The cleaning and facility solutions industry never stops moving, constantly offering new ideas, products, and equipment. But once a year, its offerings all land in one place—with a big bang. ISSA Show North America 2026 returns to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas from Nov. 16 to 19. The show is built for everyone involved with cleaning—building service contractors, in-house facility managers, distributors, residential cleaners, manufacturers, and more. Picture thousands of professionals from across the globe under one roof. Hundreds of exhibitors fill the expo floor with the latest technology, sustainable solutions, and cleaning innovations, all wrapped around a packed schedule of education and training, certification courses, strategic workshops, and hands-on learning. The numbers tell the story: A survey of past visitors reported that 82% discovered new products and trends, 76% used the show to stay current, and 60% left with new peer connections. If your job touches the cleaning industry in any way, this is your moment to plug in, level up, and come away inspired. Come for the education Keeping up with industry change is hard, but the ISSA Show is designed to make it manageable. The week-long education program offers more than 110 sessions, available to those with an All-Access Pass. Sessions kick off Sunday with full-day preconference workshops, then continue Monday through Thursday in convention center classrooms and theaters on the show floor. The show is known for cutting-edge programming on a myriad of topics, from artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled cleaning operations, robotics and automation, and sustainability/environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures to indoor air quality, healthcare cleaning, business growth, leadership, and marketing. These are not passive lectures. You engage directly with instructors, dig into real-world examples, and leave with tools you can put to work immediately. You can upgrade your experience by registering for full-day or half-day workshops and certification courses. Check out the full 2026 workshop and session catalog on issashow.com. Be sure to sign up for the show and handpick the sessions you wish to attend. Robots take center stage New energy on the 2026 expo floor centers on R.A.C.E., the Robotics & Autonomous Cleaning Experience. It gives contractors and facility managers a structured place to evaluate autonomous mobile robots in person and talk directly with the people building them. The experience is built around three elements: two live demonstration zones where robots run real world facility scenarios; expert-led panels on implementation, workflows, safety, and return on investment; and an innovation showcase for networking with technology leaders. The timing is deliberate. Three forces are reshaping cleaning operations at once: persistent workforce shortages, higher and better documented cleanliness expectations, and cleaning technology that has matured well past the pilot stage. R.A.C.E. is where attendees can size up that shift firsthand. If you are considering automation for your cleaning operation, be sure to download the free AI & Robotics Guide at issashow.com before you arrive at the show. Innovation takes the spotlight The Innovation Experience puts the industry’s newest ideas on stage through the Innovative Leaders Award Program. Participating exhibitors unveil the products and technologies built to solve the problems professionals wrestle with every day, from automation and equipment to hygiene solutions, facility-care products, and sustainability. A “People’s Choice Award” lets attendees weigh in on their favorites and is a fast, practical way to see what is genuinely new before they walk the expo floor aisles. The next sales generation competes After a headline-grabbing debut last year, the Global Collegiate Sales Competition returns to the show. Equal part competition and recruiting pipeline, the event attracts the next generation of talent to the cleaning industry. Over two action-packed days, 10 elite teams— made up of around 40 of the country’s most promising collegiate sales students—compete in speed selling and role-play scenarios using real products supplied by sponsors. Finalists present at the Innovation Theater on the show floor, judged by industry leaders. Network with purpose One of the best parts of the show is the energy. You are surrounded by people who get it—industry peers, prospective customers, mentors, and future business partners. The week is stacked with chances to connect, including a Hygieia Networking Lunch on Monday and a Welcome Happy Hour later that day, along with two IEHA events: a Welcome Reception on Sunday and a Membership Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday. Various spotlight and networking events are built into the expo hall experience. You’ll find real value in the conversations, whether they happen over coffee or during a demo. Seek innovation Come early for the expo floor opening on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Packed with interactive demos, new product reveals, and experts ready to answer your questions, the expo floor features hundreds of exhibitors—fan favorites and almost 150 new exhibitors who will bring fresh products and ideas to the 2026 show. Give yourself plenty of time here; with the right strategy you will create a shopping list of must-have cleaning solutions and a stack of new industry contacts. Lock in the best rate ISSA members enjoy discounted registration rates, and the show offers several pass types to match how you want to spend your week. Rates rise as time marches closer to the show, so the earlier you commit with your registration, the more money you save. Member rates reflect the earliest registration window. Prices increase on Sept. 26, again on Oct. 24, and once more for onsite registration beginning Nov. 15, so booking early pays off. Groups of 10 or more qualify for a 15% discount when all passes are purchased together. Registration changes and cancellations must be made in writing by Oct. 20. Prepare for your trip ISSA Show partners with onPeak, its only endorsed hotel provider, to secure discounted rooms that typically average 30% below other travel sites—with no upfront costs, flexible terms, and hotel rewards points still in play. Rooms near Mandalay Bay go quickly, so book early through issashow.com rather than any unaffiliated third party. A few logistics worth noting: Badges are not mailed, so plan to pick yours up
Longtime school custodian David Hallinan was on his way to work in December 2022 when his state senator telephoned with news two years in the making: Legislation had established the commemoration of School Custodian Day every Oct. 2 in Massachusetts. Although National Custodians Day had long been observed informally on that date, the new law made it an official statewide observance. “My state senator said the governor signed the bill that night,” Hallinan recalled. “And it was just a wonderful feeling.” From an idea to state law Hallinan has worked in school custodial services for 38 years. During the pandemic, he noticed that while many front-line workers were recognized, school custodians received comparatively little public recognition. “It has been my mission and privilege to get recognition for the dedicated contributions provided by school custodians,” he said. Hallinan contacted his state representative, Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (Republican), and state senator, Walter Timilty (Democrat, currently the Norfolk County Clerk of Courts). With their support, his proposal entered the Massachusetts legislative process. Hallinan continually contacted legislators and committee members to check on the bill’s progress before the state’s two-year legislative deadline expired. He was later honored for his persistence at the Massachusetts State House with Citations of Achievement from both Senate and House legislators. “I was told when I was being recognized at the State House [that] I was definitely a squeaky wheel,” Hallinan said. For Hallinan, however, the recognition has never been about himself. “It’s more about the profession,” he said. “I think we have a very important job, and we maintain and provide clean, healthy, and safe schools and a safe learning environment.” Recognition beyond Massachusetts Hallinan viewed Massachusetts as the beginning of the race rather than the finish line. He contacted legislators in other states to encourage similar recognition. Hallinan said his efforts have already helped inspire official recognition in West Virginia and Tennessee. Along the way, Hallinan has also been recognized by Plymouth Public Schools in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where he has worked for the past 14 years, as well as by his union. Hallinan’s experience illustrates the patience, persistence, and passion for one’s profession that such an effort can require. His advice for others interested in pursuing similar recognition is remarkably simple: “Make the first phone call.”
A growing number of U.S. cities and states now require commercial buildings to report how much energy they use and, increasingly, what facility managers and owners plan to do with this information. For the commercial cleaning and maintenance industry, that shift from reporting to action is no longer background noise. Cleaning and maintenance contractors work inside these buildings every day, managing chemical use, water consumption, equipment energy draw, and waste streams that directly affect a building’s environmental footprint. Since Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas became the first U.S. cities to mandate energy disclosure in 2008, at least 54 additional cities, counties, and states have adopted similar ordinances, and more than 40 jurisdictions now operate active benchmarking or building performance programs. The penalties are no longer symbolic. Boston’s emissions ordinance, for example, can fine noncompliant nonresidential buildings up to US$1,000 per day for missing performance standards. From disclosure to performance Many of the earliest building ordinances only required owners to publish basic energy data—a simple disclosure exercise with limited downstream consequence for service providers. That is changing. A growing share of jurisdictions now tie specific reduction targets and financial penalties to a building’s actual performance over time. Colorado’s statewide building performance program requires covered commercial buildings of 50,000 square feet or larger to cut greenhouse gas emissions 7% by 2026 and 20% by 2030 against a 2021 baseline. For cleaning and maintenance firms, these requirements create new exposure. When a building misses its emissions target, owner inquiries quickly turn to the parties who control day-to-day operational inputs: water use, chemical selection, equipment runtimes, and waste handling. Service providers who cannot produce detailed records of what products and equipment they used, when they used it, and how these uses compare to prior periods, are increasingly finding themselves unable to support their clients’ compliance documentation—or to defend their own role in the outcome. Lack of persistent records The deeper problem is not a shortage of data—it is a shortage of continuous, verifiable data. Most cleaning and maintenance contractors generate significant operational information: product usage logs, equipment inspection reports, water meter readings tied to cleaning schedules, waste manifests, and periodic service summaries. What most lack, however, is a reliable mechanism for maintaining that information in a form that survives account transitions, subcontractor changes, or the ordinary passage of time. This gap matters because cleaning and maintenance activity touches nearly every system that regulators and auditors now scrutinize. HVAC maintenance and filter programs affect the roughly 61% of energy use attributable to heating and cooling in a typical commercial building. Water efficiency programs, green cleaning chemical compliance, equipment electrification, and waste diversion each require their own baseline to demonstrate improvement over time. Without a documented starting point tied to a specific building and service period, contractors cannot show that conditions improved, auditors cannot confirm that targets are being met, and owners pursuing rebates or tax incentives often discover that the documentation needed to support a claim no longer exists. Financial-grade data Additional pressure is building from another direction. Chief financial officers and institutional lenders are increasingly expecting facilities and sustainability teams to produce energy and operational data with the rigor historically applied to financial statements. Investors are now pushing companies to provide audited environmental, social and governance (ESG) data that matches the rigor of financial reporting. Frameworks such as the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive already require limited assurance on sustainability data today, with that standard rising to the level applied to financial audits by 2028. A cleaning or maintenance log assembled after the fact from vendor invoices and field notes rarely survives that level of scrutiny. For cleaning and maintenance companies pursuing green building certifications, sustainability-linked contracts, or preferred vendor status with institutional property owners, that gap is becoming a competitive liability. Capital access and contract risk Pressure is also emerging from capital markets. Lenders, insurers, and institutional investors increasingly rely on verified building performance and operational data when evaluating risk, underwriting decisions, and determining incentive eligibility. Buildings with fragmented or unverifiable records—including records of cleaning and maintenance activity that affects indoor air quality, water use, and waste streams—may face higher financing costs, increased diligence requirements, or difficulty demonstrating compliance with sustainability commitments. For service contractors whose business depends on long-term relationships with institutional building owners, the quality of operational records is becoming a contract consideration, not simply an administrative one. The multi-structure identification problem A related problem compounds matters at the building level itself. Many commercial parcels contain multiple distinct structures—sometimes dozens—under a single street address. Permits, inspections, compliance filings, and service logs are typically associated with that address rather than the individual structure they actually describe. Cleaning and maintenance contractors operating across a campus, a mixed-use development, or a portfolio of properties under shared management face unique challenges. Service documentation becomes difficult to trace, scope disputes arise at renewal, and compliance reporting tied to a specific structure can become ambiguous or unusable over time. Lifecycle records as a service differentiator As buildings become increasingly regulated, digitized, and performance-driven, the cleaning and maintenance industry may need to rethink how it manages historical records altogether. Service activity, chemical and water usage, equipment maintenance, inspection histories, and compliance documentation are all becoming long-term operational assets—not just internal paperwork. Yet most service providers still lack a persistent mechanism for maintaining continuity of records throughout the life of a client relationship, let alone across account transitions or building ownership changes. Cleaning businesses that can demonstrate a verifiable service history tied to a specific structure over time will have an advantage when competing for institutional accounts, supporting green building programs, and avoiding compliance disputes. That capability is not a product feature; it is a recordkeeping discipline built deliberately, starting well before any audit or compliance deadline arrives. None of the challenges associated with data-keeping argue against green cleaning programs, equipment electrification, or water efficiency initiatives. They do, however, argue for treating the documented history of cleaning and maintenance activity as essential operational infrastructure—not paperwork assembled after the
Today, the Global Commission on Healthy Indoor Air launched the Global Framework for Action: Advancing Healthy Indoor Air through Societal Engagement and Market Transformation, a landmark global roadmap designed to elevate and embed healthy indoor air as a public health imperative and a market priority, ultimately institutionalizing it as an everyday expectation in buildings everywhere. John Barrett, Chairman Emeritus at ISSA, the Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions, served as a commissioner on the landmark effort, contributing expertise to help shape the strategic levers and actionable recommendations designed to drive global market transformation and public health impact. Unveiled during Climate Week in New York, just one year after the commission’s launch at the United Nations, the framework provides a comprehensive and coordinated strategy for tackling one of the world's most consequential yet underrecognized public health challenges. It calls on governments, multilateral organizations, public health institutions, businesses, building practitioners, researchers, financial institutions, professional organizations and communities to move beyond isolated interventions and align the policies, investments, innovations and everyday decisions that shape the air people breathe indoors. The framework draws on the latest scientific evidence and a year-long collaborative process involving more than 200 commissioners from over 40 countries, bringing together expertise and experience from dozens of disciplines and sectors. They developed 40 strategic focus areas and nearly 180 recommendations spanning the major levers of market transformation that can move healthy indoor air from growing awareness to widespread and sustained adoption. The framework labors toward a shared global vision: a future in which healthy indoor air is expected, measured, valued, financed, governed and continuously improved across all the places people live, learn, work and heal. Put simply, healthy indoor air should be the norm, not the exception. "Last year, we came together at the United Nations to launch the Global Commission and affirm through the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air that healthy indoor air is a fundamental human right,” said Rachel Hodgdon, president and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute. “Today, we are putting that commitment into action. Over the past year, more than 200 leaders from more than 40 countries, including many of the world’s leading scientists, technical experts and advocates in healthy indoor air, have come together to build a first-of-its-kind global roadmap that aligns science, education, policy, innovation, investment and public demand. We did not need another report diagnosing the problem or explaining why it matters. We needed an actionable plan for changing the systems, markets and expectations that shape the air inside our buildings. That is what this framework delivers: a practical path for leaders all around the world to align their efforts and uphold the right to healthy indoor air for everyone, everywhere.” The launch comes at a moment of profound urgency and possibility. Household air pollution alone contributes to more than 3 million premature deaths each year, but mortality is only the starkest measure of a far wider toll. Poor indoor air increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, worsens asthma and allergies, contributes to the spread of airborne infection, and undermines learning, cognitive performance, productivity and quality of life. The Framework, a shared strategic roadmap, shows how nine mutually reinforcing levers can shift markets, institutions, professional practice and public expectations. They include: Awareness and public engagement building Innovation, research and development Advocacy and policy development Education and training Market incentives and methods to drive demand Mobilization of financing and resources Codes, standards and leadership certifications Partnerships and collaboration Implementation, monitoring and evaluation The levers are designed to reinforce one another. Research and evidence can inform standards and building practice. Innovation can affect technical feasibility, reach and cost. Policy can create demand and accountability. Financing can accelerate deployment. Education can build the workforce needed to deliver widespread improvements. Public awareness and trusted performance information can reinforce every other lever.
El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% chance of a very strong event during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter 2026-27, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast on Sept. 10. NOAA forecasters revealed a 75% chance that the building Super El Niño will be the strongest such event on record, dating back to 1950. Weather models predict that El Niño will continue to strengthen through the end of the year. With an event of this magnitude, the chances of experiencing impacts consistent with El Niño are larger, though not guaranteed, NOAA cautioned. Meanwhile, no hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic Ocean 103 days into the season, which marks a new record caused by the El Niño weather pattern, CNN reported. Sept. 11 was the latest date for the first hurricanes of the season to form since satellites began tracking in 1966. Additionally, forecasters aren’t predicting a hurricane in the Atlantic for the foreseeable future. Looking forward, just over 50% of the entire season’s activity typically occurs after Sept.10, but El Niño will likely stifle the Atlantic’s final stretch this year. Last year, the U.S. managed to avoid a hurricane landfall, and if the country manages to repeat that pattern, it would be the first time this pattern occurred since 2009 and 2010. However, it does take a hurricane-strength system to cause significant impacts. Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Edouard on Sept. 1 resulted in dangerous flash flooding and water rescues in eastern Texas. Edouard was 14 mph shy of hurricane strength and caused rainfall totals that topped 20 inches in some areas north of Beaumont.
The U.S. experienced 12 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters during the first half of 2026 alone, causing at least US$31.9 billion in damage, according to Climate Central's mid-year update. As September marks National Preparedness Month and the transition to cooler temperatures brings the potential for severe storms, tornadoes, flooding and early winter weather, facility managers can take proactive steps now to protect their properties and prepare for potential weather events. "National Preparedness Month is an important reminder that preparation can make a difference when severe weather or an unexpected disaster occurs," said Josh Miller, president of Rainbow Restoration, a Neighborly company. Rainbow Restoration shared five ways to prepare your building before the unexpected happens: Inspect and weatherproof your building: Walk the perimeter of your building and look for signs of wear or damage to the roof, windows, doors and foundation. Clear gutters and drains to help prevent water from backing up, secure outdoor furniture and décor ahead of high winds, and trim tree branches that could pose a risk to structures. As temperatures begin to fall, seal gaps around windows and doors and insulate exposed pipes to help reduce winter-related damage. Build a 72-hour emergency kit: Prepare an emergency kit with enough supplies to support your team for at least three days. Include nonperishable food, drinking water, medications, batteries, flashlights, chargers or backup power sources, hygiene items, copies of important documents and a battery-powered radio. Store the kit in an easy-to-access location, and check content periodically to replace expired or depleted items. Test safety equipment: Check smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers regularly to ensure they're working properly. Replace batteries as needed and make sure everyone knows the location of safety equipment, how to use it, what emergency procedures to take and the evacuation route. Create a communication plan and stay informed: Ahead of any severe weather, track local forecasts and emergency alerts throughout the event period. Agree on emergency contacts, evacuation routes and meeting points, and know your community's official evacuation plan in case you need to leave quickly. Review insurance coverage and document the property: Many owners don't think about their insurance policy until after a disaster occurs. Review your coverage annually to understand what is and isn't included, and keep a digital inventory of valuable belongings, equipment or business assets with photos and receipts. Having documentation readily available can help streamline the claims process if damage occurs. When severe weather, fire, water damage or another unexpected event impacts a property, fast action can help minimize damage and begin the recovery process.
Pennsylvania, which is battling a measles outbreak that's seen 767 cases in 38 counties and four deaths as of Sept. 18, is locked in a fight with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) over how to count those fatalities. Now, the commonwealth has asked the CDC for help, Reuters reported. The request comes on condition that the federal agency recognizes four measles-associated deaths reported by the commonwealth. The commonwealth’s measles outbreak has become the focus of a standoff between Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. Kennedy has cast doubt on whether deaths reported in U.S. measles outbreaks since he took office were due to the virus or another cause, and instructed the CDC not to include the Pennsylvania fatalities in a national tally. On Sept. 15, the Pennsylvania health department confirmed two additional measles-associated deaths in Pennsylvania. Both individuals were unvaccinated. One individual lived in Jefferson County and the other lived in Mifflin County. As CMM previously reported, the Jefferson County coroner confirmed that county’s fatality was a 40-year-old unvaccinated woman with underlying conditions. CNN reported that the Mifflin County coroner confirmed an 18-year-old died from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare neurological condition that can occur after an infection. One of every 1,000 kids with measles will develop encephalitis, or brain swelling, according to the CDC. Before announcing these cases as measles-associated deaths, Pennsylvania health officials conducted rigorous investigations in cooperation with the Jefferson and Mifflin County coroner’s offices. These investigations included confirming clinical evidence of a measles infection, a positive laboratory test and that the death was not due to an unrelated cause. That process aligns with the health department’s detailed epidemiological case definition for determining a measles-associated death, which is available at pa.gov/measles. Additional factors, such as whether the individual was exposed to measles prior to their death and supporting medical records, were also considered, it said. The Pennsylvania health department completed similar investigations when it reported two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County on August 25, Pennsylvania’s first deaths of this kind in 35 years. One of the fatalities announced last week occurred in Mifflin County, which now has the second-highest number of cases in the state (83 confirmed) and is located over 100 miles from the outbreak's initial epicenter in Lancaster County, which has reported 308 cases, the health department reported. Doctors recommend two doses of the MMR vaccine as the best way to protect against measles, mumps and rubella, the CDC said. As of Sept. 16, the Pennsylvania health department has administered nearly 7,000 MMR vaccine doses this year. As CMM previously reported, the U.S. is experiencing its worst year for measles since 1991. Additionally, CNN reported the last time there were four deaths related to measles in one year was 1992. Last year, three U.S. deaths were confirmed from measles—two in Texas and one in New Mexico. As of Sept. 17, the CDC has confirmed 3,347 measles cases in 45 states and the District of Columbia. For 2025, a total of 2,289 confirmed measles cases were reported in the U.S.