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President’s Message
Why Do We Do This?
By Tim Greene

In the kitchen exhaust cleaning business, is doing a good job an exercise in futility? We send out men we have trained in the middle of the night to perform a task that only we understand and to give our customers the best possible service. Our customers often view us as a necessary nuisance, worth nothing more than the cost necessary to get the insurance inspector, the fire inspector, or the health inspector off of their backs.

We are easy targets in the eyes of our competition because we have the gumption to do our jobs right and give our customers a good job for a fair price. Are we nuts?

NO!!!

We flip a fan that has no hinges in accordance with NFPA Code 96 while trying to clean all the ductwork, only to find that the fan was hard-wired, and we have just nicked a wire enough to burn up a motor the next morning. We try to explain to a customer that we need an extra seventy-five dollars to install an access door (the competition has simply checked the “inaccessible areas exist” box), and that seventy-five dollars doesn’t even start to cover the additional cleaning that is now required.

In the end, we are the class of the industry that wants to be paid like professionals but wants to stay underground. We must continue the good fight to educate insurance companies, fire prevention professionals, corporate engineers, and major restaurant chain construction personnel that what we do is worth every penny when it’s done right!!!

Take a look at what IKECA has accomplished in its short life span. As an organization, we have helped reduce the incidence of using lime to cover over grease as a cleaning method by establishing the standard “clean to bare metal.” We have reduced the number of aluminum filters, which do not maintain structural integrity in the event of a fire, in the marketplace by playing an integral role in changing NFPA Code 96. We have added “recommended cleaning frequency” to NFPA Code 96. We have helped our customers find a quality cleaning contractor more easily by instituting certification.

Give yourselves three big cheers, and please be sure to join your fellow kitchen exhaust cleaning professionals in Dallas this month so that we can continue to share our ideas and experiences and become stronger together. This will be the last opportunity for companies to take the cleaner certification exam before it becomes a requirement for membership and the first opportunity to be a Certified Exhaust Inspector.

See you in Dallas!!!

Tim Greene is owner of Airways Cleaning of Florida in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,  and current IKECA president.

IKECA’s Corner

Please welcome the Scratch Pad’s newest edition! This section will include interesting and factual information concerning the many different parts of our industry. Here you will find entertaining news and helpful hints that may just make you stop and say, “hmm, I didn’t know that.”

“According to the General Accounting Office of the US Congress, Hazard Communication was the most violated OSHA standard with Lockout/Tagout as number 2 on the list. 80% of small employers reported trouble meeting and training requirements due to complexity of MSDS’s or lack of teaching expertise.”

Source: Occupational Safety Service, Inc., Tel (800) 621-7615

Safety Tips
Heat Relief

The kitchen exhaust cleaning business inherently involves working in some less-than-ideal conditions. Working in hot surroundings can be potentially unsafe, but there are strategies that can be used to deal with these challenging settings. It is your responsibility to keep yourself and your employees safe and reasonably comfortable as well as to prevent lost-time in the workplace due to the effects of heat.

The National Weather Service reports that the average number of people who succumb to heat-related deaths each year is approximately 34 (based on a nine-year average from 1986 to 1994). This number can fluctuate drastically when extreme weather hits like it did in 1995—heat waves that year 1,021 people died heat-related deaths.

The nature of kitchen exhaust cleaning makes hot conditions unavoidable. When heat waves strike, what were unpleasant conditions can become truly dangerous. High external temperatures cause a person’s blood to circulate more closely to the skin, releasing heat through the skin in the form of sweat. Humid conditions, though, make the cooling evaporation of sweat less likely to occur. Additionally, the labor involved in kitchen exhaust cleaning requires blood in the muscles, making less blood available to flow to the skin and release heat.

The human body will store heat when it can not find a way to release it, and this will cause the internal temperature to rise. Resulting heat stress is the cause of heat-related illnesses (fainting and lack of concentration) and even death.

To combat heat, it is important for kitchen exhaust cleaners to keep the following things in mind:

• Dress lightly. Wear lightweight clothing.
• Drink lots of water. Make sure that you or your employees drink enough water at frequent intervals.
• Reduce labor stress. Try not to work or have your employees work during the hottest part of the day, especially during heat waves—this usually means working during early morning hours and avoiding midday heat.
• Alternate work and breaks, taking longer breaks away from the heat.
• Acclimate yourself and your employees to the heat through short exposures that gradually increase to longer periods of labor in hot environments. Make sure you do this for new employees and those who have been away from work for more than a couple of weeks.

Keep in mind that different people react to external temperatures in different ways. Just because heat does not make you extremely uncomfortable and represent a health threat does not mean that someone else may not be at risk. Someone’s age, weight, physical fitness, and medical conditions should all factor into decisions about work conditions. Providing yourself or your employees with the tools to regulate your/their own body temperatures is the key to safety and the prevention of lost-time in the workplace due to illness or injury.

IKECA used the articles “National Weather Service Warns of Heat-Related Deaths” and “Tips for Combating Heat Stress” in the April ’99 issue of Safety and the Supervisor magazine (published in Concordville, Pennsylvania) and the National Weather Service’s website (www.nws.noaa.gov) as resources for this article. Thanks to Harris Rothenberg of Airways Systems in Skokie, Illinois, for supplying IKECA with much of the information.

From the Sidelines
IKECA—A Family Affair
By Sharon Curry

I first attended an IKECA meeting with my husband, Jim, in 1993. The meeting was held in San Diego, which is a very beautiful city. However, the area had been receiving record rains, and there was significant flooding. Jim and I stayed after the meeting, and fortunately the rains left, so we went to the San Diego Zoo (which is a great zoo), took a tour of the bay, and spent a few evenings having dinner in some fine restaurants.

At this meeting I had an opportunity to meet IKECA members including Neal and Rose Iorii, Lionel Smith, Larry Caraway, and fellow New Yorker Roy Leonard. I was nervous at first, but everyone was so nice that I felt like part of the group right away.

The next meeting that comes to mind was New Orleans, which started out great. Jim and I went there five days early and had a fantastic time. We took a tour of the city, ate at excellent restaurants, and attended the third largest parade in New Orleans, which was the St. Joseph parade. It wasn’t Mardi Gras, but it was still quite a sight to behold. It was a collage of bands, beads, and beverages.

New Orleans was a town that I will never forget, especially Bourbon Street, where I was introduced to Pat O’Brien’s and the vicious “Hurricane.” I won’t go into details, but I’ll just say it will hit you when you least expect it! New friends Donna and David Richard were sympathetic to my condition. Donna and Rose were lifesavers, and I owe them both.

Many other places that I have visited over the past seven years have left lasting memories. I met wonderful friends that I look forward to seeing every year, including fellow New Yorkers Alan and Rene Berkon and Mike and Angela Nasaar. One year Mike surprised me with pictures of my old home in Long Island where I grew up. What he did was so thoughtful, but that is not unusual considering the kind of friends that I’ve made in this association.

Playing golf with the boys at the first annual IKECA golf tournament was lots of fun, but I must admit that our team came in second. Women, please start practicing so that you can have a fun and entertaining day!

There are so many friends that I have met over the years that it is hard to name everyone. Tim and Debra Greene were great hosts both times we were in Ft. Lauderdale.

I am looking forward to San Antonio. Having been there a few times, I know it is a great city. Next year will be a new experience, and hopefully every year our group will continue to grow and great friendships with new members will develop.

Sharon Curry is office manager of G & K Service Company in Kansas City, Kansas.

New Members
Welcome New IKECA Members!

Hard Powerclean, Inc.
Columbus, Ohio

  SafetyTec, Inc.
Smyrna, Tennessee

Sanitary Air, Inc., DBA Fresh Air Duct
San Antonio, Texas

IKECA Forum
Put it in IKECA’s forum!

IKECA, as always, encourages members and other readers to share their opinions and ideas about industry and association issues in our forum—the Scratch Pad. When you’ve got a comment or a complaint, don’t keep it to yourself—put it in the forum!

IKECA gladly accepts contributions—if you have submissions or article ideas, please contact headquarters by November 19, 1999, in order to be considered for the next issue.

Please send all submissions to the attention of the Scratch Pad editor.

IKECA
1518 K St., N.W., #503
Washington, DC 20005
301-230-0099 
FAX: (202) 638-4833
E-mail: info@ikeca.org

Executive Director’s Report
Let’s Get Technical…

Our collective efforts have begun to take shape as we gear up for the highly anticipated 1999 IKECA Technical Seminar. The event promises to be informative as well as a social networking platform. It will give our association a chance to continue strengthening our membership as we proceed to guide and standardize this unique industry. The upcoming conference has definitely heightened interest in the association. A day doesn’t go by in which I don’t address phone calls and concerns related to the seminar. Calls and membership interest have been coming in as far away as Japan (and I am not just saying that)! As the momentum continues to build, I look forward to meeting and seeing all of you in Dallas.

IKECA will launch the conference Thursday, October 28, by administering the certification exam. Later that evening, things will get started with a welcoming reception in the exhibit hall. This will be an ideal opportunity to personally welcome the new additions to our membership body. Our technical speaker steps up to the plate on Friday and will discuss OSHA standards as well as NFPA 96 regulations. The program continues with a two part Inspection course instructed by Glenn Fellman (Fellman Consulting) and Bernard Besal (CECS, Besal Services, Inc.). Further, IKECA’s newest CESI exam (Certified Exhaust System Inspection) will be administered later that day. We will wrap the day up with the Hotel Manager’s Reception. The next day, Saturday, October 30, we will end the conference with informational sessions, including Equipment Maintenance & Repair by Larry Hinckley of Delco Cleaning Systems. There will be a demonstration titled Outdoor Equipment, by Robert Hinderliter, also of Delco Cleaning Systems.

As the industry continues to progress toward greater professional standards, IKECA is proud to say that it has been in the forefront of this trend. Not only has the association been one step ahead of the times, it is responsible for actually forging the unbeaten path toward standardization. For instance, IKECA’s respected certification program has assisted in lifting the industry to a new level. There was a time during which I received calls looking for general IKECA members in specific states. Now I receive calls in search of certified members throughout the country. Are you among this elite group? As you know, the 1999 Technical Seminar may be your last opportunity before the millennium to become certified—Don’t Let It Pass You By! Call IKECA headquarters with any questions and concerns you may have.

Something New— starting with this issue, IKECA will profile one of its members in every issue of The Scratch Pad. This addition to the newsletter will provide brief but interesting insight to the backgrounds of your fellow members. Selection is based upon the luck of the draw as I randomly choose a member to be highlighted. This issue shines the spotlight on Ralph DeRose of Jenny Fire Prevention, of Bronx, NY. For more details, take a look at his profile—it honestly makes for interesting reading. Keep in mind that we could soon be turning our showcase lights on you!

Harold R. Caldwell
Executive Director

Member Profile
Jenny Fire Prevention

After realizing that his nine-to-five job as a junior analyst at a Wall Street money managing firm was not what he wanted, Ralph DeRose did some career research.

His investigation into different business categories eventually led him to the service industry, where he chose kitchen exhaust cleaning. He figured that the mandatory nature of this service would keep him in business, which it has for five years now. But it’s not just that people need his services—he believes in providing good technical and customer service. “We have a company policy of calling every single customer we service within twenty-four hours to ask if they were satisfied with our service, and we respond accordingly.” He joined IKECA five years ago in order “to have a positive means of exchanging ideas, lobby for improvements to our industry, and further the general pursuit of our lives’ work.” While he enjoys this industry, Ralph believes there is room to improve. He would like to see fire authorities work closer with professional kitchen exhaust cleaning companies, like IKECA-trained/certified members, to standardize the industry and license the professional exhaust cleaning companies that exhibit superior service based on such standards. “There is strength in numbers. An organization compiled of industry experts breeds intelligence, thereby breeding the power to have a positive effect on the way customers and fire authorities view us.”

Ralph DeRose is president of Jenny Fire Prevention in Bronx, New York, tel 800/467-1255. Jenny Fire Prevention has the ability to clean approximately five hundred filters in one workday through its Cash & Carry Service. The company also boasts a new Hood & Duct Installation Service—two welders, two laborers, and one HVAC engineer work together to design and install hood and duct kitchen exhaust systems.

From the Sidelines
Marketing Without Built In Price Caps
By Joe Kenney

Isn’t it about time that the grease exhaust cleaning industry (or hood cleaners, as many of us still refer to ourselves) begin to treat itself as a professional industry? Far too many of us allow the customer to dictate frequency of service and do not quote prices that reflect true variances in the cost of different service calls. It happens all the time, from the largest of companies to the smallest. You should develop standards and stick to them, and you should continually update these standards periodically.

Standards may include minimum prices for a service call and minimum frequency for periodic service on established accounts, among others. First, frequency minimums. You can simply refer to NFPA 96 as a basic standard and work from there. If the customer sets the frequency of service, you will continually be servicing a past due system. This may result in extra work (which the customer may expect to receive for the cost of a normal service call), and added risk of breakdowns (for which the customer may blame you). When this happens, everyone loses—the customers will be dissatisfied, your employees may lose out on commissions and be burdened with difficult service calls, and your company may face customer complaints and lost revenue.

The second standard is pricing. Although costs and prices may vary by region and individual company, you should have a minimum price for a service call based on the bottom line cost you incur for a crew to make a routine visit to an account. Take a pencil to it someday. It may shock you. After you have developed a minimum price, compare it to your average price per account. You may find that you or your sales people have gotten into a rut and are charging only your minimum price (or very close to it) for all types of service calls. The next opportunity you get, be aggressive and quote what you think is fair based on the cost and difficulty of different jobs. You may be surprised that customers accept higher prices once they understand that some jobs cost more to perform.

Price variances between different types of jobs frequently are too small because you have put a “cap” on your price. For those of you who don’t really know what a cap is, it is a self-imposed (knowingly or not) price that do not go above. You are not in the NFL, so don’t impose a cap on yourself. If you don’t think you have one, take a look at your customer list and pricing history, and it will jump off the page at you.

Remember, there are no pricing manuals in our industry. The only standards we must live up to are the ones each of us sets for ourselves.

Joe Kenney is president of Commercial Services, Inc., in Jacksonville, Florida.

International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association
1999 Technical Seminar

October 28–30, 1999
Embassy Suites Hotel—DFW Airport
4650 W. Airport Freeway
Irving, Texas, 75062
Tel (972) 790-0093

IKECA Members
First Company Representative ............$195
Additional Attendees............................$150

Non-Members
First Company Representative .............$295
Additional Attendees.............................$175

Exhaust Cleaning Certification Exam
Members ...............................................$195
Non-Members........................................$795

Inspector’s Certification Exam
Members ...............................................$195
Non-Members........................................$795

Thursday, October 28

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Registration

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Certification Exam

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Exhibitor Set-up

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Board of Directors Meeting 

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall

Friday, October 29

7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Hall

8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Welcoming Remarks
Tim Greene, CECS, IKECA President
Fred Kahn, CECS, Seminar Co-Chair
Butch Houck, CECS, Seminar Co-Chair 

8:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. 
OSHA Training 
Thomas Venafro, Nelbud Services Group  

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. 
Coffee Break 

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon 
Kitchen Exhaust Inspection Course (Part 1) 
Glenn Fellman, Fellman Consulting 
Bernard Besal, CECS, Besal Services, Inc.    

12:00 noon – 2:00 p.m. 
Luncheon in Exhibit Room    

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Kitchen Exhaust Inspection Course (Part 2) 
Glenn Fellman, Fellman Consulting 
Bernard Besal, CECS, Besal Services, Inc. 

3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. 
Coffee Break 

4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 
Certified Exhaust System Inspection Exam (CESI) 

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 
Hotel Manager’s Reception 

Saturday, October 30    
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. 
Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Hall 

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. 
Pricing Strategies 
H.J. “Butch” Houck, Capital Kleen Air, Inc. 

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.  
Coffee Break 

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.  
Equipment Maintenance & Repair 
Larry Hinckley, Delco Cleaning Systems 

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 
Outdoor Equipment Demonstration 
Robert Hinderliter, Delco Cleaning Systems 

Exhaust Cleaning Certification Exam © 

The IKECA Certification Examination is for individuals seeking to become Certified Exhaust Cleaning Specialists (CECS). It will be held on Thursday, October 28th from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. To take the exam, you must complete a certification application and remit exam fees. Participation in the exam does not include the cost of the seminar registration.  

Inspector Certification Exam © 

IKECA’s Certified Exhaust System Inspector (CESI) program is designed to test and certify individuals who demonstrate their qualifications to provide professional inspection services by passing a written examination. An individual who passes a CESI exam shall be designated a Certified Inspector. Certification is awarded to individuals only. IKECA’s program for Certified Exhaust System Inspectors is not designed to provide company certification. Participation in the exam does not include the cost of the seminar registration. 

Those who wish to take either exam should contact IKECA headquarters for a candidate’s guide, which explains the program policies and provides study references. 

*Seminar fees include continental breakfast, lunch, reception, and attendance to all meetings and the exhibits. Please contact IKECA for registration information.  

INTERNATIONAL KITCHEN  EXHAUST CLEANING ASSOCIATION 
1518 K St., N.W., #503
Washington, DC 20005
301-230-0099 
FAX: (202) 638-4833
E-mail: info@ikeca.org

International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association, 12339 Carroll Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852  
 Phone: (301) 230-0099  •  FAX: (301) 231-4871  •  E-mail: info@ikeca.org

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