First Self-Propelled Sweeper in the U.S. Patented by a Black Man

Charles Brooks earned a rightful place in history with his first U.S. patent for a self-propelled sweeper. Since that invention, there's little doubt that no one in the industry prefers operating one that isn't self-propelled!

Rod Moore Discusses How to Provide Great Customer Service

As part of our recognition of Black History Month, we are reprising an interview our Editor conducted with Rod Moore, a black man who at that time managed one of the largest sweeping companies in America, C & J Parking Lot Sweeping. After the company was purchased by SCA Moore left that position.

When WorldSweeper's Editor spent an afternoon with Rod visiting customers, he asked Rod to talk about the business concepts he felt had made the company so successful over its more than 40 years of operation.

MLK Jr.'s 2nd Most Famous Quote: Has it Inspired Sweeping Excellence?

On April 9, 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered words that may have significantly influenced the evolution of the sweeping industry into its current more esteemed position. His profound statement, second only in fame to his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, eloquently elevates the profession of street sweeping:

"If it falls your lot to be a streetsweeper, sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music.

Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause and say here lived a great streetsweeper who swept his job well."

A lesser-known yet equally impactful sentence actually directly preceded this quote: "Set out to do a good job and do that job so well that nobody can do it any better." This powerful call to excellence is also included in the free downloadable certificates we offer at the links below.

In today's United States and many other countries, operating a street sweeper is a high-tech endeavor, with many of the machines valued at over a quarter million dollars. It's imperative that operators receive thorough training, whether through the WorldSweeper website or via other means, to ensure both safety and proficiency.

For over 18 years, WorldSweeper has proudly featured MLK Jr.'s inspiring quote on our homepage, believing it can play a role in fostering a positive transformation within the industry. Maybe it has: Observing a skilled sweeper operator at work today can be as captivating as watching a meticulously choreographed dance.

WorldSweeper's Editor interviewed by phone a number of manufacturers' representatives who attended the traditional NPE as well as new PAVE/X tradeshows. The provided information was uniform: The NPE featured less participation by sweeping-related providers, several of whom had only 10 x 10 booths at NPE. This appears to be driven, in part, by the fact that NAPSA had jumped to the new PAVE/X show.

One feature liked was the demonstrations held at PAVE/X, although the $10k price of having a one-hour demo was cited as being quite expensive; however, the demo schedule sold out. Another attendee said only the first couple of hours of the first day at NPE had any real traffic and that a number of booths "vanished after day one." That rep also said the NPE show floor seemed much smaller than usual.

World Sweeping Association Advisory Board Member, Michael Nawa, only attended PAVE/X, where he took this 3-minute slideshow – mostly of sweepers on display – for our readers. Michael, who was on NPE's Board for many years, felt like PAVE/X "brought back the excitement and fun that going to NPE brought many years ago."

Next year the National Pavement Expo is scheduled to be in Tampa January 15 – 17, 2025, dates that reportedly were changed so as not to conflict with next year's PAVE/X show, which will be in Chattanooga, January 30 – February 1st.

Fayat Environmental Solutions America Hires James Crockett as National Dealer Development and Sales Manager

James Crockett, a longtime manager at Elgin Sweepers, with be the Dealer Development and Sales Manager overseeing the Ravo and Scarab Sweeper product portfolio in the American market.

Crockett holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University. In his role prior to joining Fayat's Environmental Solutions America team, Crockett was responsible for significant growth in portfolio revenues resulting from new product introductions, targeted marketing campaigns, optimizing product logistics, and sales-specific training initiatives.

Says Crockett of why he is joining Fayat: "The Ravo model lineup that includes the R1, R2, R5 and R5e, paired with the Scarab dual- and single-engine truck-mounted products, are undoubtedly among the finest sweeping machines in the world. These, along with some newer technologies coming, the growth of the Ravo US-based support organization, and the enthusiasm and excitement of the Ravo team are what really grabbed my attention and brought me back to the industry."

Check out Fayat's press release.

Keystone Plastics Welcomes Terry Parsons as Sales/Business Development Executive

Keystone Plastics recently announced the newest addition to its team, Terry Parsons, who has joined the Keystone Team as the Sales/Business Development Executive.

Terry's career highlights include successful tenures as General Manager at Alamo Group Inc. (parent company of both Schwarze Industries and Nite-Hawk Sweepers) and Chief Operating Officer at Heil of Texas, where he played pivotal roles in transforming operations, driving growth, and instilling a high-performing culture.

Check out Keystone Plastics' press release.

Most Beautiful Street Sweeper in Thailand?

Whether she is perched in the back of a water truck, gingerly plucking weeds with her manicured nails or staring down a stray dog on the streets, Pattaramon Thocharoen is always camera-ready with a full face of makeup and several poses. Also known as "Bow," the 27-year-old has an image to keep up with her over 300,000 TikTok followers, some of whom have dubbed her Thailand's "most beautiful street sweeper."

Bow shot to fame in 2023 for the short video clips she posts on TikTok, and is famous for one video in particular where she rants about an older woman who criticised her for dolling up because Pattaramon was "just a street sweeper."

"So I said (to her), the goal of (my) life is to be beautiful... We have to make ourselves as happy as possible," said Pattaramon in the clip that has had over 3.7 million views. "This was the profession that my parents did to raise me, so I'm proud of it," continued Pattaramon, whose mother was a street sweeper and her father a garbage truck driver. Both are retired.

Check out the story about "Bow," her job and her internet fame.