contractor success First Impressions Are Long Lasting The condition of your parking lot is one of the ways people judge the professionalism of your company. By: Rickey Hyatt A Aside from the exterior of your building, the parking lot is one of the first things any vis-itor sees. The parking lot is also the one part of any facility that passersby see, remember and base their judgments on. A clean, well-maintained parking lot proj-ects an image of success and can be a source of pride for building owners and facility occupants. Parking lot sweeper trucks are specifical-ly designed to pick up the debris left behind by people, animals, vehicles or Mother Nature on various types of surfaces. Vacuum-type sweepers are the pre-ferred choice for cleaning parking lots because they can consistently clean sur-faces with minimal user effort. Sand, dirt and other debris and refuse are constantly being tracked inside public buildings; the parking lot is the first line of defense in keeping a building’s interior clean. The Importance Of Parking Lot Sweeping Today’s parking lot sweeper trucks are capable of picking up potentially damaging materials before they make it inside. Similarly to how matting reduces the necessary effort to keep floors clean, a well-maintained parking lot will save time and money on interior cleaning and will add longevity to any type of flooring. Grit, grease and grime left on a parking lot are abrasive and will quickly cause deterioration of pavement materials. Replacement costs for pavement and line striping far exceed the cost of routine sweeping. Scheduled cleanings and preventative maintenance will save you time and money down the road. Power sweepers help reduce the risk of slip, trip and fall accidents by removing debris from the parking lot and sidewalks. While the sweeper cannot be on the property at all times and things can spill, leak or blow onto a lot after being swept, a regularly scheduled sweeping can be very effective in preventing accidents. Nearly everyone agrees that we need to protect our environment and be as green as possible. Our potable water is a delicate resource and stormwater runoff is fast becoming a factor in our environment. Sweeping your parking lots on a regular basis can help minimize the pollutants in our stormwater streams and ensure that future generations have safe, clean water for drinking and other applications. Cleaning and maintaining a parking lot directly affects asset management, risk management, environmental management and the esthetics of your property. Although they have often been over-looked in the past, an increasing number of building owners and facility managers are realizing the benefits of a clean, well-main-tained parking lot. Given the increasing competition in today’s business world, an attractive park-ing lot can provide curb appeal and give your business or organization an edge over the competition. CM Rickey Hyatt is a sales representative for Schwarze Industries Inc., manufacturers of power sweeping equipment to clean parking lots, side-walks and other paved surfaces. With over 30 years in business, Schwarze Industries is commit-ted to providing an extraordinary level of cus-tomer support. Whether you are investigating sweeping as a business opportunity for the first time, looking for a quality used street sweeper or would like a bid on replacing your entire sweeper fleet, you can count on the Schwarze Industries team to meet your needs. Visit www.schwarze.com or call 1-800-879-7933 for more information. A clean, debris-free parking lot adds curb appeal and focuses attention to a property's landscaping and other positive attributes rather than refuse. 42 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • August 2010
CMM – Archives Aug 2010: 42
