On Nov. 7 the CRCII, along with Pro’s Choice, sponsored a special meeting for its members hosted by Jon-Don Products of Roselle, Ill. Pro’s Choice introduced some innovative chemicals and products. There will be live demonstrations. Two sessions will be held from 8 am to noon and 1 pm to 5 pm. Seating is limited, so call Jon-Don at (800) 936-3520 to make reservations. Jon-Don is located at 400 Medinah Road. Also at this meeting, a representative from B.I S.A., Inc. explained the insurance program available only to paid CRCII members.

If you’ve visited our website recently, you would have seen that it is being revised. There will be many new features included on our site for both members and consumers. We will make an announcement when it is completed.

Sadly, I must inform you of the passing of longtime member Jim Spann on Sept. 10. Jim had been cleaning carpets for over 50 years and still worked with his son Jon. Our condolences to the Spann family.

“With the passing of Jimmy Spann, those in our industry lost a scholar, an expert, a teacher, a cheerleader and, most of all, a friend,” Vince Caffarello said. “I was fortunate to know Jim for a majority of those years with both of us starting our industry careers in the ServiceMaster system. The amazing thing about knowing Jim for all those years is I never heard anyone say anything negative about him.

“It is difficult to separate and evaluate what single characteristic set Jim apart from the crowd but you would have to include his being an incredible Cheerleader for our industry. One only had to observe the care he took on the appearance of his truck, the industry patches applied to his uniform shirt, to see Jim was extremely proud to be a professional cleaner. He was not a big man in stature, but he was a giant in our industry; his gentle approach to people made him everyone’s friend. On Sept. 10, our industry lost a champion, and those of us that knew him lost an irreplaceable friend,” Caffarello said.

There is no meeting planned for December, but we have a jam-packed schedule planned for 2012.