NAPSA: Information for Sweeping Professionals

What's Next for NAPSA?

Certified Sweeping Company Designations

As NAPSA enters its 5th year as a self-supporting association, the association's administrative director is proud to announce its latest accomplishment, NAPSA's Certified Sweeping Company designation. This program has become available this past year to help differentiate between the companies that are committed to our industry and those 'fly by nighters' that come and go within a season or two.

Gerry Kesselring of Contract Sweepers & Equipment, and NAPSA's current president, states, " Our company is focusing our marketing efforts with our new certification. We are making sure our customers are aware of what the CSC designation means for the sweeping industry and us. We are educating them about the level of professionalism required to become certified and why they should require all the contractors they accept bids from to be certified."

Amy Allen, Administrative Director for NAPSA, is continuing to increase the reasons why NAPSA membership makes good sense.

This holds true for all the CSC companies: it's about educating your customers to understand the commitment that you have made to them and the industry.

The need and value for a Certification program has been clear to NAPSA members and the Board of Directors for some time. We knew we needed a way to recognize the companies that are dedicated to the industry and their customers. As Gabriel Vitale, with C & L Sweeper Service Corp. and a member of the NAPSA Certification Committee put it, "The reason we designed the program was to better our industry and to help educate our customers. As the program becomes more well known, we hope that municipal and state agencies will require NAPSA Certification for bidding on contracts. With 19 Certified Sweeping Companies already accredited, I'm sure it won't be long before that happens."

The purpose of the application focused on nine essential functions:

1. To provide a formalized mechanism for recognizing the sweeping companies that are operating in a professional manner and contributing to the overall image of the industry.
2. To enhance the marketing efforts of a professional sweeping company.
3. To encourage continuing education for improving the professionalism of the industry, and to encourage experienced members to "give back" to the industry.
4. To provide the groundwork for future recognition of Certification as a condition of bidding or operating on some projects.
5. To add value to association membership.
6. To create a pool of companies that, by their practices, reduce insurance losses and therefore create the opportunity for savings on premiums.
7. To establish a yardstick for customers to measure industry professionals and an education tool for customers to evaluate businesses with legal, ethical and professional standards.
8. To enhance NAPSA's ability to promote the association within the industry and to industry customers.
9. NAPSA-Certified Sweeping Companies are intended to be a subset of naPSa members seeking recognition for the experience and business practices required in the application.

These nine functions form the basis of the questions on the CSC application, which focuses on each applicant's ability to meet strict guidelines. These include safety, experience, continuing education, vehicle maintenance, operator training and adherence to NAPSA's Code of Ethics.

Shanda Middleton, now of Superior Sweeping Service, and former Administrative Director for NAPSA, has witnessed the development of the program since conception and continues to be part of the evolution. "As the previous administrative director for NAPSA, I had the pleasure of working with the NAPSA Board while developing this great program. Once it was available I was very excited to get Superior Sweeping Service certified. As a professional-level sweeping company, it is one of those things you really want to accomplish. Since the application takes some work it's easy to get sidetracked while gathering the information necessary to fill out the application. In our case it was a several week process before we were ready to turn it in." Superior Sweeping Service was approved for Certification in April of 2004.

Since their approval for Certification, Shanda elaborated on how gaining certification has helped her at Superior Sweeping Service. "I received a plaque to display and an information packet. This packet included seals, which we have started to use on our monthly billing, a letter to our customers explaining what NAPSA-Certified Sweeping Company stands for, and a CD with logos, which we have proudly displayed on our website.

Certification has become a valuable tool to help Superior Sweeping let its current and future customers know we are a reputable, respected company in the industry. We look forward to the time that certification becomes a requirement for sweeping contracts. This program will help to better the industry."

In addition to the application, Certified Sweeping Companies are also required to sign and uphold the NAPSA Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics requires the Certified Sweeping Companies to take an oath that they will be dedicated to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and competence while recognizing their responsibility to their customers, employees and the public.

NAPSA's first Certified Sweeping Company was awarded to Kerry and Mitch Armstrong of Armstrong Sweeping in Arvada Colorado. The certification was presented to them in December at the 2003 NPE West show in Las Vegas. Since that time, the NAPSA office has received an additional 23 applications, 18 of which have joined Armstrong Sweeping in becoming certified. With the remaining applications under review by the Certification committee, we are expecting more approvals very soon.

Rachel Gowan, Vice President of NAPSA and operator of Vern's Parking Lot Maintenance, expressed how becoming certified has helped her company. "The process of becoming certified has enhanced our company procedures on how we operate our business on a daily basis. Also, it assures our new and current customers that we are qualified to provide a more efficient service.

"One customer said, 'Although your price is a little higher than another one quoted, we feel you are more qualified to do the work.' Certification is a wonderful opportunity for all professional sweeping companies to take advantage of. It doesn't take that much time to fill out the application and you learn how to run your business better just by taking part in the process."

Debbie Jacketta, with Jacketta Sweeping Service and a member of the certification review committee agrees. "Since I have had the opportunity to review all of these applications, it has become clear to me how important certification is to all sweeping contractors. For the smaller companies and the relative newcomers, the program will teach you what you need to run your business successfully. The tools are on the application as far as what you should be working toward and striving for as your business grows. For the larger companies, the application process makes you take a step back and evaluate your business to make sure you really are practicing and following the guidelines set forth and making you aware of what your company is accomplishing every day."

NAPSA is striving to provide more and more benefits to the association as a whole but also to the Certified Sweeping Companies. Currently our program is under review by a several of insurance under writers and we are hoping for approval on preferred rates to offer to our CSC within the next few months. Certified Sweeping Companies are also privy to marketing materials through the NAPSA office including access to the new CSC logo, letters outlining the program for customers, and golf and denim shirts to help promote this accomplishment for their companies.

NAPSA is hoping to introduce the Master's Certification program within the next few months. We have been taking our time working out all the intricate details of the program on the first level before we take the qualifications up a notch. At the present time, we are planning to start accepting applications for the Master's Program January 1, 2005. All currently approved Certified Sweeping Companies will be able to upgrade their Certification to this level if they qualify.

If you are interested in learning more about the Certification criteria, download an application at our website or give us a call.

NAPSA's Certified Sweeping Companies When This Was Published

2003

Kerry Armstrong, Armstrong Sweeping, Arvada, Colorado

February 2004

Karl Stauty, Commercial Power Sweeping, Suffolk, Virginia

Rachel Gowan, Vern's Parking Lot Maintenance, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Doug Swatkowski, Central Sweeping Service, Winter Garden, Florida

Warren Burge, Clean Sweep, Inc., Baker, Louisiana

Gabriel Vitale, C & L Sweeper Service Corp Jackson, New Jersey

Mark Carter, Bill's Sweeping Service, Inc. Orange, California

March 2004

Debbie Jacketta, Jacketta Sweeping Service. Salt Lake City, Utah

April 2004

Patrick Reilly, Reilly Sweeping, Inc. Morrisville, Pennsylvania

John Dubbioso, Three D Industrial Maintenance Corp., Hawthorne, New York

Bob Hammond, Superior Sweeping Service, Inc., Kalamazoo, Michigan

Gerry Kesselring, Contract Sweepers & Equipment, Columbus, Ohio

Jim Dodson, Mid-State Industrial Service, Inc., Eugene, Oregon

June 2004

Ani Samuelian, Nationwide Environmental Services, Norwalk, California

Bradley Ross, Ross Industries, Inc., York, Pennsylvania

Michael Lucht, Progressive Sweeping Contractors, Toledo, Ohio

August 2004

Marc Chimento, Hy-Tech Property Services, Inc., Midlothian, Virginia

Kenneth Roy, PAM Sweeping Corp., Islip, New York

Raymond Confer, C & J Parking Lot Sweeping, Inc., Warren, Michigan

Go to the NAPSA website for an updated listing of NAPSA-Certified Sweeping Companies.

This article is reprinted from American Sweeper magazine, Volume 9 Number 2, 2004.

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