• Offers a link to “Six New Year’s Resolutions for Employers,” which offers some very sensible advice about how to interact with your employees to get more productivity and longevity from them.
• Preview link to story about the Maharaja’s Rolls Royce street sweepers, which shows, among other things, what can happen when employees pre-judge their potential clients.
• Link to how to make ‘wordles.’
• Safety info from John Meola, plus a link from him that shows ice coming off a vehicle and breaking the window of car behind.
• New safety info from Keep Trucking Safe and now posted on the WSA site.
This file contains a number of safety-oriented reminders, posters and even a brief training course on jobsite safety. Gleaned from information provided by the Keep Trucking Safe organization.
Stuart Smith virtually grew up in the parking lot sweeping business in his hometown of Newberry, SC, which is near Columbia, the state capitol. At the tender age of 10 he started helping out his father, who took over the sweeping business of a friend who died in the early 1970s. They had a Clark-brand push sweeper that collected debris in a cloth bag. The machine had to be trailered to the single account that came with his dad’s newfound company.
Stuart helped out in the mornings before school, which meant getting up before 5am. Their activities took about two hours to complete. Both his sister and his mother also went on the routes in order to get everything done as quickly as possible. Today, Smith’s son sometimes goes out on the job with his dad even though he’s only six years old. However, says Smith, he’s rarin’ to go and loves to run the backpack blower.
Best wishes for the New Year are included along with a reminder on the topic of three resolutions:
1. To discontinue signing contracts “with clauses that have the potential to make your company liable for occurrences on client properties that are not your responsibility and/or are not within your control. ”
2. To start getting your excise tax rebates on twin-engine sweeper fuel used if you are not doing so.
3. To remove any ‘toxic employees’ that might be on your current workforce.
Reported on East Side Industrial Service’s high-profile Christmas donation. Provided info on how and what to do in order to check your company’s ‘automatic’ listings online. Discussed why Ferrandino picked up some of Brickman’s Target accounts. Proposed we might start a shareable ‘Christmas card bank’ at the WSA website. Presented John Meola’s safety tips for December.
Link to an article designed to help counsel when a serious trauma situation occurs at your business. Info about some Target stores no longer being handled by Brickman. A link to an article that provides legal-oriented guidelines for business holiday parties. Link to a Detention Pond Maintenance Manual for homeowners’ association: the intent is to give you something to provide to any of your HOA clients with detention ponds. Info about ProntoForms so we can see if this might make a good WSA Member discount. Reminder that Sweeper/Paver Market is available at the WorldSweeper.com website a minimum of a week ahead of when anyone receives it by mail.
In 1978, Scott Perasso was a carefree 22-year-old mechanic. Then, his fiance’s father secured the parking lot sweeping contract for the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Sparks, Nevada. At the time, this was the largest such enterprise in the world. He moved from California to South Lake Tahoe, bought a used FMC sweeper and was suddenly making big money for 1978: $100/night.
Then, five months later, Scott was struck by a drunk driver, which required an above-the-knee amputation of his right leg. Although friends stepped in to try and keep his MGM account, after five weeks in the hospital and further recovery time before he could work, the couple had lost the contract. Our feature story is one of battling back to regain and maintain their business, which Scott and Sherry Perasso continue to operate today, 37 years later.
Information excerpted from the American Subcontracting Association that provides input on what is generally considered as good customer service, as well as how to improve good customer service in your organization.
Bi-weekly bulletin includes: Best practices tips on developing a veteran hiring program; question asked by WSA Member if there is an ‘interlock system’ that restricts vehicle engine speed while sweeping, and if anyone is using dash cams on their sweepers. We have our usual Safety First bulletin, but also a link to presentation materials by John Meola on ‘Getting to Zero Safety Incidents.’ A link to Brad Humphrey’s ‘8 Tips to Finish Your Year Profitably.’
Many WSA Members have expressed their desire to prioritize the hiring of veteranAmericanJobHeroess, if at all possible. An organization called Center for America offers two quick reference guides for businesses looking to do so. One is for small employers who want to hire veterans, national guard members and reservists and the other is for larger employers.
