Seriously what are Associations , Organization suppose to do?

Time for a game changer. A contractor only org. Or assoc. ECCA environmental cleaning contractors assoc.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
 
If I were going to put together an association these would be my top 5.

1. Organize the contractors into a cohesive civil unit with common goals.
2. Standardize the industry with commonalities in regard to licensing, insurance, equipment, chemicals, safety, professionalism and alike.
3. Offer great educational opportunities for contractors from MULTIPLE sources and locations.
4. Develop benifits for small contractors that only big companies could provide in the past, health insurance, disability, workers comp, etc.
5. Educate the consumer about making informed choices about any contractor working on their home or property and to choose members of our association and why.

Ok I had to add a sixth,

6. Develop advertising, collateral materials and business forms for the contractor so they can focus on their business and not on reinventing the wheel.

Thanks,

AC
 
Doug Rucker said:
These are in no particular order:

1) Establish a code of conduct and ethical standards for ALL members
2) Establish a Mission Statement and do not deviate from it
3) Establish a set of benefits it's members will receive for joining the association or organization and live up to those benefits.
4) Decide on who your target membership audience will be and eliminate any conflicts of interest
5) Educate and Represent your membership with the highest ethical standards
6) Educate and Represent (when asked) your membership in all things pertaining to the industry to which your association or organization is a part of.
7) LISTEN, LISTEN, and LISTEN some more to your membership and HELP THEM
8) Be a positive influence on the industry you represent and work to be at the forefront of industry changes
10) COMMUNICATE frequently and often with your membership what you are working on, what you see happening in the future and solicit membership help, ideas, opinions.

I am not currently a member of any org or association, these are just some of the things I would think any org or association should do.
Click to expand...

+1 Doug I posted before I read yours.

AC
 
AC Lockyer said:
If I were going to put together an association these would be my top 5.

1. Organize the contractors into a cohesive civil unit with common goals.
2. Standardize the industry with commonalities in regard to licensing, insurance, equipment, chemicals, safety, professionalism and alike.
3. Offer great educational opportunities for contractors from MULTIPLE sources and locations.
4. Develop benifits for small contractors that only big companies could provide in the past, health insurance, disability, workers comp, etc.
5. Educate the consumer about making informed choices about any contractor working on their home or property and to choose members of our association and why.

Ok I had to add a sixth,

6. Develop advertising, collateral materials and business forms for the contractor so they can focus on their business and not on reinventing the wheel.

Thanks,

AC
Click to expand...

Let us pray and fight against any thing like this ever coming into play. To try to encourage peopel to not hire a contractor that is not part of your org reeks of Union tactics. To try to standardize equipment and chemicals for all members is exactly what vendors would like to see. What works best for me may not work best for someone else. For those who like the capitlistic business place, please realize what these orgs represent. If you are a succesful business, the last thing you should want to do is educate your competition.
 
William we all know you and lots of others feel this way, I feel this way often.

offdutyfireman said:
Let us pray and fight against any thing like this ever coming into play. To try to encourage peopel to not hire a contractor that is not part of your org reeks of Union tactics. To try to standardize equipment and chemicals for all members is exactly what vendors would like to see. What works best for me may not work best for someone else. For those who like the capitlistic business place, please realize what these orgs represent. If you are a succesful business, the last thing you should want to do is educate your competition.
Click to expand...
 
AC Lockyer said:
If I were going to put together an association these would be my top 5.

1. Organize the contractors into a cohesive civil unit with common goals.
2. Standardize the industry with commonalities in regard to licensing, insurance, equipment, chemicals, safety, professionalism and alike.
3. Offer great educational opportunities for contractors from MULTIPLE sources and locations.
4. Develop benifits for small contractors that only big companies could provide in the past, health insurance, disability, workers comp, etc.
5. Educate the consumer about making informed choices about any contractor working on their home or property and to choose members of our association and why.

Ok I had to add a sixth,

6. Develop advertising, collateral materials and business forms for the contractor so they can focus on their business and not on reinventing the wheel.

Thanks,

AC
Click to expand...

Can't believe #3 and #6 havent already been done.
 
offdutyfireman said:
Doug, that is a nice catch phrase, but not true. MacDonalds doesn't educate Wendy's. Not educating your competition will hopefully allow them to go under.
Click to expand...

I disagree a bit William , I was at Albertson's when it was the larger grocery chain. I was called to wash and interior because they where having visitors from there association. It was walmart, now we might say that turned out bad for them since we know what happened. Regardless they invited them to look at something they where proud of. Pretty sure it was the up right freezers because now all the walmarts have that same model. I know because I clean them and know the manufacture reps.

I see plumbers and electricians meeting. I see other trades people moving there industry's forward. Why not ours?
 
offdutyfireman said:
Doug, that is a nice catch phrase, but not true. MacDonalds doesn't educate Wendy's. Not educating your competition will hopefully allow them to go under.
Click to expand...

That's the problem right there. We are not McDonalds or Wendy's or Target or Walmart. Our industry is different. Comparing us to them is useless as we are not even close. You think those guys are not parts of orgs or associations, buying groups, etc etc? They are.

We all can make each other look good, or look bad. IF you think Walmart, Target, McDonalds, Wendy's etc do not help each other out and YES educate each other, then you are mistaken.

I was in the HVAC industry for years, we were part of no less than three organizations and all were a huge benefit to us. Plumbers, Electricians, G.C.'s, Drywallers, Painters, all have viable trade organizations that woork for them and are a benefit to them and have for oh a really really long time. The contact Cleaning industry, specifically ours is just way behind the times and the ones we have had have not, obviously done a good job. WE can change that, and those that want to change it can, those that don't, won't.
 
I have to disagree. As a business owner, I do model my business after successful models. I am the same as them, only smaller. No org that has been presented to the washing community has been beneficial. I do not see any being so in the future. The vast majority of painters, drywallers and others that you name are not members of orgs, or even know about them. I know as I was a residential General Contractor at one point in my diverse career. I have zero desire to make another contractor look good. It is not beneficial to me or my business. Snake oil, bleach alternative, or whatever is being pitched at the moment by those without my interest at heart have no place in little world. That is where I see the orgs.
 
I this point I agree, I just wish there could be more to offer. Yes your a leader in your industry and what you do, funny so called leaders don't even realize what you or I actually do. Some of them was locations for 275 each to ad up over 300 units all year to what you might was in a weekend. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH lets not tell them, I understand your spot I'm in it.

Just that the government is going to regulate and we have the wrong folks batting.

offdutyfireman said:
I have to disagree. As a business owner, I do model my business after successful models. I am the same as them, only smaller. No org that has been presented to the washing community has been beneficial. I do not see any being so in the future. The vast majority of painters, drywallers and others that you name are not members of orgs, or even know about them. I know as I was a residential General Contractor at one point in my diverse career. I have zero desire to make another contractor look good. It is not beneficial to me or my business. Snake oil, bleach alternative, or whatever is being pitched at the moment by those without my interest at heart have no place in little world. That is where I see the orgs.
Click to expand...
 
Now here I have to give my humble opinion. The top of this board reads "Pressure Washing Institute" with a pressure washing wand and a graduation cap with the logo "Changing the industry through education" as an Honorary Professor one might think that you would have a greater desire to change the image of your industry. As a firefighter did you turn a cold shoulder to a rookie that was willing to learn to do the job the right way and safely? I'm not saying you have to give your local competitors your price and client lists, but it does no good to be the one guy that knows whats going on in a room full of hacks. One of my local competitors told me the worst thing I could do to him was low ball numbers and do crappy work because I'd be out of business in 8 months and he would be expected to compete with low ball prices because the clients perception of the industry would be crappy work. By the way, he did give me his prices telling me if I ever had questions to call him and that there is plenty to clean and even with 20 trucks he couldn't do it all.

Now to answer the question if there was going to be a serious association I think they should push for required licensing in every state that at a minimum tests a persons understanding of proper use of a machine that can damage someones property and dangerous chemicals that can harm themselves. Require pressure washing contractors to hold a minimum level for general liability insurance. This would protect customers thus raising there perception of the industry. This would also cut down on unlicensed low ballers which cuts competition causing prices to increase meaning more money for less work.
 
At the fire dep't I was paid to train others. That was part of my job. Different scenario. This is private industry. We succeed where others fail. I do not believe in the "Lowball hack" mentality. If someone charges lower prices than you, that is there business. Either they have found a way to be more effecient or they are doing a poor job. Either way, they will see the results of their actions on their own. It is not for the gov't or us to regulate and make sure we are licensed or have passed a test. Less gov't and interference the better. I have local guys that I work with and trust and hope they do well. On the same hand, I have helped and shared info with others that have bid against me in other states.
 
Agreed !!!!

Except its not about goverment licenced. They are passsing some pretty stupid water laws and adopting ridiculous reclaim laws. We are not organized and have nothing to even come close to our representation.

offdutyfireman said:
At the fire dep't I was paid to train others. That was part of my job. Different scenario. This is private industry. We succeed where others fail. I do not believe in the "Lowball hack" mentality. If someone charges lower prices than you, that is there business. Either they have found a way to be more effecient or they are doing a poor job. Either way, they will see the results of their actions on their own. It is not for the gov't or us to regulate and make sure we are licensed or have passed a test. Less gov't and interference the better. I have local guys that I work with and trust and hope they do well. On the same hand, I have helped and shared info with others that have bid against me in other states.
Click to expand...
 
want2skydive said:
now here i have to give my humble opinion. The top of this board reads "pressure washing institute" with a pressure washing wand and a graduation cap with the logo "changing the industry through education" as an honorary professor one might think that you would have a greater desire to change the image of your industry. As a firefighter did you turn a cold shoulder to a rookie that was willing to learn to do the job the right way and safely? I'm not saying you have to give your local competitors your price and client lists, but it does no good to be the one guy that knows whats going on in a room full of hacks. One of my local competitors told me the worst thing i could do to him was low ball numbers and do crappy work because i'd be out of business in 8 months and he would be expected to compete with low ball prices because the clients perception of the industry would be crappy work. By the way, he did give me his prices telling me if i ever had questions to call him and that there is plenty to clean and even with 20 trucks he couldn't do it all.

Now to answer the question if there was going to be a serious association i think they should push for required licensing in every state that at a minimum tests a persons understanding of proper use of a machine that can damage someones property and dangerous chemicals that can harm themselves. Require pressure washing contractors to hold a minimum level for general liability insurance. This would protect customers thus raising there perception of the industry. This would also cut down on unlicensed low ballers which cuts competition causing prices to increase meaning more money for less work.
Click to expand...

+1

ac
 
You guys need to pull out of the post American mindset and take a look at what you are saying.

What kind of people asks the government to regulate them? It's the weak. It's the weak who think they can't survive without the government putting a stop to that evil lowballer who is making them actually EARN their customer base rather than just sit behind a website and wait for the government force calls because you are LICENSED and INSURED and are on the government OK list.

Who loses when an industry reaches out to the government to assist them in getting and keeping customers by way of a piece of paper that says you can? THE WEAK loses.

Here's some info for you guys. YOU ARE the WEAK. AC, you may have built a multimillion dollar business but for you do succeed in the industry with the government sticking it's nose in and giving you PERMISSION to work you would have failed. You didn't have the capitalization to do the lobbying needed to grease the palms of the ones making the decision as to who gets the license and who doesn't.

Who wins in these situations? None of us. If you will take a look around at the largest heavily regulated industries from construction to HVAC to plumbing to asphalt and concrete the businesses that dominate are owned by people who don't know the first thing about any of those industries. My prediction is that IF we are successful in adding further regulation to our industry less than 1% of us will be self employed in this industry within 10 years. Many of you will end up as an employee of the one who greases the palms and makes the money.

AND WHO DO YOU THINK THAT WILL BE? Could it be the one's who want to ORGANIZE YOU????????

We have one of the last bastions of the American way right here in our industry. I can't believe that you guys can't look at the other industries where entry is almost impossible and goverment fees and licenses are more of the budget than fuel and see the fallacy of even LOOKING in that direction.

Look what government intervention has done for the HVAC industry! They are the most trusted human beings on the planet because they are heavily licensed! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are scum liars worst than car salesmen and have more con artists than our industry and everyone knows it because they are on the news all the time with another scam.

Your idea of using licensing to make us more "professional" in the eyes of the consumer is like looking down the barrel of a shotgun and pulling the trigger because "it made a really cool bang when the other guy did it" but failing to see the result of his headless dead body on the floor.

I'm not going to change anybody's mind here. My industry is already regulated. I can't be affected by whatever you guys do. Kill your own industry if you want.

William, you're 100% right. This is the way every org eventually turns. I will never renew any membership with any org again. I thought there was hope for an org that might simply stand to represent contractors in a positive way and offer education to those who cared to take that direction. But there's no money in that for them. The class fees aren't enough. Eventually they will have to offer their members some type of exclusivity and the only way to do that is the way the did it in the KEC industry by grabbing politicians by the balls and scaring old ladies into believing that unless you've been to their paid class you can't possibly clean a da*n kitchen exhaust.

Go ahead industry. Pull the trigger. You will get what you deserve and it won't affect me one iota. It will be sad to see. You will do it. You will forget every argument made against it as soon as one smooth talker deceives you. You will deserve to be an employee if you let them do it. Good luck people.

Addendum: pardon all the grammar mistakes, was in a real hurry
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top