by Ranger Kidwell-Ross, editor
WorldSweeper.com
WSA's Upcoming Sweeper RoundupTM Marks Another Industry First
We couldn't be more excited about bringing the first manufacturer-independent national conference and tradeshow to the sweeping industry! Although such an event has been a topic of conversation among contractors and others for many years, the daunting enormity of the task has kept such an event from happening. Until now.
This first-year event is being made possible by the support of the World Sweeping Association's Advisory Board – especially from the Sweeper Roundup's host contractor, Gale Holsman of American Sweeping, Inc. All sweeping contractors, manufacturers and suppliers are invited to attend the WSA Sweeper Roundup this coming September 15-17th in Kansas City.
The Schwarze family's Sweeper Roundups in the early 1990s are legendary and I'm proud to have been one of the principal organizers of those events. Team WSA will be striving to meet and exceed the value those provided at this September's WSA Sweeper Roundup. In our April newsletter, or before, WSA will announce complete details. Until then, we encourage sweeping contractors to set the date aside for an event that is sure to be talked about for years to come.
Although the final agenda is still being formulated, WSA's Sweeper Roundup will emphasize both education and fun. A number of experienced industry insiders have agreed to participate in the four planned educational seminars. There will be a sweeper display and demo area, and a Sweeper Rodeo that will be designed to be entertaining for both participants and onlookers. On Saturday night, we have a cookout planned at the 200-acre Holsman Stables complex, complete with live music and hayrides. And, for those who attended the Schwarze Roundups – yes, we'll even be reviving 'The Sweeper Band!'
We have a host of other news in this newsletter issue, as well. Sweeping contractors, especially, will find information they can definitely put to use in several of the articles. At the same time, we hope the manufacturers will be inspired by South Korea's electric, chassis-mounted sweeper. There seems to be little doubt that electric technology will enter the mainstream within the next decade. The next question can only be when to expect driverless sweepers!
I began the Schwarze family's Supervac Quarterly in 1988. Then, a few years later, I founded the first magazine for the sweeping industry, American Sweeper. Now, toward the end of my career, I'm very pleased to be part of establishing a national event just for those in power sweeping. Perhaps fortune will dictate that WSA's Sweeper Roundup will become a regular event in future years.
Thanks to everyone in the industry for your continued interest in, and support of, both WorldSweeper.com and the World Sweeping Association. If you are one of our industry sponsors, thank you so much for the critical part you play in supporting 'Earth's Largest Power Sweeping Resource.'SM If you sell to the sweeping industry but don't yet advertise with us, please consider doing so. Conversely, if you're a contractor I urge you to check out the many benefits of membership in WSA.
As always, if you have any news of potential interest to the power sweeping community, please let us know. Between this publication, the WorldSweeper.com website, and the World Sweeping Association, we'll be sure to get the information passed along to interested readers.
Good Sweeping,
Editor, WorldSweeper.com
Executive Director, World Sweeping Association
PS Need an experienced sweeping company manager? A few years ago, Joe Gennaro sold his Florida-based sweeping and maintenance company and traveled the world. Now, he would like to manage a similar U.S.-based company. If interested in knowing more, send him an email.
March Newsletter Contents
(Scroll down to read stories or click on links.)
- World Sweeping Association to Host First-Ever Independent 'Sweeper Roundup'TM
- Four 'Legal Mythbusters' for Sweeping Contractors
- Reducing the Risk of Hopper Fires
- Elgin Sweeper Offers Autocar Cab-over Chassis Option for Broom Bear® Sweeper
- WalMart Starts Requiring P & L, Income Statements
- Noteworthy in Sweeping: Mandaue Street Sweeper Returns Lost Bag to Seafarer
- Not Exactly Sweeping: Sweeper Caught on Camera Going Around Debris
World Sweeping Association to Host First-Ever Independent 'Sweeper Roundup'TM
The World Sweeping Association has announced that it will hold America's first independent "Sweeper Roundup" this September. The event will be held September 15-17 in Kansas City, Missouri. Gale Holsman, WSA Advisory Board Member and owner of American Sweeping, Inc., will be the host contractor for this first-ever, independently sponsored, sweeping conference.
"Our upcoming Sweeper Roundup will welcome everyone in the sweeping industry," said Ranger Kidwell-Ross, Director of WSA and Editor of WorldSweeper. "We will be providing four educational seminars, as well as a sweepers' roundtable to kick around whatever topics attending contractors would like to discuss. There will also be an available demonstration area for manufacturers to show off their latest models of sweepers. In addition, we are planning other events designed to develop camaraderie among power sweeping contractor attendees. These will include a zany Sweeper Rodeo as well as a Saturday night BBQ and live music event – complete with hay rides – at the nearby 200-acre Holsman Stables complex."
For sweeping contractors, the investment for attendance will be a modest $99 in addition to whatever travel and lodging expenses are incurred. WSA will promote this event widely over the next months with complete details. For the moment, we are providing this initial information so you can hold the September 15-17 dates on your calendar. If you are not yet a member of WSA and want to know more about the many benefits the world's fastest-growing sweeping Association offers, go the the WSA website to review benefits and join. Your investment is only $325/year; satisfaction guaranteed.
Four 'Legal Mythbusters' for Sweeping Contractors
This article by construction law attorney, Joseph Katz covers these 'legal myths:'
- Email communications are not legally binding
- As long as the owner has not paid there is nothing I can do
- I must sign the GC's boiler plate contract if I want the work
- A partial or conditional lien release only releases the funds previously invoiced
World Sweeping Association member contractors received this information several months ago in WSA's award-winning, twice-monthly e-Newsletter. Because of the importance of the information and as a courtesy to the sweeping industry, for a limited time the article is being made available to non-members. If you are a sweeping Contractor but not yet a WSA member, why not join today?!)
Read the article.
Reducing the Risk of Hopper Fires
Because Scott Cerosky's Crum & Forster Insurance organization is one of the largest providers to pavement maintenance contractors – including sweeping contractors – the company has investigated a rash of hopper fires over the last several years.
The reason they uncovered for the fires makes solid sense and, by watching the brief video, you will learn the details as well as the steps you can take to mitigate hopper fires happening to you. This is the latest tip, #123, in our Tip Clipboard section.
Check out the details.
Elgin Sweeper Offers Autocar Cab-over Chassis Option for Broom Bear Sweeper
Elgin Sweeper has introduced an Autocar, LLC cab-over chassis option for the Elgin Broom Bear® single-engine mechanical sweeper. The first commercially available cab-over chassis for the Broom Bear provides a tighter turning radius and best-in-class in-cab visibility.
Featuring a 136-inch wheel base, the new cab-over chassis is equipped with a Cummins ISL 9 diesel
engine rated at 260 hp @ 2200 RPM, with 720 Ft-lb of torque. The chassis also features an Allison 3500 transmission and a two-speed rear axle.
Learn the details.
WalMart Starts Requiring P & L, Income Statements
One of the latest requirements to hit the contract sweeping industry is Walmart's new edict that contractors working for the behemoth chain submit both Profit & Loss and Income Statements to Walmart corporate. Ostensibly, this is to confirm the percentage of the contractor's business is under a certain level, as compared to its overall customer base.
However, this requirement is being seen as overly intrusive to a number of the top contractors in the industry, at least some of whom would rather not do work for the Walmart chain given the new requirement. On behalf of the World Sweeping Association, where he serves as Executive Director, Ranger Kidwell-Ross (who is also WorldSweeper's Editor), recently conducted an email exchange with facilities managers for Walmart. In these, he tried to convince the company that there were less intrusive ways in which to obtain the information they were after.
Although to date the attempt to get the requirement dropped or modified has been unsuccessful, the email exchange provides insight into the Walmart organization's new mandate. Kidwell-Ross also provides an analysis of this situation, including recommendations about some of the other emerging contract language making contractors overly liable on client properties as well as the onerous reporting requirements being enacted by some third party vendors.
Read the email exchange and analysis as either a Word document or as a PDF file.
Mandaue Street Sweeper Returns Lost Bag to Seafarer
HONESTY is a virtue that 59-year-old street sweeper Avelino Sumagang swears by even if he earns barely enough to support his family. "Kita nga nanarbaho, be honest ta. Kay makatabang man na sa atong pagpanarbaho" (We employees must exercise honesty in doing our jobs because this will benefit us), says Sumagang.
"Ang naa sa akong huna-huna, iuli (What came into my mind was to return the valuables)," Sumagang said. Karaat thanked Sumagang and gave him P1,000 but he refused, saying he was just doing the right thing and he wasn't asking for any reward. "I know exactly how painful it is to lose something, most especially money, even more so if you earned it by the sweat of your brow," Sumagang said.
Read about it.
Sweeper Caught on Camera Going Around Debris
The linked video became a nightmare for managers in the town of Accrington, located in Lancashire, England. Residents in Accrington had complained about piles of litter in their street and were promised "immediate action" by the City Council.
The street sweeper you see in the photo was sent to deal with the problem. However, instead of removing the rubbish, a resident's CCTV camera captured the sweeper driving past the spot and disappearing. As you will see by the linked video footage, the street sweeper is shown going along the road passing alongside the trash strewn along the roadway, clearly without any intention of removing it. Town fathers have apologized "for the disruption" after the video went viral. Neighbors ended up cleaning the area themselves, the content filling a dozen garbage bags. In its statement, the Council apologized for the sweeper "not operating to its usual high standards."
At the WorldSweeper website we don't have a 'wall of shame' to showcase those who do a bad job. If we did, though, that's where this story would end up. Thanks to our Italian correspondent, Villiam Abbondanza, for alerting us about this event!
Read about it.
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