Ricardo Ortiz prepares his Fisk descending rope system for a controlled descent from the Medical Plaza 1 building’s roof.
A day in the life of a Baton Rouge window cleaner: Using ropes and counter weights, cleaners from Expert Window Cleaning rappel their way up and down buildings to make the windows on Baton Rouge’s tallest structures squeaky clean. In business for more than 25 years, Expert Window Cleaning services office and commercial complexes, industrial sites and high-rise buildings. The company also provides residential window cleaning services.
Johnathen Smith positions his counter weights, ropes and roof anchors as he prepares to clean the exterior windows of the Medical Plaza 1 building at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.
Jack Rudodi begins a controlled descent from the top of the seven-story Medical Plaza 1 building at OLOL.
Sitting in a Bosun’s chair, Rudodi wipes clean the exterior windows of the seven-story OLOL building.
Ortiz cleans the fifth-floor windows outside the lobby of the Pediatric Specialty Clinic at Medical Plaza 1 at OLOL.
This window cleaning convention is a HUGE success in the USA. A labor of love started by Chris Lambrinides & Thad Eckhoff.
Countdown to the Window Cleaners Event of the Century: Why did we start The HUGE Convention for window cleaners? Chris Lambrinides talks candidly about why Thad & himself made the journey to create the biggest window cleaning convention in the United States.
My First Convention
I started my window cleaning & pressure washing business in late September 1999. I spent my days working at beautiful houses thinking about building a large business. I pictured having 50 employees. A big shop space and a full office staff dispatching window cleaners all across our county. Working alone gives you a lot of time to think big and daydream.
It seemed like an impossible dream until I attended my first industry convention. In February 2003, I attended my first conference in Atlanta Georgia. I was broke as a joke and had no business trying to justify a such an expense. I had a good feeling about it though and decided to go. As I look back attending this particular conference is one of the best business decisions I ever made. The experience was so great it was almost magical! It wasn’t something specific that I had heard or learned there that made it so great. Rather it was a culmination of things that came together to make such a great experience.
It opened my eyes to what was possible. For the first time, I got to talk to 200 other people that did the same thing I did every day. It wasn’t the classes or the trade show, it was just hanging around and talking shop with my peers. I met guys that were exactly where I wanted to be. There were actually other people out there that were doing what I had been dreaming about. My dream was possible! I went home implemented a lot of what I had learned and everything in my business immediately changed.
The Decline
Over the years, unfortunately, the conventions started to decline. With the advent of online forums, window cleaners didn’t need to attend anymore. They could find out about all the new tools and information with a couple of clicks. Instead of making an annual trip to a far off part of the country, they could get everything they needed from home.
Complacency also played a role in the decline. A board of volunteers detached from our industry follow a formula and put it together year after year. It gets put together quickly, and they accept almost anyone that’s interested in speaking.
You can’t fault the volunteers because they are just that. They are only volunteers! Busy running their businesses, they don’t have the time to put together a great event. The bare amount of effort gets put in, and a mediocre event is the result. Because of these two factors attendance has cut in half over the years.
Building Our Own Convention
For the past five years my partner, Thad Eckhoff had been putting together a networking event. NOLA was its name, a small and intimate event that saw about 75 attendees each year. I attended my first one in 2010, and it blow me away. For the first time in years, there was a great event. The magic was back!
Thad worked all year to put together an incredible list of industry speakers. They spoke on business topics and took the time to interact with the audience. They didn’t talk about equipment, techniques or the latest gear. They spoke with authority on solid business building topics. Real tangible stuff you could learn about and implement in your business right way.
The whole trick to why this worked is he only invited presenters that he personally wanted to hear. He wanted to learn something as well. The bar was set high and there was no fluff. If they weren’t great, they weren’t invited to speak.
Click to enlarge.
Year 1
We set off to replicate the small exclusive networking feel from NOLA in a larger environment. In 2013, we had our first annual convention in Nashville Tennessee. We wanted to see what would happen if we focused all year on putting together one incredible event. How amazing could we make it?
We spent months attempting to put together the perfect event. Speakers were cultivated and vetted. For the trade show, we only invited the best most reputable vendors. Extreme attention was given to every detail. We sourced industry veterans, with real business expertise and professional speaking abilities.
Our first event went off without a hitch, and the reviews were phenomenal. The 250 attendee contractors that attended raved about the experience. The common thread in all the reviews was how much they had gained by attending.
History was made on August 23, 24 2013 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, TN. Not only was this the scene of the first annual convention and trade show of the Pressure Washing Resource Association (PWRA) but it was the most-attended pressure washing convention of the decade!
Around 100 attendees were expected. The final attendance ended up at 224 contractors plus 49 vendors manning 22 trade show exhibits. The excitement was palpable as people just kept filling with more and more people ready to learn how to grow their businesses. Read more.
Due to popular demand the Pressure Washing Resource Association returned to the Gaylord Opryland on August 8,9 2014- this time for a joint convention with the Window Cleaning Resource Association. Once again rooms ran in short supply as the expected 250 contractors turned into 387. Accommodations were secured across the street at The Inn at Opryland, also a Gaylord hotel, and everyone had a place to stay for the big show. Trade show space and meeting space was doubled from 2013, and every square inch of it was filled with education and product displays. Read more.
In 2015, the juggernaut that was the PWRA/WCRA Convention reached the next level. It officially became The HUGE Convention. The location moved to the Gaylord National in Fort Washington, Maryland in the Greater Washington DC area. National Harbor is a destination in and of itself with over 150 shops and boutiques, 30+ dining destinations, and waterfront activities such as boating, movies, and live music
The change of venue proved to be a fortuitous move. Instead of the 400 contractors that were expected and prepared for, last minute ticket sales (including many at the door!) put the number of contractor attendees at a record-breaking 507 “behinds in seats”. The main room was set for 500 but with the 150+ vendors present something had to give.
The keynote address was given by business coach and bestselling author Howard Partridge. “Stop Being a Slave To Your Business” was riveting for all in attendance, contractor and vendor alike. He literally had the crowd on its feet as he rearranged 500+ people to physically demonstrate the four basic personality traits of the DISC system and how they interacted with each other.
The trade show opened at 1 pm and it was packed until 7 pm when we had to turn the lights off and lock the doors. Several vendors mentioned that they had never had sales like this at any show in their history of doing industry trade shows. The first round of prizes and giveaways ended with a BANG!
It will be hard to top 2015's record-breaking show, but TheHugeConvention.com will be back at the Gaylord National in Maryland on August 12, 13 to make a run for the gold again! Get your tickets
While in Malta, every single window is cleaned daily by a team of window cleaners. The crew are all on tax-free wages starting at £2,500 per month, with board and food included for deckhands. Click to enlarge.
The inside story of Team Tina: The crew that keep 'Lady Shifty' (and her £100m yacht) shipshape: Two chefs, a dog walker, a hairdresser, a florist, a masseur, an army of window cleaners - just to mention a few! The luxury superyacht, "Lionheart" has finally been delivered to Philip Green and wife Tina in Malta (pictured).
Yes, Lionheart, billionaire Sir Philip Green's amazing floating palace, has finally been delivered to him and his wife Tina in Malta. But as the BHS scandal rumbles on, this usually highly visible tycoon is nowhere to be seen. He is, however, expected to join Tina at some point over the next fortnight, and then spend the next few months on the yacht.
Other essentials on the superyacht include a helicopter landing pad, gym, spa, jacuzzi, swimming pool, beauty salon and exterior bar. The colour scheme is monochrome — Lady Tina is known to favour stark white and black interiors, which she says are 'timeless and tireless', and cites the influence of Coco Chanel. That's not to say that it's cheap: a single armchair from her collection — cream fabric on a high gloss ebony wood veneer — costs £16,000. And white cushions with a black trim? Up to £3,500 each. It was reported that last week the yacht stewardesses go in to every guest cabin and having a shower — to test temperature controls and the water pressure.
Green bought BHS for £200m in 2000, but the firm performed poorly so he sold it for just £1 in 2015. On sale BHS had debts of £1.3bn, including a pensions deficit of £571m. Despite the deficit of £571m, Green and his family collected £586m in dividends, rental payments and interest on loans.
Lionheart has a total of 40 crew, who were brought to the yacht in a fleet of silver Mercedes people carriers. They include the stewards and stewardesses, who look after everything inside the boat, to deckhands, first mate, bosun and engineers. The captain oversees it all, with the chiefs of each section reporting back to him. Keeping a yacht the size of Lionheart running smoothly is like a very well oiled military operation.
While in Malta, every single window is cleaned daily by a team of window cleaners, and the deck is polished with a microfibre broom twice a day. The crew are all on tax-free wages starting at £2,500 per month, with board and food included for deckhands. This rises to more like £6,500 per month for people like the chef and the chief engineer. The captain gets even more. A source indicates that the Greens pay well. 'They believe in looking after the staff who are around them,' he said, 'as that will keep them loyal and working to Tina's high standards.
While in Malta, every single window is cleaned daily by a team of window cleaners. Click to enlarge.
Women window cleaners, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 1917. These women worked for the City and Suburban Window Cleaning Company. George Webster, whose name is over the door (right), is listed in Kelly's 1916 Directory as ladder maker and manager of the Robin Hood Window Cleaning Company (premises on Peachey Street and Currant Street).
How girl power got Cambridge through the war years: The 100th anniversary of the First World War continues to yield many stories of the life and death struggle of men in the trenches – but it was pretty tough for women too, trying to keep everything going back home. With thousands of men fighting at the front, women were left to do not only their own work, but the men's work too.
Window cleaners set off to work in Piccadilly, London during World War I.
Females already made up a large part of the general workforce, although they were employed mostly in the textile industry, and in schools and hospitals. When war came, many worked in munitions factories. Some also joined the Women's Patrols, a female police force that went on the beat in public areas such as railway stations, streets, parks and public houses.
Note the women window cleaners in the centre image - click to enlarge.
And they became part of the armed forces as well. The War Office realised many of the tasks undertaken by soldiers in France could easily be done by women, so the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was established in December 1916. A year later, the Women's Royal Naval Service was formed, and a year after that, the Women's Royal Air Force (later the Women's Auxiliary Air Force) was set up. In total, more than 100,000 women joined Britain's armed forces during the war.
The "Scavengers"
In Cambridge, as in London and other cities, two very obvious jobs once done only by men became the preserve of women. One was street sweeping. The women cleaners were known as 'scavengers' and went into action in 1918, although as our photo here of women working in Cambridge in 1918 shows, their clothing wasn't initially very suitable. Dustcarts were generally pulled by horses, but since many of them had been sent off to war too, Cambridge's corporation spent £3,000 on what the News reported were “two large electric motor vehicles and two small petrol motor vehicles for the collection of household refuse."
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Another task was window-cleaning. The News reported in 1916: “The Cambridge Window Cleaning Company, owing to a shortage of male labour, have instituted a service of lady cleaners. And jolly smart they look too in their khaki uniform, high gaiters and caps, relieved by red wrist and cap bands. Ladder climbing causes them no qualms and they are quite expert at the work. They are causing no small amount of interest not to say admiration."
A female worker of the Mayfair Window Cleaning Company, London. Circa 1916.
Window cleaner Robin Baxter of Complete Panes had nipped into the Acorn public house at around 10.45am on Tuesday for a coffee leaving his bucket outside the BetFred shop. When he came out he was told that the police had been to check the item and blocked Tamworth Street off at the entrance to the pedestrianised zone with a patrol car to prevent access.
"I can understand why they did it but it is obviously a bucket," said Robin. "I can see the funny side but the police have a job to do. "Because of the climate, people are having to look out for unattended items."
A window cleaner has been preparing for an apocalypse for the last decade – even burying secret stashes of supplies in woodlands all over the UK. Ian Coulthard, 46, has trained himself to survive in the wild, fearing social and economic collapse could come in the next 20 years. The bachelor, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, has pinpointed around 35 spots in Scotland, northern England and Wales, where he could seek refuge if his safety is threatened.
Mr Coulthard has always been interested in the outdoors, but in recent years he has become more wary of the potential for 'social and economic chaos' to wreak havoc.
Speaking for the first time about his survivalist lifestyle, he said: 'I am preparing for the scenario where you have to get out of your house fast. 'I have places I can go - safe places - where I have food and first aid supplies stashed, which can last me up to 10 days. 'Not everyone is preparing for an apocalypse. It's just a very possible scenario. 'In the last decade alone, we have had floods, drought, riots and recession, so I hope people can see how prepping is an important aspect of anyone's life.'
Mr Coulthard has always been interested in the outdoors, but in recent years he has become more wary of the potential for 'social and economic chaos' to wreak havoc. His fears include terrorism, a major virus and civil war breaking out in Britain.
Mr Coulthard first got a flavour for the wild when he was in the Territorial Army, for six years in his 20s and again for 10 years, from aged 35 to 45, doing two tours of Afghanistan.
Mr Coulthard, who now runs his own window cleaning business, first got a flavour for the wild when he was in the Territorial Army, for six years in his 20s and again for 10 years, from aged 35 to 45, doing two tours of Afghanistan. He believes the military training and survival skills he has developed himself will help him survive in the wild. And, a decade ago, he started finding secluded places around the UK, keeping a record of each location, meanwhile honing his survival skills and sleeping outside in a hammock or on the floor, even in the snow.
'I prepare for the winter as I don't have gas in my terrace house, just an old coke fire, although I do have electricity,' he added. In each of his 'stash sites' - created for back up, in case the apocalypse hits - he has around £35 worth of food and first-aid supplies, based on army ration packs. He says it is enough to live for 10 days on 5,000 calories a day while on the move, or longer on a smaller diet.
'Social and economic collapse could happen, probably in 15 to 20 years and people need to be prepared to survive', he said. 'It is reassuring that I have these stashes, but I know I could survive and live off the land. 'I really don't want it all to go wrong. I want the world to be a beautiful place – but that's not going to happen.'
Mr Coulthard says he would take his elderly parents with him if they wanted to leave in a last-resort-scenario. He runs bug-out (or emergency) survival weekends, teaching people how to stay alive when evacuating from a disaster. He added: 'I don't think people should go out and panic. But this is a possible scenario and I think people should be prepared for it.'
According to statistics published by the Small Business Administration (SBA), about half of all employer establishments survive at least five years and a third survive ten years or more. This is a far cry from the previous long-held belief that 50 percent of businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within five years. Pictured, window cleaner, Russ Cox reaching the 5 yr mark.
What Are The Real Small Business Survival Rates? According to statistics published by the Small Business Administration (SBA), about half of all employer establishments survive at least five years and a third survive ten years or more. This is a far cry from the previous long-held belief that 50 percent of businesses fail in the first year and 95 percent fail within five years.
Those of us who converse with small businesses on a daily basis are well aware that many of them will fail in the first five years. In fact, these odds are a big reason why I assist people in buying well-established businesses that will provide a higher probability of success than a start-up. But what are the real numbers of small business survival? Many people believe that 80 to 90 percent of start-ups will fail in their first 5 years, but is that accurate? Let's take a look at the facts:
"About half of all new establishments survive five years or more and about one-third survive 10 years or more. As one would expect, the probability of survival increases with a firm’s age. Survival rates have changed little over time.”
- Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BED
The latest data from the Small Business Administration (SBA) states that nearly 66 percent of small businesses will survive their first two years. That means only about one third of total businesses will actually fail in these first two crucial years, the main cause being a lack of experience. When the data is extrapolated four years out, the number of surviving businesses has been consistently near the 55 to 60 percent mark. This same data shows a five year survival rate that has historically hovered around the 50 percent mark, a far cry from the 80 to 90 percent failure rate so commonly claimed.
Window cleaner to celebrate 5 years: Clinton Window Cleaner and Services will celebrate its 5-year anniversary Aug. 8th this year. Owner Russ Cox has been washing windows and cleaning out gutters for five years now, all the while working by himself in this labor-intensive job. Cox got this idea from his wife and son, Cox said. They said that since he had janitorial experience from working with the Clinton School District, this would be his best bet for opening a business, he added.
He travels within a 50-mile radius from the Clinton area to clean windows and gutters. “There are surprisingly not a lot of people who know I clean out gutters, too,” Cox said. He does both residential and commercial work. Two-thirds of his work is commercial, because he can go year around with commercial work, he said. He does homes from March to December if the weather will let him. Cox goes to all different homes, from those in the country to condos.
“I get to meet a lot of different people,” Cox said. “I have lived in the area since 1972, but only in the last 5 years I have seen the community in a different way by having my own business. I like the people. I like going to different places, that can be fun or interesting. I even had my granddaughter with me one time.” He said he does not repair windows, but he will help with information on repairing windows or other things in the home to get the help that is needed. “I like to see businesses sprout up that are home-owned businesses,” Cox said.
