Thursday, October 4, 2012

Avmor has launched a new online Media Center.

The Media Center includes all of Avmor’s videos, podcasts, and white papers. With more consumers looking to social media for instant information about the latest technology, information and trends, Avmor is excited to be able to offer customers easy access to all the information they need with a simple click of the mouse.

The creation of an online Media Center was the next logical step in Avmor’s long standing tradition of educating customers and providing them with ways to optimize their cleaning program. With more consumers looking to social media for instant information about the latest technology, information and trends, Avmor is excited to be able to offer customers easy access to all the information they need with a simple click of the mouse.

Avmor’s new online Media Center aims not only to educate customers, but to create the opportunity for people to share ideas and feedback about products and to help solve their cleaning problems. The Media Center is a great tool to rapidly disseminate information to all, and therefore to raise awareness of all the healthier cleaning options that are available on the market. A comprehensive green cleaning program promotes the use of non-toxic chemicals and should cover all areas of cleaning – whether great or small. It allows businesses to reap the additional benefit of improving the health and well-being of its employees, as well as customers.

Come join us at: http://www.avmor.com/media-center.php

Read full Press Release:
http://www.avmor.com//files/news/enews1349375965.pdf

Fight Germs, be prepared with Avmor!

Download Flyer: http://www.avmor.com/files/news/enews1349277502.pdf

Greening Hospital Floors

The health care industry is one of the few industries in this country that seems to just keep on growing. And because budgets for many schools and universities have been sliced—including expenditures for cleaning tools and equipment—many distributors have put a lot more marketing emphasis on the health care industry.

One thing health care facilities are going to put more emphasis on in coming years is going green. This is an opportunity for astute, green-educated distributors to guide their health care customers from conventional to environmentally preferable cleaning. Their guidance will be of considerable value when it comes to green floor care. While an office building, even a school, may have a fairly even mix of carpets and hard-surface floors, medical facilities, especially hospitals, tend to weigh heavily toward tile and other hard floors.

One of the big challenges with green floor care is finding products that meet the performance standards of conventional floor care products. It is unfortunate that some of the most potentially harmful ingredients in conventional floor care chemicals are also the most effective in giving floors a lasting, durable, high-gloss shine.

Selecting the Right Green Floor care Products
Although an experienced distributor may have helped prevent the problems these two health care facilities experienced, it cannot be denied there is some trial and error involved when selecting a green floor chemical or finish. The first step in the selection process is to choose products that have been certified green by one of the important and respected certification bodies such as EcoLogo™ and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment Program—or DfE.
The next step is testing the selected products. Some distributors refer to this as a “cleaning challenge.” Basically, it entails using one set of floor care chemicals/finishes in one area of the facility and another set of products in a different area. After several weeks, the distributor and housekeeping manager should compare notes. For instance:

Which products were the easiest to apply?
Which were the easiest to maintain?
How buffable/burinishable were the products?
Were their odors, chemical reactions, or similar unexpected problems using the products?
After several weeks, does the finish look like it is holding up or is it fading?

http://www.issa.com/?m=articles&event=view&id=3803&page=2&lg=&category=84

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Can going green improve business productivity?

Scientists say employees at eco-friendly businesses are better trained, more motivated and have better interpersonal relationships.

Companies now have another reason to go green. New research has found that companies that adopt eco-friendly green practices have employees that are more productive than those that do not. On average, employees at companies that observe eco-friendly practices were 16 percent more productive than average employees.

"Adopting green practices isn't just good for the environment," said Magali Delmas, co-author of the study. "It's good for your employees and it's good for your bottom line. Employees in such green firms are more motivated, receive more training and benefit from better interpersonal relationships. The employees at green companies are therefore more productive than employees in more conventional firms."

To prove this, Delmas, an environmental economist at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and Sanja Pekovic from France's University Paris–Dauphine examined data from 5,220 French companies. The researchers selected two employees from each company and determined the average value of production per employee. Delmas and Pekovic determined that production value by taking the revenue minus the cost of a company and dividing that number by the number of employees at a company. [12 Easy Ways Employees Can 'Green' the Office]

"It's truly a big difference between firms that have adopted these practices and firms that haven't," Delmas said. "I expected a contrast, but not such a strong, robust jump in productivity."

http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/stories/can-going-green-improve-business-productivity

Don’t Treat Green Marketing as a Fad

There’s a growing shift within business for companies to reshape their brand to align with the latest trends in green marketing.

But companies that ‘greenwash’ their efforts will likely fail and could severely damage brand reputation. Greenwashing is a term that indicates companies do more talking about green marketing than actually doing, particularly by a brand or organization trying to win support from consumers who are known to receive environmental messaging positively.
Business professionals recognize that there are social, economic and environmental responsibilities — and benefits — in the design and implementation of effective green programs. Furthermore, the net positive on reducing waste, designing green buildings and implementing sustainable maintenance plans must continually prove to yield a positive return on investment.
To truly have a successful green marketing campaign, businesses must provide a strong foundation to begin with. Thus, here are key areas to consider when developing a green strategy for your business.

http://betterbusiness.torkusa.com/don%E2%80%99t-treat-green-marketing-as-a-fad/

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

How to Combat Facility Odors

Odor puts repeat business in jeopardy. According to recent Harris Interactive surveys, 90 percent of U.S. adults would never rebook at a hotel and 85 percent would never return to a restaurant with unpleasant odor. In the retail environment, a Harris Interactive survey revealed that unpleasant odor ranks as a top annoyance over poor customer service. Odor directly impacts customers’ perceptions and prevents them from ever returning or recommending a business to others. To help combat unappealing scents, Cintas Corp. has issued a list of tips to help businesses implement an odor maintenance program.

“Business owners cannot afford to have unpleasant odors in their establishments,” said Mike Thompson, senior vice president, Cintas Facility Services. “It’s critical to implement an ongoing maintenance program to provide a pleasant, clean scent around the clock.”

Cintas’ tips for executing a successful odor maintenance program include:
Clear the air. Implement air fresheners to counteract odors and provide a clean scent. Select air fresheners that operate on a 24-hour basis and neutralize odor-causing bacteria rather than masking it. Choose a fragrance that complements the application and limits volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to meet environmental safety standards.

Read Tips:

http://www.issa.com/?m=articles&event=view&id=3721&page=6&lg&category=116

Monday, October 1, 2012

Making “Green” A Part Of Your Product or Service Bundle

In many industries and demographic regions, companies find themselves in the less than desirable situation of competing on price because their product or service has become so common place and customers are so focused on it. When this occurs, it can be tough for a business to expand and gain market share without squeezing their margins to the point where it becomes unsustainable.

There is another option, however, and it is one that more and more business owners and managers are becoming aware of: product and service bundles. Bundling essentially means putting more than one product or service together into a single offering and it has the effect of removing you from the price arena where all your competitors are.

For instance, even if your business does not position itself solely as a green, environmentally friendly brand, you can still identify ways in which to bring these themes into a separate product/service bundle in order to attract a new sub-niche of customers who will often focus less on price and more on the lower environmental impact.