LOUISVILLE, KY—Simon Institute, a private non-profit group consisting of cleaning industry end users, held the Simon Institute Symposium August 9 through 10 to bring together, educate, and recognize their peers from all over the country. Each year the symposium hosts the Cleaning Industry Awards Banquet to honor outstanding cleaning organizations and individuals who uphold the values of Simon Institute and high-performance cleaning.
This year on the evening of Monday, August 10, eleven organizations were recognized in thirteen categories ranging from Best Cleaning Program to Safety and Health. Many award-winners’ facilities were also honored as Green Programs of Merit with audit scores of 80 to 89 percent or Green Programs of Excellence with audit scores of 90 percent and better.
“Cleaning professionals are guardians of the public health. Their work is crucial but frequently goes uncelebrated,” said ProTeam Vice President of Sales Rich Steinberg who attended the award ceremony. “That’s why events like the Cleaning Industry Awards Banquet are so important. We commend the Simon Institute for creating this event to recognize the incredible intelligence, discipline, and innovation in the cleaning industry.”
Six school and university custodial programs were recognized at the banquet. Andrew Yanez from the Custodial Services management team at The University of Texas at Austin, accepted awards for Best Cleaning Program 2015 and Best Workloading 2015. The 2013 Mark Reimers Cleaning for Health Award winner, University of Michigan, earned the recognition of Peer Influence 2015, and Associate Director of Plant Building and Ground Services John Lawter accepted the award on behalf of his program. To successfully implement a systematized cleaning program, communication is key. Mt. San Antonio College was recognized for excellence in that area with the Communication 2015 award. Lastly, Michigan State University received the award for Safety and Health 2015.
Two individuals were also acknowledged for their hard work and dedication. Rookie of the Year 2015 went to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the title Trainer of the Year 2015 was awarded to Jeff Hawkins of Provo City School District.
In the last year building service contractor GMI Integrated Facility Solutions proved that, at over 40 years old, they are still growing and improving. Vice President Alan Wagemester accepted the award for Best Cleaning Quality Improvement 2015 on behalf of his company. Burt Klein, representing PortionPac Corporation, received the award for Innovation 2015, and Sandia National Laboratories was awarded Best (OS1) Audit 2015 and Best Training Program 2015.
The non-profit Los Angeles Habilitation House received the most prestigious honor of the night along with the U.S. Postal Service – the Mark Reimers Cleaning for Health Award. Mark Reimers was a beacon of passion and expertise in the cleaning industry for over four decades until his retirement in 2009. As a part of his work with ProTeam, he advocated for Cleaning for Health and educated the public about the importance of healthy indoor air in a partnership with the American Lung Association. Both the Los Angeles Habilitation House and the U.S. Postal Service embody Reimers’ dedication to excellence, and both truly earned the honor of his namesake Award. Dominic Bratta and Thomas Duchesne of the U.S. Postal Service Headquarters were also recognized with the 2015 Pinnacle Award.
The two-day symposium also included presentations such as Major Factors that Impact Facility Costs with Dr. Jeff Campbell of Campbell Consulting and How Team Cleaning Responds to Customer Complaints with Nancy Albin of Los Angeles Habilitation House.
ProTeam (www.pro-team.com) became a global phenomenon in the commercial cleaning world in 1987 after introducing a game-changing design innovation, the lightweight backpack vacuum. Scientific studies and maintenance crews consistently find ProTeam vacuums save time, money, and resources while improving indoor air quality. In 2009, Emerson—a diversified global manufacturing and technology company—acquired ProTeam, and the legacy of innovation continues with the Next Generation of backpack vacuums, the Super Coach Pro® and the cordless GoFree® Flex Pro.
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and consumer markets around the world. The company is comprised of five business segments: Process Management, Industrial Automation, Network Power, Climate Technologies, and Commercial & Residential Solutions. Sales in fiscal 2014 were $24.5 billion. For more information, visit Emerson.com.
