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It is with great pleasure that we report WorldSweeper's free monthly e-newsletter is the recipient of an international APEX Award for Publication Excellence. This marks the 8th year in a row that our newsletter has won an APEX and the 14th year in a row of the 15-year existence of the WorldSweeper.com website that some aspect of the overall project has won an APEX. Sign up here to receive our newsletter in your in-box each month.

Scroll down for the latest industry news:

On April 1st, the National Pavement Expo has announced the award of a $53.5 billion contract for the first ever Rover Parking Lot on Mars.

Check out our latest exclusive advance preview of the next issue of SweeperMarket/PaverMarket, posted on April 1st. 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!

We are saddened to report the passing of Michael Kannewurf, who bought his first sweeper from Bob Schwarze in 1979 when he founded L&M Supervac, which was renamed to KLM Commercial in 2015 when he sold it to his son, Keith. If you knew Michael, or just want to extend your condolences on the passing of a fellow sweeper, here's the info and a link where you can write in his obituary guestbook.

WorldSweeper's March e-newsletter has been distributed. Sign our guestbook to get on the reception list. Our 'World Water Day' issue included a look-back to our coverage of the 2011 National Pavement Expo.

Latest news, though, was that Louisville Pavement Sweep won our 26th annual 'Award of Excellence in Power Sweeping.' The Award is for the great app developed by the founder, which is called 'Sweep Inspect.'

If you run non-CDL sweepers, you need to know about the current chassis shortage. We offered a link to a great stormwater pollution webinar from Florida's Biscayne Bay Marine Health Coalition.

The World Sweeping Association is offering a member-only expert webinar on exterior maintenance for sweeping contractors to non-members for a $60 donation to WSA's Scholarship Fund. Check out the details. See why CAM South is PAVEMENT's 2021 "Cutting-Edge Sweeper Co." Apply now to PAVEMENT's Top Contractor Awards; you could be next!

Did you know that Charles Brooks, a Black man, was one of the first US inventors of a street sweeper?

Did you see our three February Zoomcasts: an introduction to Bucher Municipal's 'Sweepers & Tankers' podcast; an interview featuring me discussing the extraordinary value of street sweeping for removal of Phosphorus and Nitrogen; and, an interview with 40+ year industry veteran, Mike Dyck.

We invite you to check out what a night of street sweeping looks like in NYC. While you're at it, read the story about how NJ's Somerset County has become the first in that state to offer a sweeper sharing program between municipalities.

Did you know that brushes manufacturer Keystone Plastics has added a manufacturing location in Georgia?

Check out this article and video on sweeping's value for the environment.

What do you think about my industry predictions for 2021?

Have you seen the latest review of battery-powered leaf blowers?

Check out our Zoomcast interview with the VP of RubiconSmartCity, a company increasing the cost-effectiveness of street sweeping, as well as another Zoomcast with the Street Sweeping Supervisor of Ft. Collins, CO, a Rubicon client.

We also offer a recent Zoomcast interview with the Editor of Stormwater magazine. It ties in with the latest on street sweeping methodology from myself and Roger Sutherland.

We love the heart-warming story about a group of kids in India who built their school's elderly custodian a 'grounds sweeper.'

Have you seen our report on the sweeping program for the world's longest floating bridge and our interview with Trombia's CEO on that company's first-ever autonomous electric sweeper?

The pavement-based pollutant removal ability of a wide variety of BMPs has shown street sweeping to be the most cost-effective of all by a significant margin. Check out the new comprehensive study that involved 14 Florida municipalities.

Our editor interviewed Rod Moore, general manager for 40+ year C&J Parking Lot Sweeping, about what accounted for the company's continuing success. What Rod has to say about the concept of providing outstanding customer service in this 17-minute video is food for thought for most any type of service business.

We also provide our survey results on COVID-19's impact on contractors; a 'Noteworthy in Sweeping' article about a Scottish contractor using his savings to help children during the pandemic lockdown; a final reminder about applying for WSA's Memorial Scholarships, and more. If you want to be on the mailing list for the newsletter, sign up here.

Ever wonder how to get onto Walmart's bid list for parking lot sweeping? An article in our March newsletter tells you how.

GPS is one of the best ways to monitor performance; here is an article telling how to get more 'operator buy-in' via turning GPS data into a positive experience via game-playing.

If you sweep parking lots you'll want to see the Sweep Inspect! app, designed by Jim Blackerby, owner of Louisville Pavement Sweep and a second-generation contractor. Work product oversight has never been made so easy and efficient.

After a cost assessment of implementing Chesapeake Bay requirements tallied up to more than $1 billion, the county sought a less expensive solution. A study on the costs of storm water management practices prepared for the Maryland Department of the Environment Science Services Administration found that air street sweepers provided the lowest average annual cost over 20 years per impervious acre treated.

WorldSweeper surveyed eight U.S. cities about their sweeping practices. The results may surprise you.

We now have on the WorldSweeper website an in-depth analysis of the City of San Jose, California's street sweeping program. The report – which is 72 pages in length – is entitled "Street Sweeping: Significant Investment and Re-tooling are Needed to Achieve Cleaner Streets." We highly recommend anyone involved with street sweeping read the report. Complete info is at this link.

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.

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"?!

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. 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) 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) 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.

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)

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FEATURED SWEEPING ORGANIZATION We're proud to offer this feature story on our home page. Excellence in Kentucky Our current featured contractor is Kentucky-based Louisville Power Sweep, owned by Jim Blackerby who is a second-generation contractor. The company is the 2021 winner of the WorldSweeper/World Sweeping Association's Award of Excellence in Power Sweeping. If you sweep parking lots you'll want to see the Sweep Inspect! app, produced by Jim Blackerby. Work product oversight has never been made so easy and efficient! If you'd like you or your organization to be considered for this honor, please let us know.