and the never-ending support of the membership. The word-of-mouth promotion by the members is greatly responsible for growth in attendance and popularity of the seminar. As the event continues to expand and flourish everyone involved with the association can take pride in knowing that his support is a vital key to that development.

With a "business before pleasure" approach the event began with registration and the immediate administration of the certification exam. After which the exam participants and other members were able to blow off a little steam at the welcome reception. This was an ideal opportunity for the attendees to mix and mingle with other exhaust cleaners, large and small throughout the country. More importantly, it provided a comfortable, intimate setting allowing IKECA’s newest members to meet and greet veteran members and learn more about the organization and the important role it plays within their industry.  The reception was a splendid way to be-gin the three-day conference and the perfect way to bring the first day to a close.

The next day was launched with a made-to-order break-fast shortly followed by welcoming remarks from IKECA President Tim Greene, Seminar Co-Chairs Fred Kahn and Butch Houck. They ex-pressed their gratitude to-ward all of the conference participants and wished everyone a successful time during their stay. Tom Venafro of Nelbud Services then began his OSHA training portion of the conference. This was followed by an extensive kitchen exhaust inspection course instructed by Bernard Besal of Besal Services, Inc. and Glenn Fellman of Fellman Consulting. Also, the board would like to formally and publicly thank Bernard and Glenn for their tireless efforts in the development and implementation of this welcomed addition to IKECA’s repertoire of educational services. The course served as an exhaustive preparation for the Certified Exhaust System Inspector (CESI) exam which was given shortly afterwards. The day was brought to a relaxing close with the hotel manager’s reception.

Saturday’s events were initiated with an informative pricing seminar delivered by Butch Houck of Capital Kleen Air, Inc. Later Larry Hinckley and Robert Hinderliter of Delco Cleaning Systems of Fort Worth provided the group with two separate discussions pertaining to equipment demonstrations as well as maintenance and repairs. Equipped with new business alliances and fore-sight of the industry, the members ended the weekend on a productive high note.

I offer my apologies to anyone who was able to attend the event. We have received a number of favorable responses from attendees and are already contemplating enhancements for next year’s conference. In closing, once again thank you for a successful seminar and congratulations to the following new certified exhaust cleaners and inspectors.

MEMBER PROFILE

Commercial Services, Inc.

Most of us in the business world have our own unique stories and tales about where we were and how we got where we are. Ours at Commercial Services is certainly no different. I’m sure many of your stories are similar, but I will give you a little insight into why and how Commercial Services is excited to be in the grease exhaust business.

Commercial Services, Inc. was started in 1988 in Jacksonville, Florida. I had moved from Tampa after selling a pest control business so that I would be outside of my non-compete area. The initial idea was to use the money created by the sale of the Tampa business to accomplish my goal of developing Commercial Pest Elimination to become a true southeastern company.

From 1988 to 1990 things progressed very well. So well, in fact, that many customers began to ask "Why don’t you offer another service that we could use you for?" Being young and relatively naïve, I believed I could do anything. So I began to research the possibilities. I thought about window washing, carpet cleaning, bathroom sanitation, lawn and shrubbery maintenance, and maybe hood cleaning. I had considered the hood cleaning business in the mid 80s but decided against it for several reasons:

• It had a very unprofessional image
• It consisted of very small, local type companies
• Owners charged extremely low prices
• No large regional or national companies existed.

I decided that the reasons that I did not get into the hood cleaning business at that time were the exact reasons I would get into it in the 90s. It finally dawned on me that I could make a difference. I realized that we could easily take a different approach in the following ways:

• Having a professional look in this industry
• Building a large company within a group of small ones
• Raise pricing because of an improved level of service
• Upgrade personnel for improved service
• Become the regional or national company that did not exist before.

Now the plan was in place. We could buy a small company and take on the industry. Well, it didn’t work that easily. The company we bought was in a shamble. My partner at the time worked day and night to develop the service personnel and change us and the industry to "grease exhaust system cleaning." Commercial Services would not be looked at as simply a hood cleaner.

Soon after this my partner bailed. Our grease exhaust cleaning business was a deep pit that just absorbed money. I considered bailing with him, but I was very busy running the pest control business. It was growing very well and making a nice profit. I just didn’t have time for the grease exhaust business. So I hired a manager, gave him a pep talk, and threw him into the fire. He worked diligently for two years. We had a modest growth, and we did see the market place begin to change. The restaurateurs were beginning to take notice that there was a difference between hood cleaning and grease exhaust cleaning.

In 1994 came the turning point for Commercial Services. The pest market began to change. Prices began to get very competitive, and we began to get cancellation letters saying, "You guys are great, but Orkin is fifty percent lower … Gotta try them," or "It’s been great dealing with you but our corporate office signed nationally with Eco Lab … Nothing I can do!" 

After a handful of these letters I began to look much closer at the grease exhaust business. I decided that now was the time to make a change. We would sell the pest business and grow the exhaust business. Our goal was to be the company that was the cause of the letters instead of the recipient of them.

We began a steady growth of about thirty-five percent per year. We added locations throughout Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. We developed new methods of service and new equipment to service with. We decided we must be a leader.

During this growth period, around 1995, I heard about an organization called International Kitchen Exhaust something. I contacted them, met with the management company, and never heard from them again. I really thought they had closed up shop. In 1997, I again heard about IKECA and pursued it much more diligently. We joined the organization because we wanted to meet other professional companies and to learn from them. I believe we have learned a great deal. The biggest thing that we learned was back in 1994: we thought Commercial Services was so instrumental in changing the industry’s and restaurateurs’ thinking from hood cleaning to grease exhaust cleaning. The reality was that IKECA was the major force changing this thinking. We were just a small contributor.

Since that time, I have found that there are many more quality companies in this industry than I had originally thought or even considered. I believe we as an industry have come a long way. But, without question, we have a long way to go. We all must continue to develop the respect that we deserve, and our industry needs to push forward into the new millennium. Commercial Services and I are very happy to be members of IKECA. If there is anything we can do to assist you in your organization, please feel free to give us a call.

Joseph E. Kenney is president of Commercial Services, Inc., 2443 Saint John’s Bluff Road South, Jacksonville, Florida 32246. He can be reached at 800/ 359-7083.

MEMBER-ADD-A-MEMBER
IKECA Launches Member-Add-A-Member Campaign

Dear IKECA Members:

Do you know of any colleagues that are not IKECA members? Earn yourself IKECA Bucks that you can use toward valuable IKECA products and services (includes membership brochures, inspection certificates, and conference registrations) by helping us tell them about the benefits of membership!

It is with pleasure that we launch the IKECA Member-Add-A-Member Program — yet another way that your association membership works for you.

The way it works is simple: all you need to do is fill out the Member-Add-A-Member form indicating the name and address of anyone you feel would benefit from IKECA membership, and send it to headquarters. We’ll take care of the rest.

When the company you recommend joins IKECA, you will receive 50 IKECA bucks. In fact, you’ll get 50 IKECA bucks for each member recommendation that joins! Improve the integrity of our industry by letting others know about the educational benefits of IKECA membership and the value of belonging to our community of exhaust cleaners, and you will earn yourself actual credit towards IKECA goods and services!

You can’t go wrong—just fax/send in the form, and IKECA will notify you when your recommendation is approved for membership. 

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Harold R. Caldwell
Executive Director

Welcome New IKECA Members!

Hope Fire Extinguisher Service, Inc.
Hope, Arizona
(870) 777-9446

Akamon Winton Company, Ltd.
Brooklyn, New York
(718) 643-1561

SLF Holdings, Inc.
Milwaukie, Oregon
(503) 654-3314

Ideal Air Control, Inc.
Brooklyn, New York
(718) 384-1894

Hood Ex Cleaning, Inc.
Orangeville, Ontario
(519) 940-8482

EPSCO, LLC
Dubai, UAE
9714-3336484

Coastal Enviro-Solutions, Inc.
Middlebury, Connecticut
(800) 322-0667

Spotless Touch, Inc.
Richmond, Virginia
(804) 323-1110