Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you get a call that blows you out of the water, literally. That’s exactly what happened to restorer Ruth Travis, owner of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Interior Care, Inc., when she was asked to clean and restore a damaged menagerie that included a zebra, a giraffe, a wildebeest and an antelope. This experience doesn’t come along too often in one’s lifetime, so take a moment to read her tale of restoring heads, hides and tails!

Also in this feature-packed issue you can read “Choosing the Right Mop For the Right Job” by W. Ralph Jones, III, President and CEO of Jones Companies Ltd., a company that has been in the business of making yarns for use in cleaning applications since 1936. Jones message is simple: the true measurement in determining the value of a tool is the amount of labor that it saves in accomplishing a given task.

Another item new to ICS is a special section devoted to our readers. Adjacent to the Industry News section, you’ll have a chance to meet one of your peers, and read how he found a solution to one of his problems.

I want to remind everyone to keep sending in those submissions for this section. If you haven’t sent yours in yet, then here’s what you need to do: Submit photos of yourself next to your truck or van, with a list of what products, chemicals and equipment you regularly use. Also, tell me something about yourself, and any “tricks of the trade” you would like to share. Send all submissions to: ICS Magazine, Attn: Arpi Nalbandian, 22801 Ventura Blvd., Suite 115, Woodland Hills, CA 91364. Who knows, maybe next time, you’ll be in the spotlight!

Lastly, ICS Publisher Evan Kessler and I received a very heartfelt note from one of our readers, Jackson Lloyd. We both felt the note, which follows, deserved to be shared to shed light on an important cause.

Last year, Jackson started a fund for carpet cleaners in honor of his late father and his favorite saying in difficult times. The Jack P. Lloyd “It’s Not Fatal” Memorial Fund’s purpose is to help carpet cleaners and their families with any emergency situation. To request assistance or make a contribution to this worthy industry cause, please contact: INF Memorial, c/o Marty Sutley, 742 Memorial Dr., Prattville, AL 36067. For more information on the fund via the Internet, visit http://infmf.tripod.com.

As always, I’m open to your suggestions, comments and concerns. Together, we will continue to make ICS the industry’s most preferred source of information.