CETA Edge

So Many Reasons to Get There

By Diane M. Calabrese / Published July 2021

Magnetic New Orleans, LA, and CETA’s Power-Clean 2021 (September 8–11)—what an inviting combination.

     Vibrant in every way—architecture and arts to commerce and industry—New Orleans makes the perfect host city for PowerClean. Members of the Cleaning Equipment Trade Association (CETA) serve every sector of the U.S. economy.

     CETA is again co-locating with PWNA (Power Washers of North America). “We will have industry component suppliers and cleaning equipment manufacturers exhibiting products for our cleaning equipment distributors and PWNA’s contract cleaners,” says Jimmy Welch, the 2021 president of CETA and a team member at American Pressure Inc. in Robbinsdale, MN.

     “The goal is that distributors take this opportunity to align with their local contract cleaners and see the newest cleaning products,” explains Welch. In-person conversations lead to genuine partnering with end users.

     Moreover, the integral roles CETA members play in the “new clean” carry special weight. “Everyone expects the ‘new clean,’ even at our own facilities,” says Welch.

     “The speakers are exceptional again this year,” says Welch. “So too are the training and live demonstrations. So come to the show and learn what the future holds for our cleaning industry—and continue to grow all our businesses.”

     Speakers slated include Dr. Bart A. Basi, an attorney and CPA; Chuck Violand, the founder of Violand Management Associates; David Avrin, CSP, president of The Visibility Coach; and Ted Ma, an expert in employee engagement and retention.

     “CETA members should take this opportunity to attend some of the PWNA certification classes,” says Welch. “Knowing what your cleaning contractors are learning allows you to also learn.”

     Learning extends to issues involving CETA and PWNA. “With the technical issues we are all facing, bringing this industry together and becoming stronger are musts,” says Debbie Murray, executive director of CETA.

     “This will be our third show co-locating with PWNA,” explains Murray. “We are continuing to work together with the goal of making our industry stronger.”

     Strategizing about optimal approaches will include “sharing ideas and best practices on the new world” post-pandemic, says Murray. That is all in addition to the “great speakers, seminars, and technical update—very important this year—along with requested topics for round tables and on top of being able to visit with our manufacturers and suppliers.”

     Murray relates a pervasive sentiment when she says, “Attending PowerClean in person will be refreshing and overdue.” After months of virtual interaction, everyone looks forward to the real-world connection.

     And, yes, some of that interaction will take place in less formal settings. “The golf tournament and Women of CETA are two events everyone looks forward to for networking and having fun,” says Murray.

     There is always something to learn. Thus, members already deeply vested in the industry look forward to Power-Clean just as much as newer members.

     “I have been attending CETA’s PowerClean for many years,” says Mike Turner, president of Etowah Chemical Sales & Service in Gadsden, AL. “It’s a great time to meet and visit everyone in the cleaning industry.”

     The chance to share (and in a sense, collaborate) is welcomed by Turner. “I enjoy meeting other people who are in the same business and sharing information about how we each do business,” he explains. “You can gain great information and new ideas that you can input into your business.”

     Attending PowerClean is also a sound tactical and practical decision. “Most all brands of equipment are on display, so you get to see what is new to the market,” says Turner. “This should be a good [meeting]. New Orleans is a fun city to visit.”

Whole Industry Event

     PowerClean brings together distributors, contractors, and manufacturers. Communication flows in all directions, which invigorates attendees and the entire industry.

     “This year more than ever will be a great show to reconnect with suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors,” says Jim O’Connell, president of Hotsy Pacific in Modesto, CA. The national return to a more predictable day-to-day rhythm is part of what makes it so.

     “New Orleans will be a great opportunity to see old friends and make new friends, as well as a time to see what the industry has to offer for the future,” says O’Connell. Educational sessions are high on all individual lists of plusses built into PowerClean. But do consider the many other advantages of attending.

     “The business meeting is a perfect venue to catch up on CETA‘s progress and what the future holds for the organization,” says O’Connell. “It is always exciting to me to meet the next board, as well as thank the outgoing board members for their service.”

     Things change, and the business meeting offers a way to stay current. “Also keep in mind the CETA Scholarship Foundation—a new name and a new board with a great direction for the future,” says O’Connell, giving one example.

     Why attend PowerClean 2021? “I think all this can be summed up with one word: networking,” says O’Connell.

     “Even in this day and age of the internet and texting, emailing as well as phone calls, I still believe I learn more from meeting other persons in my industry with their knowledge and insight face-to-face,” explains O’Connell. “And then, of course, there is the tradeshow—tools of our trade, so to speak.”

     About the tradeshow, O’Connell is candid. “Who doesn’t like seeing the pressure washers, pumps, trigger guns—oh yeah—and the representatives from all the companies we have spoken to over the past years?” he says. Add co-location with PWNA, and the meeting is full of promise, says O’Connell “All in all, I believe this will be one of our best shows yet.”

     The interdependence of distributor, manufacturer, and contractor members of our industry is reflected in many ways, including their enthusiasm for PowerClean. Ryan Recker, the assistant dealer division manager at Mi-T-M Corporation in Peosta, IA, sees three good reasons to attend.

     “First, it gives our members the opportunity to lay eyes, in person, on any new products or components that have come about over the last year—or two, in this case,” explains Recker. “It gives our members the chance to talk to manufacturer representatives about these new products or components and to discuss what is coming in the future. It also allows our members to talk about the business in general and what they are seeing with consumers in the industry.”

     Second, says Recker, is “the chance to sit in on the seminars offered and listen to the keynote speakers…” Doing so “could allow members to pick up on some ideas and tips for building their business and preparing it for potential changes on the horizon, adding another avenue or target market to their operation, or a new method of marketing their business to consumers.”

     Third, says Recker, there is networking. “This opportunity to discuss best practices and what other members are seeing or hearing is priceless. Any chance to try something that someone else is doing that could potentially grow your business cannot be passed up. And there’s the obvious opportunity to build on the camaraderie and relationships that have been forged. Enjoying the host city of New Orleans is not a bad place to build on those relationships.”

     For more information about PowerClean 2021, visit www.ceta.org.