Welcome to our July newsletter!Sweeping is headed in a variety of directions. While manufacturers consolidate, municipal users are gaining in their sophistication and becoming more demanding in their requirements.by Ranger Kidwell-Ross
At the same time, the new management group at Allianz/Madvac (formerly Johnston) are making some inroads into the American municipal market. Last, but certainly not least, looming on the horizon is Mark Schwarze's startup, Victory Sweepers, which will jump into the market in the next few months with an entrenched base of loyal customers and high industry expectations. Already my phone has started to ring, with callers needing help or having concerns on topics related to the above. Related concerns and requests for help so far have included extension of Centurion warranty support, wonderment about what will happen to Nite-Hawk's customer service and questions about what Victory's parking lot sweeper product line will consist of: single-engine, twin-engine or both? On a separate, but related, topic, I'm hearing from an increasing number of municipal agencies as they do homework intended to end up with the best possible BMP sweeper(s) for their stormwater runoff programs. As pressure mounts on getting nonpoint source pollution out of the runoff stream, sweeping is rising to the forefront toward its rightful place as a first line of defense. Unfortunately, our industry has spent nearly zero time, money and effort toward education that spans this latter topic. Although the manufacturers each tout their particular machines, there is no manufacturers' association to further the overall concept of sweeping as a BMP. The result is a buying public that has little real clue as to the value of what this industry can really provide via use of the right types of machines used in specific applications at the correct sweeping frequency. With all who contact me, I try to assist in any way I can. I reference WorldSweeper.com articles and studies, provide information from my "Fundamentals of the Power Sweeping Business," put contractors in touch with others who may have answers to their information needs. Overall, I attempt to discard speculation and advise looking at hard facts and waiting for results. Still, it's a time of flux and the industry is definitely stirred up. Perhaps that's a good thing. That's because, for consumers in a capitalism-driven marketplace such as the U.S., it's all about choice. Fortunately, in today's Internet-laden world, it's easy to get information about virtually anything with a few mouse clicks. Whereas in former times sweeping studies were available only in obscure local papers and journals, now they're easy to access online by all. When manufacturers make a product change, they can tell their customers with the push of a few buttons. For municipal sweeping pros, this newsletter edition offers you access to several sweeping studies, as well as insight into what sweeping can do compared to other BMP solutions to stormwater runoff pollution woes. For contractors, there are articles designed to help you run your sweeping business better and more profitably. In short, they will help you in making the many choices required of all of us each and every day. If you have more information on any of the topics we cover -- or need more -- let me know. I'll be glad to help in any way I can. If you're not yet a naPSa member, we've added yet another reason to join. For a limited time, when you become a member you'll get a $50 discount on any Contractor Locator listing here at WorldSweeper.com. If you are a contractor and have not yet purchased a listing with us, please do. That's one of the best ways to support this website and the industry information it provides. The more you support WorldSweeper.com, the more time we can devote to bringing you the latest sweeping news and breaking information. 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!
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