Keep It Clean! - A Pro Cleaning Industry Podcast

Listen to this latest interview with special guest Barry Costa. Barry talks about his start in the cleaning and restoration world while working with his Dad in the 1960’s and 70’s as a helper and starting his own company while working as a school teacher in New Hampshire. 

He is an award winning school teacher and if you have had the great fortune of taking any of his restoration or installation classes, you know that this is a true statement. He is an outstanding educator and is able to combine his passions of education and restoration work.

Barry talks about his entry into the industry and his time as an industry volunteer with IICRC. Barry has a passion for helping the education portion of our industry. He spent many years as the Education Committee chairman of the IICRC to help us understand the education challenges of adult learning and how to add a practical element to our training courses. 

Give this episode a listen and hear from one of the most popular instructors in our world and his personal story of his startup. Barry Costa is one of the good guys that has spent a lot of energy to make our businesses better. 

A true gentleman that reaches back in our industry over 50 years. One of the first education providers in the industry, and still going strong today, Ron Toney. 

Ron started back in 1969 as a high school custodian and over  5 decades later still has a passion about cleaning fabrics and working with current technicians to make the industry a better place.

From shampoo machines to HWE and all processes in between, Ron has seen and done it all. He is even a certified tufting machine operator. Ron has been there and done that almost as long as anyone we have talked to on this podcast.

He gives out little nuggets with sales and marketing techniques that have stood the test of time. Give a listen and you won't be disappointed.

Shawn Bisaillon has had quite a journey in the professional cleaning and restoration industry! Starting at age 18, for some 30 years has had several different views of industry roles from cleaning technician to manufacturer and many things in between.

Shawn is most recognizable in his role as an IICRC Instructor, training thousands of technicians over the years with a level of passion and energy that always keeps students entertained and engaged. 

He continues to be at the helm of his own cleaning and restoration firm in Colorado today. Shawn works with large commercial clients all across the world and has worked with Shaw Total Care as both a trainer and consultant for many different types of flooring and the associated maintenance challenges.

He has a wide range of experiences within the professional cleaning and restoration industry and has received awards for his outstanding humanitarian work within his community and our industry.

In the fall season of 1986, the professional carpet cleaning  industry was challenged with a new stain resistant carpet product introduced to the public. This product was unlike anything else we had ever worked on. StainMaster nylon was produced and delivered to carpet manufacturers and advertised to the public...and consumers could not buy it fast enough!!

DuPont had made arrangements with Stanley Steemer to be their warranty claim partner to service StainMaster carpets that were spotted by customers spilling things on them. The deal from DuPont was, if the professionals could not remove the spot, DuPont would replace the carpet. Other carpet cleaning professionals that were not affiliated with Stanley Steemer were not too happy.

Our hero, Bill Doan swooped in, with a lot of help from IICUC, and launched programs where other Certified carpet cleaning professionals could participate in the StainMaster cleaning claims. Industry education took off from that point and we now enjoy the benefits of 35+ years of quality education and increased revenue because of the ladies and gentlemen that spent the time and energy to engage in difficult conversations. Bill Doan is one of the catalysts of those conversations.  

He liked working with carpet cleaners so much, he actually became one! Bill spent time working for SteamWay International and Spectra, Shaw Industries carpet cleaning division. Give a listen and hear his side of the story.

Mike Dunmyer, owner of Advanced Degree Carpet Cleaning, earned an MBA from Duke University, has worked as an executive in corporate America, and as a partner in a national non-profit organization that is helping to save our oceans. Then, he decided to become a carpet cleaner.

Mike went from dining with US Senators and Congressional reps to cleaning customers’ carpets and loving every minute of it. He brings a unique perspective to our industry, one that I really enjoy sharing with all of you.

Mike explains how his former business background was the launching pad for his new venture, and how our industry changed his thinking about how service businesses actually operate in the field. He feels lucky to be a part of the cleaning industry and loves the opportunity it provides for him and his family.

He entered the business with a well thought out plan and ideas on how to tame the wild carpet cleaning frontier. He continues to adapt and change his plan as the marketplace dictates, and as his company grows.

Mike talks about his company’s team development plan, business plan, his marketing strategy, and what the future will hold for him as he moves forward in life as a professional carpet cleaner

Robert Falzone of Robert Falzone Consulting and Sales is our guest on this rip roaring edition of Keep It Clean. Robert is outspoken to say the least and got his start with cleaning and restoration refurbishing historical buildings in Brooklyn New York in the 1980's. 

He has a world of knowledge from his days in the field and brought that knowledge into his sales career in Las Vegas NV. The difference in restoring historical  buildings to their grand luster in NY, versus the demolition of anything old in Las Vegas he finds humorous.

Listen to how he learned on the job, without much personal protective equipment or training to become one of the most sought after consultants to fine fabrics and expensive natural flooring in the Western part of the United States.

Doyle Bloss of HydraMaster speaks about his early years in the cleaning business and his entry into the supply side of the business. He talks about the influence his father, Ralph Bloss had on him and our entire industry, about helping people, especially young couples grow their business and therefore their lives. 
He and I reminisce about early days without truckmount hot water extraction and how we were able to still make a living even without the best tool or information available.

Howard Partridge spent all of their wedding cash on a carpet cleaning machine and he is still married!! He struggled like we all did in the beginning of his career and turned it around by understanding the power of referral marketing. 

Howard now trains thousands of people all around the world on how to use his system of referral marketing. His company in Houston Texas, Clean As A Whistle, runs with his management team in charge so Howard can focus on helping others, in several different service industries, build their businesses.

His interview brings us from the beginning to where Howard is now and gives glimpses on how you yourself can use his strategies in your own company. 

Mike Pailliotet has been cleaning carpets for awhile and has seen every side of the industry. From  high pressure sales processes in his early years, to the more consultative approach today, Mike still cleans carpet every day and has an army of cheerleaders as current customers. 

Mike started out learning from the internet and now has a list of other cleaning professionals he has helped, yelled at and nurtured into better professionals. He owns Mikey's Board, a forum where carpet cleaning pros can go to learn, research and enjoy the company of other pros in the carpet cleaning industry. 

Mike also has many opinions about how this industry should operate and equip itself to do the best job for his and your customers. Listen on how he started and is continuing his voyage through the carpet cleaning industry.

Claude Blackburn, Founder of Dri-Eaz Products, talks about his early days with carpet cleaning and operating his business in Northwest Washington state. It is an interesting story of overcoming, dedication, optimism, and downright stubbornness to keep the dream alive and then some. One man's take on pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and how to learn along the way. Claude's story is very inspiring.