Earth’s Largest
Power Sweeping Resource^SM

As is reflected in our new masthead, above, last June 21st marked WorldSweeper's 12-year anniversary!

This is National Public Works Week. This year's poster, shown to the left, honors the vital contribution public works professionals make every day to communities all across North America and invites the public to celebrate their quiet dedication and indispensable influence on our way of life. Click on the poster image to see a larger-sized version and here to buy one at the APWA Store for $13 (APWA Members) or $16 for non-Members.

Our May e-newsletter was distributed on May 21st in celebration of National Public Works Week. If you didn't get your free copy delivered to your inbox, sign up at our Guestbook.

One of our recent feature stories showcases street sweeping in Cape Town, South Africa. You won't want to miss reading how this city – which appears will run out of water by summer's end – is coping with that situation in terms of keeping its sweepers operational.

Global Environmental Products has announced it will be utilizing the fuel cell technology of U.S. Hybrid Corp. to produce hydrogen fuel cell-powered street sweepers, the first of which will go to Caltrans.

Tropos Motors has released a new configuration of its Electric Compact Utility Vehicle (eCUV) series called the ABLE Sweep. According to the Tropos press release, "The new bed package transforms the standard Tropos ABLE eCUV into a nimble electric sweeper in a market where purpose made sweepers and sweeper units mounted on pick-up trucks are too large, and smaller ride-on machines lack the performance that maintenance crews demand."

The World Sweeping Association is offering two scholarships of up to $2,000 each for students. The program is open to students connected with a sweeping organization who are seeking any type of accredited higher education. We encourage you to distribute info about the availability of these scholarships widely throughout your organization. Applications will be accepted until July 1st.

I asked 18 sweeping industry professionals to predict the future of the power sweeping industry and captured the video of their responses. These will be a six-part series, with a three-predictor video released on YouTube starting this month and extending to October. Our first video in the series features the predictions of Bill Ackendorf, Sales Manager of Johnston North America; Chris Valerian, CEO of Sweeping Corporation of America; and, Dan Dotson, owner of Great Western Sweeping.

The 1800SWEEPER organization has announced it will hold a 2018 Sweeper Summit & Equipment Expo November 7th to 9th at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas hotel, in Henderson, NV. This year, Summit organizers say the event will be open to the entire power sweeping industry, not just members of 1800SWEEPER.

Check out our latest exclusive advance preview of the next issue of SweeperMarket/PaverMarket, posted on May 7th. Remember: Our monthly online preview provides our readers with at least a full week's headstart on those who won't see the ads until the magazine arrives by mail!

Have you listened to my interview with Greg Heyer, former Alamo Group VP and now President of Old Dominion Brush?

If you haven't seen MASCO's Model 5000 in person, you'll surely want to see the YouTube video of David Dyck showing off the sweeper at this year's National Pavement Exposition.

We've received a lot of questions about how Victory Sweepers will operate now that it's been purchased by Roots Multi Clean. So, we have conducted for our readers a video interview with Robbin Hodges, one-time Schwarze Industries interim President who is now Victory's VP.

In February of 2018, a pedestrian in Bellevue, WA, was struck and killed by a street sweeper. Police reported that the man was kneeling down, perhaps tying his shoe, when he was struck. We offer some ideas for making the street sweeping process safer.

Congratulations to the City of Chicago on its new online street sweeping app.

On April the first we reported about the way a sweeper was used to rid an Australian outback farm of a serious tumbleweed infestation.

Take a look at our current feature interview, which is with Michael Nawa, a sweeping contractor for 40+ years and the 2018 winner of the WorldSweeper/World Sweeping Association 2018 Award of Excellence in Power Sweeping. Michael participated in a wide-ranging interview, including an hour-long podcast, designed to assist other contractors to learn, in part, about the parking lot sweeping industry's transition from a little known service to one that is pervasive throughout the U.S. business community.

Schwarze Industries has announced that David Heigl will be the company's new Vice President of Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and Product Management, replacing Greg Heyer, who left that position to become President of Old Dominion Broom.

Before you take your sweeping program for granted, check out this story: "Philly Residents Turn to Crowdfunding to Get Streets Swept." And, new to our archives cataloging sweeping around the world is this article: "A Night in the Life of a Street Sweeper Driver in India."

On March 8th, International Women's Day, we posted an article about the extreme hardship women sweepers face in keeping the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, cleaned on a daily basis. They face daily danger, poor wages and harsh working conditions. This article has been co-located in the Nigerian category of our International Sweeping section as well as in our Noteworthy in Sweeping category.

At February's National Pavement Expo our 2018 Award of Excellence in Power Sweeping was presented to Michael Nawa, for over 40 years owner of Pennsylvania-based Custom Maintenance Services.

I had the experience of receiving the Alan Curtis Industry Service Award at the recent National Pavement Expo. This award included installation into the U.S. Pavement Hall of Fame. I am proud and humbled to receive such a singular honor.

For the last several years the National Pavement Expo has also awarded a 'Sweeper of the Year.' This year that award went to Debbie Jacketta and the company founded by her father, Jacketta Sweeping.

The management team at Schwarze Industries, Inc. has announced achievement of ISO 9001 certification. Soundcore, the company behind the purchase of the sweeping companies that now comprise Sweeping Corporation of America, announced receipt of a $60 million line of credit from Comerica.

Let's say you love your job as someone who sweeps streets every day, probably in the cab of a chassis-mounted sweeper... Now check out the article about Shang Wuji, who hasn't missed a day of sweeping the streets of China with a broom and wheelbarrow in 12 years – even though he only has one leg and was born deaf and dumb! Mr. Wuji is the latest person installed in our Noteworthy in Sweeping section.

Elgin Sweeper has introduced a single-engine configuration of its popular Crosswind® regenerative air sweeper. Specifically, a variable-speed device is now installed between the chassis engine and transmission on the new configuration. This allows the engine to simultaneously power both the truck and the sweeper.

Risk transfer clauses are becoming a regular part of mall and third party contracts. Every sweeping contractor needs to read this article that discusses how to recognize and defend against risk transfer clauses.

Are you aware of the latest generation of oils, which offer lower viscosity, higher fuel economy and longer drain cycles? Check it out with this link to FleetOwner.

Craig Crissman, owner of Shenandoah Supervac has over two decades of experience as a diesel mechanic. That's what led him to doing a test with his Schwarze Gale Force to see if he could maximize the longevity of the DPF system. What you read may surprise you.

When it comes to NASCAR there's only one vehicle that is featured at every race: That's the Elgin Track Sweeper. A recent segment of 'NASCAR Jobs' featured the Track Sweeper.

Next time one of your sweeper operators complains about their job, we suggest to show them the dangers of being a sweeper in Jamaica, where most of the sweeping is done manually amidst drivers that a U.S. contractor calls "maniacs." Is one of your operator's problems that they might have to "jump into the nearby crocodile-infested swamp"?!

Schwarze Industries, Inc. has announced the development of its new HyperVAC pure vacuum sweeper. According to the company, its HyperVAC will offer a "revolutionary material transfer system that will improve sweeping quality and a new three-fold dust-laden air separator system that reduces the release of contaminants from the exhaust typically seen in previous vacuum sweepers."

Whether you were there or not, you'll want to check out coverage of the World Sweeping Association's 2017 Sweeper Roundup,^TM – America's first-ever manufacturer-independent power sweeping conference and tradeshow, which was held in Kansas City, MO, the middle weekend of September.

Has your organization implemented the guidelines needed to be compliant with OSHA's Silica Dust Rule, which started last September 23rd for construction work by companies with 10 or more employees?

The City of Los Angeles is developing a pilot program to notify residents when the sweeper has passed their address. The intent is to reduce the number of parking citations issued for street sweeping.

Two recent articles tout the advantages of power sweeping for reducing stormwater pollution runoff. One, by four members of Schwarze Industries' management team, called 'Runoff Pollution Prevention,' appears in Storm Water Solutions. The other, written by WorldSweeper's editor, is entitled 'Power Sweeping Contractors: Leading in the Defense of Clean Water,' appeared in PAVEMENT Magazine.

Our Australia/India blog about power sweeping in Australia and India has won a prestigious APEX Award for Publication excellence! Click on the logo to learn more.

Our sister organization, the World Sweeping Association, also received an APEX for the third year in a row for the value of the information provided in its twice-monthly WSA Member Update. If you are a contractor and are not yet a member of WSA you're definitely missing out on a cost-effective way to improve your business.

Contractors: If you are presented with contracts with wording regarding 'omissions' then you need to read this article.

Sweeper aficionado, McKinley "Kenny" Page, was the subject of an 18-minute video about his life-long fascination with street sweepers; most specifically, Elgin's classic Street King.

The World Sweeping Association is offering to the industry a WSA Featured Podcast that was conducted between 'The Sweepin' Preacher, American Sweeping's Gale Holsman, and an anonymous sweeping contractor who needed help in getting profitable. The approximately 1-hour podcast, which includes an article edited from the podcast, is a must for any sweeping contractor that wants to get a better handle on expense and revenue info in their company.

Remind yourself of the basics with our 'Broom Sweeping 101' article.

Porous pavement is the gaining popularity very rapidly. WorldSweeper offers BMP information about keeping it clean and functioning well.

Have you seen the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's BMP fact sheet for street sweeping? If not, perhaps you should take a look.

We now have on the site a well-researched document by Washington State's Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (PPRC) on how the sweeping of paved surfaces can reduce stormwater pollution runoff.

Ever have a problem with drag shoes scraping newly sealed asphalt? If so, you'll want to read our article entitled "Ways to Eliminate Drag Shoe Scraping."

Have you wondered how to tell a prospect or client how they can tell a quality sweeping contractor? Check out the article I wrote for Retail Facility Business on this topic.

Are you a Facebook Fan of WorldSweeper.com yet? Our Fans often receive advance notice of our newsletter, as well as a variety of industry tidbits not meriting an actual article.

Finally, if you are a vendor to the sweeping industry and don't yet advertise here, please consider doing so with either a banner ad or a Sweeping Products listing.

As you can see from the logos above the headline, we have an RSS feed on the website, as well as links to our Twitter and Facebook accounts. These are easy ways to keep up with news at WorldSweeper.com. We also offer a web page that contains the latest articles we've added to the site.

Good Sweeping,

-- Ranger Kidwell-Ross, editor
First time here? Please read my introductory welcome message.

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Take a look at our featured items below, or check out the complete contents of the site by choosing from the list to the left.

GUESTBOOK If you haven't filled out our Guestbook, we can't send you late-breaking industry information. If you're involved with sweeping, please take time to provide us with your contact information. PARKING AREA SWEEPERS Here is our area dedicated to the needs of the parking area sweeping community. Check it out. You'll find a wide selection of news you can use in your business, right now, today. DISCUSSION FORUM Discuss industry topics with others in sweeping. Our discussion forums offer a variety of topics, or make up your own. Plus, we have buy/sell classifieds for sweeping and sweeping-related equipment. (opens in new window) SWEEPER POSTCARDS What better way to show you're part of the industry than by including a sweeper photo, drawing or cartoon in your email? Our online postcards are great to use as industry-related thank you notes, all occasion greeting cards and to show others what a sweeper looks like now or in the past. Choose from sweeper-related cartoons, drawings, photos and toys. CONTRACTOR LOCATOR Do you offer sweeping or related services, or would you like to hire a sweeping contractor? If so, you'll want to check out our contractor locator section. (opens in new window)

WHAT'S NEW Here is where you'll find the latest stories we've posted online. You'll want to check often to find out the latest in industry news. STREET SWEEPING You'll find everything to do with street sweeping here. If that is the segment of the sweeping industry you are involved with, you'll want to check it out. SWEEPER SLIDESHOWS Want to see what sweepers used to be like? If so, you'll definitely want to check out our collection of old sweeper pictures. Some of the photos are even for sale, and what would look better on your office wall?! SWEEPING PRODUCTS Need to fix your sweeper, buy a new one or find the best deals and suppliers for sweeping-related products? As a way to show them you appreciate their support for this site, please do your shopping from manufacturers who support WorldSweeper.com. If you sell to the sweeping industry, be sure to sign up for your free or enhanced product listing! (opens in new window) SWEEPING AROUND THE WORLD Sweeping is a worldwide industry, but the techniques vary enormously depending upon where it's being done. We have a number of stories about how sweeping is done in various locations of the world, many from the award-winning online travelogues penned by our editor while traveling in Asia, Australia and Europe. You'll want to take a look.

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FEATURED SWEEPING ORGANIZATION We're proud to offer this feature story on our home page. Four Decades of Wisdom – The Michael Nawa Interview In September of 2017, Michael Nawa celebrated his 40th year in the sweeping and maintenance business in a markedly different fashion than he had celebrated any of the previous anniversaries: he sold his company, Pennsylvania-based Commercial Sweeping and Maintenance, Inc. Nawa, who is the 2018 winner of the WorldSweeper/World Sweeping Association 2018 Award of Excellence in Power Sweeping (and the only two-time winner in the history of the award), agreed to participate in a wide-ranging interview designed to assist others to learn, in part, about the parking lot sweeping industry's transition from a little known service to one that is pervasive throughout the U.S. business community. Check it out. We typically change our featured story about once per month. If you'd like you or your organization to be considered for this honor, please let us know.