During the past four months I have been outlining a marketing plan that, when followed, can help you grow a phenomenally successful business.

In this time of the “credit crunch” sweeping across the global marketplace, it appears many folk are walking around a little forlorn, possibly wondering what will happen to them if they lose their job or, if they work for themselves, when the phone might ring again.

The “green” revolution demands that professionals who specialize in odor control search for technologies that eradicate odors in a safe and natural way. One of those technologies making its way to the forefront is zeolite.

Welcome to the fourth step in “Your 9-Step Marketing Plan.” Have you been diligently studying each step? I hope so; it will help your business a lot.

It’s January, and I have been the IICRC president for a little more than three months. I have been on the IICRC board of directors for 12 years and have seen many good presidents come and go.

Recently I received a call from an individual concerned about her terrazzo lobby. She said that no matter how much they stripped the floor, it retained a blotchy appearance. She was concerned she may have damaged the floor and would not be able to fix it.

After reading through old issues of Western Carpet Cleaner and Western Cleantalk, I can’t help but be again reminded of how much CFI has grown and changed since Gene and George Janssen, whom I’ve never met, founded the Rug Cleaners Institute back in 1952.

The war in Iraq may get the headlines, but there are thousands of smaller conflicts playing out every day in American living rooms. (And no, this will not be a column on marital counseling!) 

Life is like a book and each phase of one’s life a chapter. I have just completed another chapter in my personal novel – it’s titled "The IICRC Presidency." 

One of the biggest challenges for floor maintenance technicians is identifying the floor coverings they will be working on.