Increased Competition – Reduced Markets – Lowering Margins:
Targeted Information Now More Important Than Ever
As we are all flooded by information possibilities, WorldSweeper's mission is to sift through and provide information you can use to become more competitive and professional.
by Ranger Kidwell-Ross
Like I suspect is the case with many of you reading this, I occasionally find myself absolutely overwhelmed at the pace of change. The amount of information available to me has never been greater. The time I have to evaluate it has seldom been more constrained.
Yet, as a business owner it is vitally important that I keep up with any emerging information that might impact my company. The same is true for all of you, whether you are in a municipal operation or are a sweeping contractor. In this time of shrinking budgets, everyone needs to find any possible competitive advantage they can apply to their operation.
My chosen mandate here at WorldSweeper.com is to sift through, and seek out, information that has a high likelihood of being of use to you. The articles in this newsletter are prime examples of that search. You will find they provide a very broad spectrum of information that has virtually only one commonality: They are designed to inform those in power sweeping about topics that can help their companies.
A prime example is the topic of porous pavement. Few other industries have the potential sweeping has to profit from porous pavement's fast advance into the U.S. roadway system. I saw my first porous pavement in 2001 when I visited Japan and wrote an award-winning travelogue about how sweeping was performed in that country, as well as in other places in Asia.
My hosts were the owners of Kyoei Sweeping, largest contractor in Tokyo. At the time, they had a Schwarze EV-series air sweeper in the testing process. Kyoei's EV sweeper went down one side of the street, while a broom sweeper was being used on the other. Part of that coverage included the fact a study was being done about how to keep the pores in the pavement clean.
As is confirmed in this issue's interview with Elgin's Mark Kinter – and which his accompanying white paper confirms – the U.S. porous pavement industry is now honing in on how to best clean that unique surface. And, with an increasing emphasis being placed on installation of the environmentally-friendly porous surfaces in the U.S., our porous pavement article in this issue provides information U.S. sweeping contractors and others can take to the bank.
Other of our articles target different industry segments. We offer two separate articles designed to help readers' decisionmaking on sweeper replacement items. One of these discusses the fact the wholesale price of polypropylene, primary component in many types of sweeper brooms, has reached historic highs. Our article catalogs the factors sweeping management will want to consider in that regard.
Although polypropylene pricing may not be a contributant, as a side note we have received recent news that United Rotary Brush Corporation has purchased American Rotary Broom Company. American Rotary has two southern California locations; Pomona and Escondido. American Rotary has a loyal customer base that is founded on the exceptional service the company has provided to help manage its customers' sweeping operations. More details on the buyout will be forthcoming on the United Rotary website in coming weeks.
This issue also offers what is touted as finally a solution to skid shoe bending on mechanical broom sweepers. Mohawk Sweeping's solution, which is available to fit all types of broom sweepers, appears to be a very viable one. Charlie Ostuni, the inventor, certainly has one of the highest levels of expertise available on broom sweeper issues.
Through the years it's become clear that what occurs on the coasts will eventually migrate to the nation's interior. I encourage you to read our article about the City of Pensacola sweeping department's challenges in terms of mandated pollution removal. Chances are, those same pollution reduction mandates will soon be required in your locale.
I've heard a number of contractors through the years talk about their relative ease in growing their companies, given the rapid advance of pavement in their urban areas. In contrast, West Virginia's K&M Service is located in a relatively rural area. Our interview with owner Mike Conley is a primer on the importance of word of mouth and referrals to business growth in a small town. Of course, the same process will work wherever your company is located.
We also offer information on three FREE webinars that are conducted by professionals in each of their topic areas. Be sure to check on the dates for these, since the first, on better ways to find what you're looking for on the internet, is scheduled for April 22nd.
To complete this well-rounded issue we offer the wisdom of Linnea Blair on the topic of increasing the values of your personnel performance reviews. Blair definitely provides information everyone with employees will find useful.
WorldSweeper.com has long been the leader in providing information about the U.S. power sweeping industry. Our five-year anniversary is coming up this June 21st. We are working hard to take the site and what we offer up yet another notch on that date. Stay tuned!
As always, if there's something you'd like us to report about, please let us know that, as well. Our goal is to write about what you want to read. And, if you have a sweeping-related need please contact us about it. We'll try to assist in any way we can.
I routinely reference WorldSweeper.com articles and studies, provide information from my "Fundamentals of the Power Sweeping Business" manual and put contractors and city officials in touch with others who may have answers to their informational needs. By the same token, if you have a story you can provide, additional information on any of the topics we've covered – or need more details – please let me know. I'll be glad to help if at all possible.
By the way, if you don't have a listing yet in our Contractor Locator section, you are missing out on what is arguably the best advertising value in sweeping. At the same time, you'll be helping to keep WorldSweeper.com online and active.
Many thanks to first-time newsletter advertisers, in alphabetical order, Schwarze Industries, Inc., Sweeper Parts of America, TYMCO and United Rotary Brush! If you like what you read in this newsletter or on the website, be sure to thank the advertisers who sponsored it. The only way for them to know you appreciate their support of WorldSweeper.com is to tell them!
Good Sweeping!
Ranger Kidwell-Ross, editor
WorldSweeper.com
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