Lincolnwood, IL, USA, May 14, 2010— ISSA is pleased to announce that two new groups of individuals have achieved certification as official Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) ISSA Certification Experts (I.C.E.). The addition of these 80 I.C.E. professionals brings the total count to more than 600 certified experts representing 53 U.S. states and Canadian provinces in addition to Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, and Australia.

  “The I.C.E. program continues to receive tremendous feedback from workshop attendees, who consistently comment on the tremendous value of the information provided,” said ISSA Director of Facility Service Programs Dan Wagner. “What is more, we continue to see an increasing number of I.C.E.-certified professionals being listed on official CIMS certification applications, speaking to the value-added nature of the I.C.E. designation and proving that the program is delivering on its promise to improve relationships and position certified individuals as a one-of-a-kind resource.”  

  The I.C.E. program is designed to help industry professionals deal with their customers’ or their own organizations’ likely budget cuts. Custodial operations around the country are being asked to reduce labor budgets by 5 percent to 10 percent, and it has become increasingly evident that such reductions cannot be accomplished by supply-price decreases alone. Professionals who wish to position themselves as an indispensable resource need to be armed with advanced operational and budgetary knowledge. Understanding the need to evaluate, reduce, and redeploy the work force is the most promising way to meet such budget reductions, and I.C.E.-workshop attendees are provided crucial information that will help them in this regard. In fact, past attendees have reported saving customers more than six figures annually by helping them comply with CIMS.

  Further, the addition of the new CIMS-Green Building criteria to the workshop curriculum positions an I.C.E.-certified professional to partner with customers in the development of a comprehensive green/ high performance cleaning program and assist in securing points toward LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance for green cleaning activities.  

  To become a CIMS expert, professionals must attend a one-day workshop and pass an examination regarding the management and green building elements contained in the Standard. The CIMS-expert designation is earned by and applies to an individual rather than an entire organization.