On day one of ISSA Show North America, the Empower Your Future: ISSA’s Hygieia Network Forum offered attendees a chance to connect, inspire, and elevate women in the cleaning industry.

In the forum’s keynote address, Domanique Grant, an award-winning artist, global keynote speaker, and founder of The Imagine Summit—one of Canada’s largest professional development and wellness conferences for creatives, youth, and changemakers—challenged listeners to turn their limitations into a superpower. Grant shared her personal journey of resilience and learning differently and how she pivoted repeatedly on her path to becoming an award-winning artist, humanitarian, and business owner.  

“What people think you are capable of is none of your business,” Grant said.

Instead, she offered neuroscience-backed strategies, to help leaders reframe personal and professional limitations into superpowers and not overlook these talents in traditional workplaces.

“Organizations are underleveraging the diverse strengths within their teams—neurodiversity, lived experience, and cultural intelligence remain untapped leadership assets,” Grant said.

In another inspiring presentation, Marti Walsh, vice president of marketing and customer experience at Kimberly-Clark Professional, advised attendees to prepare for inevitable changes.

“You are the boss of your own career; nobody else,” Walsh said. “…Make sure how you want to show up is how other people see you.”

Walsh cautioned that if you put all your chances of success into the control of your boss, you are going to lose. Those with a great boss have already hit the jackpot. But you must show them exactly where you want to go in your career, she said and be transparent in that conversation.

In a women in the industry panel discussion moderated by Jeff Lancaster, vice president of sales at Hospeco, featured panelists Holly Jennings, director of sales at Clorox Professional Products Co.; Rebecca Barraza, vice president of business development and global sales leader at Network Distribution, Debbie Sardone, president at Speed Cleaning Inc.; Holly Borrego, head of cleaning products and performance, Americas at ISS Facility Services; and Karina Villasenor, vice president of human resources at 4M Building Solutions.

The women answered questions on breaking barriers, talked about pivotal moments in their career journey, discussed collaboration across the industry, revealed solutions for overcoming challenges and setbacks, and offered advice for the next generation.

A panel representing all aspects of the cleaning industry kicked off opening day of ISSA Show North America 2025 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas with the goal of motivating attendees to reach out to their colleagues, build a personal network, and advance in the industry.

“Let’s make the cleaning industry a career destination,” said Laura Craven, vice president of marketing for Imperial Dade, one of the four panelists. “There is something for everyone in this industry; a lot of opportunities for career growth.”

“Start building your personal network today,” added panelist Laurie Sewell, president and CEO of Servicon Systems Inc. “Look around the room; introduce yourself. It’s one thing to share business cards, but you need to take that further by keeping in touch regularly.”

Moderated by John Nothdurft, ISSA director of government affairs, the opening session explored common challenges facing the cleaning industry today, such as the successful implementation of new cleaning technology.

Sewell said the best technology in the world won’t make a difference without employee buy-in. “Employees will want to know what’ s in it for them,” she explained. Sewell advised organizations to set up a change management process for technology, teaching staff how to use it correctly and dispelling their fears that the technology will eventually replace them.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impression on the importance of cleanliness, rising cleaning expectations is another issue challenging the industry. Panelist Christoper Limon, executive officer of operations administration for the Los Angeles Metro public transportation system, said with over one million riders daily, the LA Metro started using artificial intelligence to funnel through customer complaints. By streamlining the customer service process, Metro was able to address more issues, which led to an increase in positive customer feedback and a decrease in complaints.

Cleaning is not immune to politics, as evidenced by another common challenge Nothdurft posed to the panelists­—tariffs. “What’s true today with tariffs maybe was not true yesterday and won’t be true tomorrow,” he quipped.

Panelist Bob Robinson Jr., president of Kaivac Inc., believes the instability around tariffs will be a fact of life for the unforeseeable feature. “I’m sure you’ve all been at an amusement park and gone on a rollercoaster, strapped on the safety harness and hung on for dear life,” he said. “That’s what it’s like with tariffs.”

Robison said Kaivac deals with the uncertainty by focusing on the factors it can control, such as systems to drive down waste. “By eliminating waste, we can help keep our prices steady,” he explained.

Employee turnover and retention are perhaps the cleaning industry’s No. 1. challenge. All the panelists spoke of creating a culture that values staff by providing fair payment and opportunities for training and advancement.

Labor issues were covered in more detail at a lively session, Love ‘em or Lose ‘em. Speaker Isaac Johnson, senior vice president of operations at Aramark Healthcare, revealed that the average cost of replacing a cleaning worker is estimated at over US$12,000, factoring in advertising, screening, interviewing, and onboarding costs.

Employee engagement is crucial for avoiding turnover. Yet many organizations experience the red flags of employee disengagement, which Cindy Clayton, director of patient experiences at Aramark Healthcare, listed as low morale, high turnover, and decreased performance. “Employees stay when they feel heard, understood, and supported,” Clayton said.

Will Smith, district manager of Aramamark Heathcare, revealed the results of a 2025 engagement survey conducted by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Employee engagement scores at the hospital improved 11% in the last year, from 82% in 2024 to 93% in 2025. Smith and the other speakers shared eight tips that have helped Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist with teammate engagement and retention:

1. Strengthen daily communication: Implement consistent, purposeful huddles to align teams and reinforce opportunities.
2. Support new teammates early: Prioritize rounding on new hires to ensure they feel welcomed, supported and heard.
3. Increase leader presence: Boost leader visibility to foster trust and demonstrate commitment to frontline teams.
4. Encourage honest dialogue: Create safe spaces for feedback where teammates feel comfortable sharing concerns and ideas.
5. Follow through on feedback: Improve closing the loop to show responsiveness and build creativity with staff.
6. Recognize and reward contributions: Enhance recognition efforts to acknowledge individual and team achievements meaningfully.
7. Support overall wellness: Prioritize well-being by ensuring teammates feel supported, both personally and professionally.
8. Build team culture through celebrations: Promote celebrations that strengthen and reinforce a positive work environment.

Putting their words into practice, the speakers ended the education session with a mini-party featuring music, scratch-off cards for prizes, and Las Vegas-themed treat bags.