So what other changes in the IICRC"A" do you want to see?

[Mikey P]

besides a large scale MF, how else can this entity possible help you?




for as long as I've been around it's been virtually worthless, other than a nice $35 write off each year.



-will or can a campaign in Redbook or O magazine drum up work for the Owner Ops or would only the larger Certified mega-mount companies benefit from that sort of exposure?

-would you trust the new line up of instructors to educate your chimps?

-will the classes be hip and up to date on the latest techniques or will it still be hours wasted on the cleaning pie, the stench of celery and pushing whoever's crap that sponsored the class?

-is the "A" thing really necessary when Associations are dying faster than Evan's board?


Tony you got your dirty work done, now quite being such a puss and tell us whats in store for your new "Job" or I'm just gonna continue to to believe it's all about the free exotic vacations.




oh, and btw, I got no hope whats so ever for the IRCA or what ever lame acronym Cooper's corrupt gang goes by, for them to ever produce classes or events worth a damn either.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I agree with some of your rant Mike.

I see no value in patches and certificates. Actually the certificates have gone from a genuine certificate to a color copy look a like, so someone else doesn't see a value in them also.

I'd like to see improved curriculum expanded from the basic courses we have. You have RIA and IAQA that have more advanced classes and they are quite frankly kicking the IICRC right square in the ass. I DO NOT blame he current board, they have not had the time to make these changes yet!

I want the best training we can get for our tech's, right now we fly our tech's all over the country to some of these advanced classes. It would be nice if we didn't have to and it would also be nice if it were put on through the IICRC so we get accreditation....or a patch or a certificate like paper.

Given time the IICRC has the potential to be of real value to all of us cleaner/restorers. Thanks to Tony and crew for salvaging the organization for us all!

 

[Mikey P]

what dont you agree with about my so called rant?

 

[Desk Jockey]

We need associations, without them we have no "voice" that anyone will listen to.

Funny isn't it, other entity's think more highly of the IICRC than many of the registrants.

 

[The Great Oz]

besides a large scale MF, how else can this entity possible help you? for as long as I've been around it's been virtually worthless, other than a nice $35 write off each year.

Your $35 got you a certification that you passed a given class. You're registered, a registrant, not an association member. An ANSI ceritification writing body can't have members, or benefits, so you shouldn't get anything else from them.

-will or can a campaign in Redbook or O magazine drum up work for the Owner Ops or would only the larger Certified mega-mount companies benefit from that sort of exposure?

The IICRA can drum up work for a Certified Firm, big or small, because they're an association and that's a member benefit. Combine smart purchases of airtime with smart use of free media and things like the CRI recommending CFs and they finally may gain some traction with consumers.

-would you trust the new line up of instructors to educate your chimps?

Has there been a boatload of turnover in the instructor's ranks?

-will the classes be hip and up to date on the latest techniques or will it still be hours wasted on the cleaning pie, the stench of celery and pushing whoever's crap that sponsored the class?

They've signed a deal with Nike so now all instructors will have to wear battleship grey.

Actually, they want to move the repetitive stuff into an "pre-class" that can be taken on-line, so the instructors can get to teaching what you came for. It might a take a year or two, but they also want to have testing done on-line so you get your score immeidately and will know which questions you miss.

-is the "A" thing really necessary when Associations are dying faster than Evan's board?

Yeah, associations can be great for the members if they're run properly as member service organizations. The ones with directors who shortcut the rules or the phony associations started by a supplier or instructor's group desrve to die though.


Everyone needs to separate the IICRC from the IICRCA. They have different purposes.

The IICRC is the certification body. The IICRC can write an installation standard that will be recognized by ANSI. The certificate that says you passed a given test, and the rules to keep it up to date, come from the IICRC.

The IICRCA is the association. This is where the Certified Firms belong. Up until now a CF got a listing for their $125 and nothing else. If they become a member of the IICRCA they'll get member benefits like the already mentioned free pass to the convention. The sleepy associations that join with IICRC will suddenly have hundreds of members, which will provide the critical mass, and income, and interest, to provide lots more local benefits. Given some operating guidelines from a professionally run umbrella organization will help them run better as well. Probably have a pretty big impact on the industry.

They member firms will also get that "voice that will be heard in the industry" rather than being pushed around by carpet manufacturers and government agencies. The new group is already getting some respect as professional businesspeople. Two years ago the State of Washington felt the IICRC was controlled by too many suppliers and special interests and had no interest in working with them, which is why they asked the CCINW to help write their cleaning guidelines. Today they're asking if the CCINW can organize classes to get all of their cleaning crews IICRC certified. Because, unlike most of the cleaning industry, they're paying attention.

Rich, One year ago the IICRC also turned on a dime and stopped being a self-important group deserving to be ignored and started being a member-serving group. The "members" of the past learned that making a suggestion or asking a question would get you a good view of a board member's back. That's a reputation that will take time to live down, but to their credit the new guys understand why people might still feel the way they do.

 

[Mikey P]

have you been to an Association get together in the last ten years Rich?


imagine a room filled (ten guys and one fat wife) with dyslexic Mike Brummett wanna bees.





MB and *** are all the voice this industry needs.

assuming Rob will let his captured audience know the sky aint chartreuse and filled with premium pink elephants.

 

[Desk Jockey]

have you been to an Association get together in the last ten years Rich?


imagine a room filled (ten guys and one fat wife) with dyslexic Mike Brummett wanna bees.





MB and *** are all the voice this industry needs.

assuming Rob will let his captured audience know the sky aint chartreuse and filled with premium pink elephants.

No I haven't, I don't play well with others, that's why this works so well. You need people like Tony that can get the most out people without ever losing his cool.

 

[Mikey P]

Tony IS a great deli gator.

 

[cu]

Ascr/RIA have been going down a different rd to the iicrc for a long time

the new iicrc/a needs to get the massage out to the public as to why they should use iicrc cert firms by getting on afternoon t.v etc. And run better classes Then the avg rug sucker might see good reason to start taking NEW classes, and becoming cert firms

The iicrc could be a great tool for cleaners but after years of abuse, i think most of us are over it
Tony and crew have an uphill battle and i wish him the best.....Maybe they could do like sapphire and have a mb person to post and ask questions

 

[Mikey P]

I agree Cu




and it should be Tony.



I think the Bulletin Boarders are looked down upon by the upper echelons of the industry snobs.




methinks Tony is embarrassed to Associated with "us"..


















("us" meaning marty and jimmy)

 

[AshleyMckendree]

For it to go away.

 

[Mardie]

It is good that their is a organisation to provide training.However the only way a training organisation can be legitimate in the eyes of the consumer is if it became regulated and manditory for all carpet cleaners to become goverment licenced to operate under these programs.So no body can opperate a carpet cleaning bussnes without being trained and government licensed and regulated under these programs.We all know that as it stands now that all the badges dont mean squat because most carpet cleaners do not follow or respect the training they recieve anyway ie:splash and dash.The only reason many cleaners get these badges is for advertising and the joke is on them because the customer dosnt care about a class you took.They just want their carpet cleaned properly and saftley. As long as this industry remains unregulated it will it will always be ill reconized and will always be flooded with splash and dashers. This is bad for all leggitimate opperators.

 

[Ken Snow]

I assume you'll be voting for Obummer. Just what we need, more government incompetence regulating things.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Mardie]

I assume you'll be voting for Obummer. Just what we need, more government incompetence regulating things.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

It will raise our cost but it will also raise our prices and eliminate all the illigitimate opperators which will open up a lot of new market share.

 

[Hoody]

It is good that their is a organisation to provide training.However the only way a training organisation can be legitimate in the eyes of the consumer is if it became regulated and manditory for all carpet cleaners to become goverment licenced to operate under these programs.So no body can opperate a carpet cleaning bussnes without being trained and government licensed and regulated under these programs.We all know that as it stands now that all the badges dont mean squat because most carpet cleaners do not follow or respect the training they recieve anyway ie:splash and dash.The only reason many cleaners get these badges is for advertising and the joke is on them because the customer dosnt care about a class you took.They just want their carpet cleaned properly and saftley. As long as this industry remains unregulated it will it will always be ill reconized and will always be flooded with splash and dashers. This is bad for all leggitimate opperators.

You can cut a check to pay for all my licenses while you're on your soap box. Competition isn't a bad thing, its every where in any business you have. Splash and dashers come and go, but so do companies that are good cleaners mainly because they worry too much about what everyone else is doing. You want to be aware of your market, and competition - awareness is a good thing but don't let it consume you. Customer service and experience are 90% of this business. I know people who can't clean to save their lives, but their customer service is top notch. My biggest local competitor uses bane clean truck mounts, and I'm 100% confident in saying I can provide a better clean, faster dry times as I've already converted a few of their customers to mine.

 

[Ken Snow]

Regulation will have no impact on anything other than raising costs nominally- probably less than the cost of one job a year. This imo will have zero impact on the industry issues u brought up.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Desk Jockey]

think the Bulletin Boarders are looked down upon by the upper echelons of the industry snobs.

I wonder why?

Seriously, fookem!
Who gives a rats ass about THEM. They represent us, maybe they need to understand that. If they can't give us the respect we deserve then maybe "they" are not needed by us.

Not often but in this instance the "tail can wag the dog".

Look what Tony and his crew have done for us all. The IICRC is getting better not worse, the dark days are over and given time it's going to be good for all in the industry.

 

[The Great Oz]

Ascr/RIA have been going down a different rd to the iicrc for a long time

I was on the ASCR Board that voted to end official participation with the IICRC and give up shareholder status. Today, along with a lot of other organizations, they are looking to get back in.

the new iicrc/a needs to get the massage out to the public as to why they should use iicrc cert firms by getting on afternoon t.v etc. And run better classes Then the avg rug sucker might see good reason to start taking NEW classes, and becoming cert firms

They now have some guy named Hank Unck running marketing and he seems to know his stuff. They've also hired people that are professionals to do a lot of the work formerly done by carpet cleaners.

The iicrc could be a great tool for cleaners but after years of abuse, i think most of us are over it
Tony and crew have an uphill battle and i wish him the best.....Maybe they could do like sapphire and have a mb person to post and ask questions

You may recall Hank Unck as the Sapphire guy that took some shots in his first post here. I wonder if he'd be the guy.

 

[Desk Jockey]

That's great news Bryan, the unity has to be a positive thing.
Especially compared what we had with the battles between our industry organizations. It's understandable why it was the way it was but destructive to the industry none the less.

 

[hogjowl]

I guess I have not been keeping up, because I don't see any reason to be so negative regarding the IICRC. Even when they were at their worst, they provided training that was valuable to me. Sure, I didn't give a rats ass about being certified, but I loved the training. I will continue to use them for that in the future, as the need arises. My son may get into this business soon, and if he does, IICRC training will certainly be on his list of things to do. If the new board and organization proves to offer something beneficial for me in relation to becoming a certified firm, I see no problem with doing that.

If the fact that they don't post here is the issue, look at it as a positive indication that they have a little class. Class is a good thing in the real world.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Good thing this isn't the real world because I have no class.....and don't give a rats what you think Porrrkchop!!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aXsEO2eKo4

 

[Jimmy L]

Many years ago I tried and failed to pass one of those "carpet cleaning tech" tests.

I studied for weeks prior to the class with some inside information to get an advantage.

Then when class/test day arrived I became dazed and confused over the questions.

I couldn't figure out why there wasn't an "F" or "G" answer in the multiple choices.

I wanted more options!

I was so enraged that I was asked to leave the testing area.

I then drove down to the local kwiky mart and bought a qt of magnum malt licker and preceded to drink myself to death.

A brief stint standing at a well traveled intersection while nude screaming " I HATE THE FOOKING IICRC!" and ending in jail was the highlite.

Ever since then I have mocked the org. and all who lead.

Thanks for hearing me vent.

It has helped me heal in this never ending process.

 

[harryhides]

Mikey, I think that perhaps you forget why I got involved in the IICRC or in your Forum in the first place.
Like you, this is MY industry and I enjoy cleaning things up and helping others.

For years, I railed about so many things that could be done to make that Institution better and more useful to all of us.
Many of you agreed with me and encouraged me to get involved.
Once I sold my business and became "sort of retired" this became possible and I took the plunge without realizing what I was getting into.
Around the same time, the Institute hired a certified, professional Association Executive, Pat Winters who began his tenure by making a whole lot of recommendations.
Many of his recommendations were similar to the suggestions that I had made on the various Forums.

So now that I am on the Board of the Institute, why in the world would I suddenly become "embarrassed" by the same people who were and are part of the industry that I worked in for most of my life ?? ( except for the very few that were always an embarrassment to me and probably to you too).

Bryan has answered many of the points raised here in this thread already.
We will soon ( early next year) have our first entry in the world of TV with an audience of over a million people who pay to be subscribers.
Time will tell how useful this will be to the mom and pops - only good way to find out is to try.
You will also notice ( I hope ) how much better the IICRC web-site is now that we have a Marketing professional running our Marketing Committee.
You will soon be able to renew your certifications on-line and you will also now see an e-newsletter appear every few weeks.

There are many more new things in the works but I do not think that talking about what we hope to accomplish would be a good idea just now.
If we do not come through on just one hoped for proposal, the damage would be worse than not mentioning it in the first place.
I understand that we first of all need to earn the industry's trust with actions rather than with hopes and dreams.

I am and always have been open to solid, practical ideas and suggestions of what you'd like to see be done.
So please send them along as you think of them.

I was just re-elected to a 3 year term and can tell you that I have no intention of staying on for the rest of my life as I am a firm believer in term limits.
There are a whole lot of changes that I'd like to see become a reality and yes, it will take a lot of work but I have always enjoyed a worthy challenge. The current Board of the Institute is made up of a lot of very successful businessmen with a good handle on how to solve problems and to focus on ROI.
It is because of this group of fellow Board members that I am confident that in a few short years there will be a lot accomplished.
Some of these changes will not come quickly or easily but the foundations for many of them ( like on-line Certifications and more hands-on training ) are being laid.
Stay tuned.

 

[Mikey P]

Harv..

I'm lobbing you softballs here buddy...

Hit one out of the park for Christ's sakes.

 

[Mardie]

Regulation will have no impact on anything other than raising costs nominally- probably less than the cost of one job a year. This imo will have zero impact on the industry issues u brought up.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Correct me if i am wrong but has the IICRC not been the self proclaimed voice of our industry and failed miserly.What i mentioned was a way they can get the reconition that they have been trying to achieve.

With regulation comes the title of being a certified trade and along with the reconition of being a respected certified trade comes all good things $$.

 

[Mardie]

You can cut a check to pay for all my licenses while you're on your soap box. Competition isn't a bad thing, its every where in any business you have. Splash and dashers come and go, but so do companies that are good cleaners mainly because they worry too much about what everyone else is doing. You want to be aware of your market, and competition - awareness is a good thing but don't let it consume you. Customer service and experience are 90% of this business. I know people who can't clean to save their lives, but their customer service is top notch. My biggest local competitor uses bane clean truck mounts, and I'm 100% confident in saying I can provide a better clean, faster dry times as I've already converted a few of their customers to mine.

I love my competition.They make me look good.

 

[trojancarpetcare]

For them to just disappear

 

[Desk Jockey]

Harv..

I'm lobbing you softballs here buddy...

Hit one out of the park for Christ's sakes.

Are we talking about the IICRC or Jimmy naked?

I mean there was no segway so I wasn't sure.