industry news WFBSC Congress Focuses On Technology, Economics The 20 th Congress of the World Federation of Building Service Contractors (WFBSC), held in New York City on April 6-9 in the Marriott Marquis, included keynote addresses from Dr. Peter Diamandis and Steve Forbes. Welcome remarks were made by the event’s host, Stanley Doobin, owner and president of Harvard Maintenance, and WFBSC’s president LeRoy Dock, CBSE. Building service contractors and promi-nent cleaning professionals from over 20 countries attended the event. “This year’s Congress is filled with con-tent that can change your business and your life,” noted Doobin. Author of the bestselling book, Abundance — The Future is Better Than You Think , Dr. Diamandis addressed the audience with examples of key advances in technology, including robotics, which will impact this cleaning industry in the coming years. “The only constant is change. If you don’t disrupt yourself, someone else will,” assert-ed Dr. Diamandis, adding that before a concept is considered a breakthrough it is first considered a “crazy idea.” Dr. Diamandis continued his discussion by encouraging executives and other cleaning professionals to stop thinking in a linear fashion and welcome and accept changes and technological advances. “What is the problem you are trying to solve?” inquired Dr. Diamandis. “The tech-nology is here to help.” Next, Forbes, chairman, CEO and editor-in-chief at Forbes Media, presented a sec-ond keynote address. Before looking ahead at such issues as credit, taxes and healthcare, Forbes took a look back at 2007, 2008 and 2009, which marked three of the most challenging years in our country’s recent history, and presented his case for why this country is expected to experience significant growth in the coming years. While Dr. Diamandis discussed disrup-tive and emerging technologies, Forbes reminded the audience of how a stable economy and properly assessing the value of money is critical to invent, test and develop these innovations. Cleaning & Maintenance Management , a sponsor of the event, was on-hand, and Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo’s full report on the event can be found on page 25. CDC Investigates Norovirus Outbreaks The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that three out-breaks of illness affecting more than 100 people each were reported aboard two cruise liners, with two outbreaks occurring in back-to-back cruises of the same ship, according to CNN. Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and an epi-demiologist boarded Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas vessel in Baltimore, Maryland, in April to conduct an investiga-tion; specimens were collected to be sent to the CDC lab for testing. A CDC spokeswoman said the CDC would work with the medical teams and employees on the vessel and cruise line to follow-up, and that the cleaning, sanitation and hygiene practices employed on the ship would be looked at. The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program website listed eight illness outbreaks on cruise lines so far for 2014, and this follows a listing of nine outbreaks for 2013. a press release. Toronto’s Custodial Services-Facilities Operations went through the internal certifi-cation processes in 2013 and obtained CIMS and CIMS-GB Certification with honors. Having witnessed the value of certifica-tion, the City of Toronto issued the prereq-uisite for all future requests for proposals. The City of Toronto became an ISSA member in 2011. CIMS certification brings benchmarking and validation to operations and to the service provider selection process. According to Toronto Manager of Custodial Services-Facilities Operations Lindsay Bauckham, “CIMS and CIMS-GB offers internationally recognized metrics that the city can use as a benchmark for its own systems and processes.” The City of Edmonton also began inte-grating CIMS into its operations. Robert Kuziw, with Edmonton project management and maintenance services, said, “This [CIMS certification] will estab-lish a recognized management standard and certification program relevant to our industry that is structured to deliver con-sistent, quality services.” Study: Triclosan Promotes Staph Buildup An ingredient commonly used in anti-bacterial soaps and other products to kill germs may actually promote the buildup of dangerous bacteria in the nose, accord-ing to The Plain Dealer . Triclosan, a chemical found in the major-ity of antibacterial hand and dish soaps, was “picked up in the nasal passages of 41 percent of the adults sampled by research-ers at the University of Michigan.” Researchers found a potential link between Triclosan and staph: Triclosan appears to help the staph bacteria grab hold and bind to proteins in the nose. An infectious disease specialist with MetroHealth Medical Center explained that staph aureus can colonize some peo-City Of Toronto To Require CIMS/CIMS-GB Certification ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry asso-ciation, announced that the City of Toronto Custodial Services-Facilities Operations in Canada has mandated that all future out-side service providers will be required to be certified under ISSA’s Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and CIMS-Green Building (GB) program, according to For daily industry news, sign up for CM e-News Daily at www.CMMOnline.com/Sign-Up. Please send any news or press releases to Editor Phillip Lawless at [email protected]. 6 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® May 2014
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