cleanthoughts Leveraging Expertise To Maximize Communal Awareness Of Your Services Cleaners can benefit while also helping the community. Publisher Micah Ogburn [email protected] Editorial Director Rich DiPaolo [email protected] (518) 640-9177 (516) 404-4532 Editor Phillip Lawless [email protected] (205) 408-3744 Assistant Editor Amanda Martini-Hughes [email protected] (518) 640-9168 Account Executives Susan Pierce [email protected] Matt Moberg [email protected] Art Director Marty Harris [email protected] Graphic Designer Justin Lancaster [email protected] Business Office Manager Rebecca Wilson [email protected] A According to a 2013 study conducted by Cone Communications and Echo Research, 82 percent of U.S. consumers consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) when deciding which products or services to buy and who to buy them from. Most small and medium-sized business owners, including commercial contract cleaners, know that efforts to increase their company’s brand awareness and word-of-mouth marketing are key ways to compete with bigger companies and help to level the playing field. Many commercial cleaning contractors, as well as in-house service providers, take time throughout the year to get involved at community events and meetings. However, in addition to sponsoring a local sports team for a season or getting involved in the town’s annual festival, as examples, professional cleaners have a significant amount of knowledge to offer that can help a community in several ways for years to come. These efforts, when done correctly, can augment your CSR plan. For building service contractors (BSCs), your company’s community involvement should not be considered a short-term mar-keting strategy. trol section are all geared to advance your knowledge on preventative, proactive and proven solutions. Word-of-mouth strategies can help grow your business as long as you and your em-ployees prepare properly. And, for in-house cleaning departments, sharing information regarding how cleaning can specifically reduce absenteeism, el-evate hygienic results and enhance morale can be a sound strategy to increasing clean-ing staff members and budgets. (256) 715-0342 (518) 640-9172 (518) 640-9164 Responsible CSR When done the right way, a professional cleaning department or company can pres-ent itself as an expert in the community and reap rewards on several levels; when done irresponsibly or in haste, the outcomes could be detrimental to the business and its employees. In time, through these local efforts, most small and medium-sized businesses will sep-arate themselves from the competition and also enjoy some other benefits, such as loyal customers who can carry out your word-of-mouth strategy and happy employees. Corporate social responsibility’s goal is to encourage a positive impact through a company’s activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities and stakeholders. Although professional cleaning business-es and departments may see financial gains from these efforts, this should not be the only motivator. Take the time to learn about a specific topic, such as infection control, and invest in developing that knowledge before looking to make a positive CSR impact in the commu-nity with your expertise. CM Editorial, Advertising & Publishing Offices NTP Media, division of 19BritishAmericanBlvdWest•Latham,NY12110-6405 (518) 783-1281 FAX: (518) 783-1386 Subscription Questions or Inquiries Toll Free (866) 721-4807 Outside U.S. (847) 763-1867 or e-mail [email protected] Subscribe / Renew / Change of Address: http://www.CMMOnline.com/Subscribe Corporate General Manager Barry Lovette [email protected] Vice President of Operations [email protected] Brent Kizzire Vice President of Business Publishing [email protected] Tracy Aston-Martin Vice President of Finance [email protected] Brad Youngblood Director of New Business Development [email protected] Matt Gallinger Group Director of Circulation & Fulfillment [email protected] Delicia Poole Circulation Manager Anna Hicks Keeping The Community Safe Through Awareness And Education As an avid reader of this publication and its website — CMMOnline.com — you have the knowledge needed on the subject of infec-tion control to help keep hospitals, restau-rants, schools and many other facility types safe from harmful pathogens and germs. In this special edition of Cleaning & Main-tenance Management , we continue your education in this area of cleaning. Our publication is aligned with the top experts in the field and the articles included in this issue’s CM/Spotlight: Infection [email protected] Editorial Advisory Board: Benjamin Tanner, Antimicrobial Test Laboratories; Bill McGarvey, Phillip Rosenau Company; David Holly, The Ashkin Group; Kathleen Stanton, American Cleaning Institute (ACI); Jeff Cross, Cleanfax magazine; Russell Kendzior, National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI). Rich DiPaolo, editorial director CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management Online™ Service at www.CMMOnline.com 4 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2014
CMM – Archives February 2014: 4
