ISSA Show North America 2024 named the winners of the Innovation Award Program on Wednesday, highlighting the latest new products and solutions revolutionizing the global cleaning sector.

Judged by a panel of industry leaders, including representatives from key councils, committees, and organizations across the sector, as well as an industry editor and a buying group representative, the group selects one winner in each category and two honorees. The winners of this year’s awards are on display in the Innovation Showcase and Theatre on the expo floor.

Automation and Equipment Innovation of the Year: Nilfisk’s SC25 Autonomous Scrubber took the top honor. Additional honorees include Robovox Distributions GmbH for its ZACO X1000 Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Sparkoz Technology Corp. for its TN10 Cleaning Systems.

Business Technology and Digital Services of the Year: Otuvy Inc. received the award for its Otuvy operational software. Honorees in this category include CleanSmart Academy’s Animated Training Kit and Janitorial Manager’s Cleaning Management System.

Facility Solution Care Products Innovation of the Year: Airbotx was awarded for its Airbotx 390X Air Cleaner. Honorees include Diamabrush’s Cylindrical Polishing Tools and CLR PRO MAX™ for its Industrial Descaler.

Hygiene Solution Innovation of the Year: OPHARDT Hygiene’s PRAESIDIO® earned the award for its fuel cell. Honorees include GP PRO enMotion® Paper Towel Dispensers with ECON Mode and Remco: a Vikan Co.’s HyGo Mobile Cleaning Station.

Environmental and Sustainability Innovation: CloroxPro’s Pine-Sol Multi-Surface Cleaner took the award, with honorees including ABCO Products Inc. for its DSOLV dissolvable non-plastic bags and ONYX Solutions for the SXi Lithium-Ion Battery Floor Machine.

Participating exhibitors showcase products and technologies that have made an impact in the commercial, institution, and residential cleaning community by addressing key challenges that industry professionals aim to solve in daily operations while protecting and prioritizing the health of occupants.

“The Innovation Showcase exemplifies the ingenuity and passion that defines the industry,” said Ed Nichols, ISSA Show North America show director. “Each new idea is crafted to drive business growth as well as to deliver solutions that positively impact billions of lives around the world. The commitment to safety, sustainability, and precision is evident in every product showcased.”

For more information on the Innovative Leaders Awards and view the full list of participants, please visit www.issashow.com.

In between visiting exhibitors and networking with colleagues, ISSA Show North America 2024 attendees attended numerous education sessions scattered throughout the exposition floor. On Nov. 19, building service contractors (BSCs) gathered in the CleanMeet Zone to hear tips for recruiting and hiring staff.

Education session presenter, Libby DeLucien, owner of cleaning company recruiting company WootRecruit, opened her presentation with a sobering fact: 52% of your staff is contemplating quitting.

Before owning WootRecruit, DeLucien owned a cleaning company and knows first hand about the problems of being short-staffed or not having reliable staff. When she found herself doing a walk-through of a cleaning job immediately after she was dismissed from the hospital after giving birth, she knew she had a staffing problem.

All cleaning companies want the same thing: reliable workers who don’t call off frequently. DeLucien said workers’ desires have changed post-COVID-19. “The worker mindset is ‘I want to work how I want, when I want,’” she said. “Nobody is looking to stay for 15 years with one company, they are looking for freedom.”

In response to this mindset, employers need to always be recruiting so they have candidates ready to replace workers who quit or call off. “Unfortunately, only 38% of cleaning businesses are doing that,” she said. “If we are not doing that, we are burning out our staff and harming our business.”

DeLucien recommended a three-step process for worker recruitment. She said BSCs need to ensure they have candidates that are:

1. Scheduled: The BSCs set up interviews with potential candidates.
2. Showed: The interviewees actually showed up to the interviews.
3. Offered: The BSCs offered positions to the best candidates.

DeLucien encouraged BSCs to continuously recruit to ensure a high volume of candidates. “If you don’t have a high volume of interviews you can’t pick for culture and character. You end up picking for desperation,” she explained.

BSCs need to practice their interviewing skills so they become confident in the process and in their hiring choices. “You need to trust your own-decision making,” DeLucien said.

She advised BSCs to make offers to about 10% of their candidates, even if that is a higher number of candidates than they have positions to fill, explaining that candidates often change their mind after accepting a position, or end up not being a good fit for the company.

In the Business Solutions Theater, also on the exposition floor, show attendees learned about reporting requirements for products that contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of synthetic compounds that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Nicholas Georges, senior vice present of scientific and international affairs with the Household & Commercial Products Association (HCPA), said these substances are often found in waterproof fabric, wall paint, personal care products, and packaging. Known as forever chemicals, they move through soils and are commonly found in rain and drinking water. They are readily absorbed through human skin. PFAS have been linked to metabolism issues, certain types of cancers, and other health risks.

Many U.S. states have enacted regulations governing the use of PFAS in consumer and industrial products, for example Minnesota will not allow them in products starting in 2025. Manufacturers and BSCs may be required to report any products they make or use that have intentionally added PFAS to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However the EPA is delaying reporting requirements due to budget constraints, Georges said, adding he is skeptical that these budget issues will be addressed during the upcoming Trump administration.

Current requirements state that businesses have an obligation to report products with PFAS by Jan. 11, 2026, in the U.S., and by Jan. 29, 2025, in Canada. Georges said that any BSCs seeking U.S. federal government contracts must use products without intentionally added PFAS to clean government buildings.

Georges said it can be difficult to determine if products contain PFAS since  several different definitions of these products exist. For example, some states and Canada define PFAS as products containing one fully fluorinated carbon atom and other states define PFAS as products containing two fully fluorinated carbon atoms. One tip Georges offered is to look for the ingredient “fluro” listed on product labels.