WSA Member Update 1.1.24

January 1, 2024  Dear WSA Members,  As you might imagine, my decision to make 2024 my last year of working with the power sweeping industry is bittersweet. I truly have enjoyed working with contractors the most, using my educational and experience background to ‘move the ball forward’ as best I could. Since my first efforts in that regard, when I began the Supervac Quarterly for the Schwarze family in 1988, I have seen enormous strides in professionalism, as well as in an increasing recognition in the environmental value of street sweeping.  At the same time, emerging situations like the rising cost of sweepers and the unfortunate rise of third party vendors have served to make the business climate – especially parking lot sweeping – harder to navigate with decent profit margins. I’ll continue to do whatever I can to assist throughout the coming year.    For awhile now I’ve been collecting information for WSA provided by TradePub, which periodically offers (typically) short information publications on business topics. If you find the topic of the month of interest, check it out. I’m starting with an eBook entitled “Get More Done – 101 Productivity Principles To Help You Work Less & Achieve More.” I suggest you at least take a look at the table of contents to see the topics, which include: • How to prepare yourself before work • Things to do during work • Things NOT to do during work I really like how the WSA coffee mugs came out. Here’s the cartoon image that’s on one side of the mug, with the WSA logo and slogan on the other. As I mentioned in the last Update, it was the favorite cartoon ever featured in my American Sweeper magazine.  I think you will definitely enjoy receiving one as part of your renewal package this year as an alternative for those of you who either don’t use or have excess padfolios. That said, if you’d rather receive a padfolio be sure to let me know when you renew.  As always, if you have questions or comments about this WSA Member Update, or anything else to do with the World Sweeping Association or power sweeping in general, please let me know.  Good Sweeping,  Ranger Kidwell-Ross, Executive Director World Sweeping Association PS… I recently received calls from a couple landscaping contractors who, when looking on the internet for info on N.E.L.T.S. due to not being paid, found the articles I’d written about them. If you are doing work for them do exercise caution.