Men in Kilts Aiming To Be More Than Just A Gimmick

Men in Kilts owner Sentwali Lewis (left) and his partner Darcy Longpre at work on a home in Scarborough.

Men in Kilts - Aiming to be more than just a gimmick: In a competitive business like window washing, skirt-wearing male technicians definitely attract attention. And Men In Kilts,which started in Vancouver more than 10 years ago, is banking on that curiosity to grow franchises across North America. A recent weekday morning found Toronto co-owner-operator Sentwali Lewis up on ladder buffing the windows of an east Scarborough home.

It was a typical sight, save the green tartan kilt he had on. “People are very surprised when we show up on site wearing our kilt, but that’s our name,” said Lewis. “You have to differentiate yourself from the competition. Everyone thinks the kilt is just a gimmick; yes, but once you experience our service, you’ll see what we have to offer; there’s a lot more going on than the kilt.” The rest of the uniform consists of black boots, black socks and a grey t-shirt that warns “No Peeking!” In winter, black running tights fend off the chill, said Lewis who actually traces great, great, great grandparents on both sides back to Scotland.

A little originality can boost brand awareness, but it won’t drive business long-term, said Queen’s University marketing professor Ceren Kolsarici. “Those little unique ideas definitely help establish the brand early on if a customer hasn’t heard of the brand name, but what keeps the company going is the satisfaction rating,” she said, drawing comparisons to movie trailers. “In the initial success of the movie, advertising is the big driver, but then word-of-mouth and ratings come into the picture. As long as the audience satisfaction is high, then the success will be strong on the upcoming weekend. This is the same idea.”

Kilts may be the calling card for Lewis, who launched the Toronto operation with Darcy Longpre in March, but customer service is their long game. “I say treat every homeowner like you’re going into your parent’s house or your grandparent’s house,” explained Lewis, 39. “Make sure that they see why they should choose us instead of one of our competitors.”

Founded in 2002 by B.C.-based Scotsman Nicholas Brand, Men In Kilts quickly gained traction, earning $1 million in revenue in 2009. That’s the year Tessa Wood, former VP of Operations at hyper successful start-up, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? took notice of their tartan embossed trucks tooling around Richmond, B.C. “They really stood out and would make me smile; and just seeing the emotion they would elicit from me, made me think ‘This is powerful,’ said Wood. “It stood out as such a cool brand. I reached out and said ‘Hey, do you guys want some help franchising?’ We partnered up and incorporated the franchising company.”

As CEO, she has heralded the establishment of nine franchises, system wide sales over 5 million, and the expansion of services to include, gutter, eavestrough and siding cleaning and pressure washing. Her goal is to have locations in every major city in Canada and the U.S. by 2017. “It’s a very fragmented industry,” said Wood. “I saw a lot of similarities between the market opportunities that JUNK had. Who you think of when you need to get windows cleaned? Well, no one. And we’re looking across North America and saying ‘This could be a really great brand and a service that people need.’”

The company will hire female technicians, but representatives say they rarely apply and none are currently are employed with the company, although the female Boston franchise owner is trained to clean windows. There seems to be no trouble finding men willing to clean in kilts, which are mandatory for the job, except on certain days in Alberta. “Because it’s really windy in Calgary which I didn’t realize,” explained Wood. “We had to put in sort of a safety caveat about not wearing the kilts if it’s windy to the point where the kilts are literally blowing up above their waists. But it’s only in that windy extreme weather; otherwise, it’s just a matter of layering.”

From left, Tyler Buchanan, Keenan Ndjiva, Ryan Light and Jonard Janolino of Men In Kilts are turning heads with their creative window-cleaning concept.

Men in Kilts more than clever gimmick - Window-cleaning company aims to expand to 50 markets: A window-cleaning service staffed by men in kilts that started in Metro Vancouver more than a decade ago is now focusing on expanding its unique brand throughout the U.S. From its start in 2002, Men In Kilts has expanded to Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto as well as Seattle, Boston, New Jersey and Philadelphia. CEO Tressa Wood said her goal is to be in every major market in North America by 2017. "There are about 50 on the list we're targeting," she said. "We might look at smaller markets, as well."

Wood has experience with expanding a start-up, having formerly been vice-president of operations at 1-800-GOTJUNK. Before travelling extensively throughout the U.S. for that company, Wood said she might have been a little intimidated about expanding south of the 49th parallel. "Once you've spent a lot of time in all the different regions of the States, it's not that scary," she said. "I see it as a big opportunity. We've really had no hiccups whatsoever delivering the same service."

Wood is aiming to expand the types of services offered by Men In Kilts in the next seven to 10 years. "Once you establish that footprint across North America and have a database of happy residential and commercial customers who are loving us for window cleaning and gutter cleaning and exterior cleaning, it makes sense for us to say: 'If you love us for that, we can also do your carpets and your lawn.' The brand is generic enough to do that."

In Men In Kilts' first year of operation, revenue totalled $20,000. This year, the company is expected to hit $6 million. Nicholas Brand, the Scottish-Canadian who founded the company, said the business is definitely about more than marketing. "Gimmicks have become a four-letter word in business," he said. "You need to stick out from the crowd in this day and age. If I started Nick's Window Cleaning, you wouldn't be calling today. If you can't follow up with quality, then you are nothing but a gimmick."

Men in Kilts has its North American call centre in south Surrey, where customers can phone to get estimates and book jobs six days a week. Customers are also contacted afterward to make sure they're satisfied with the quality and service. All technical training for the new franchisees is done by Brand. "I don't think there's a window cleaning company in North America that has the quality control and customer service that we do," he said.

Men in Kilts window washers wear kilts with a Wallace hunting tartan. They're made from a cotton-polyester blend rather than the traditional wool. They're the kind used by athletes in the Highland Games. Cleaning the windows of a typical bungalow in Oakridge would likely be done for the minimum charge of $140. However, the company's average invoice is $350 because its workers are often doing additional jobs such as cleaning gutters or pressure washing.

More news on Men in Kilts can be found here. 

Window Cleaning News

Cleaning building windows ranked as least favorite job in Taiwan.

Cleaning building windows ranked as least favorite job in Taiwan (Taipei) - Cleaning the windows and exterior walls of buildings was ranked by Taiwanese workers as their least favorite job, according to a recent poll by 1111 Job Bank. Given a choice of several job categories, 45.4 percent of respondents chose window cleaning as a job they would not be willing to do. Some 41.4 percent chose being a fertilizer worker as an undesirable occupation, followed by 38.2 percent saying they would not want to be a livestock keeper and butcher, and 29.6 percent not wanting to be a maid and caregiver, the poll found.
Rounding out the top 10 least favorite jobs were funeral director and mortuary cosmetologist (selected by 25.4 percent of respondents), sewer worker (24.6 percent), cemetery worker (24.3 percent), mover (23.9 percent), boiler operator (23.6 percent) and nuclear engineering staff (22.9 percent). Lee Ta-hua, director of public relations at the job bank, said the jobs mentioned in the top 10 were the least preferred because they generally involved a harsh or dangerous working environment, even if they offer good pay.
A window and exterior wall cleaner, for example, can earn an average wage of around NT$50,000 (US$1,669) a month, with salaries reaching between NT$70,000 and NT$100,000 a month during peak seasons, Lee said. The starting salary for a Taiwanese college graduate averaged NT$26,722 in 2012. The poll, conducted from July 2-16, collected 1,120 valid samples from workers in Taiwan. It had a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.92 percentage points.

Glass makers suspended over quality: Eight local tempered glass manufacturers were ordered to suspend production after failing quality tests, the city's quality watchdog said yesterday. Their substandard products are now being recalled, added the Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau. This follows a spate of incidents in the city involving safety glass shattering. The latest occurred on Monday morning when a 3-square-meter glass door between a Starbucks outlet and other businesses in the Raffles City building at People's Square shattered. No one was injured.
The bureau checked 67 batches of tempered glass for construction use in its latest inspection and found eight had "serious quality problems" which posed safety risks. These included failing tests of fragmentation, surface stress and impact resistance. The Shanghai Shibei Glass Co Ltd failed impact resistance tests. The company says on its website that its glass is used in high-profile locations such as Raffles City, Westgate Mall and Shanghai Railway Station. The Shanghai Mingliang Tempered Glass Co Ltd failed the same test. It also failed fragmentation tests last year.
The eight producers will only be allowed to resume production after passing tests. And sales of their substandard glass have been suspended, said Shen Weimin, deputy director of the bureau. They will also face administrative penalties, Shen said. Monday's incident at Raffles City, which saw Starbucks evacuated, is still being investigated. Shen said the probable cause was poor quality glass in terms of fragmentation, surface stress or impact resistance.

Window Cleaner Accused of Stealing From Arlington, Fairfax Homes. Arlington police are asking for the public's assistance in locating Justin Honaker. A 33-year-old Falls Church man is wanted in connection with a series of residential thefts across Arlington and Fairfax counties. Arlington police are asking for the public's assistance in locating Justin Honaker. Investigators believe Honaker, who worked as a business and residential window cleaner, stole jewelry and prescription drugs from multiple Arlington and Fairfax County residences during work hours. He is wanted on charges of grand larceny and larceny with intent to sell, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

An exact number of victims wasn't available Monday afternoon, though police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said it's likely additional victims have yet to be identified. "We're just scratching the surface of this," Sternbeck told Patch. Honaker is about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 185 pounds, according to police. Police are asking anyone with information on Honaker's whereabouts to contact Arlington Detective Patricia Pena at 703-228-4183 or ppena@arlingtonva.us. To report information anonymously, call the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866-411-8477. Investigators are also asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim or anyone who had Honaker inside their home during a window cleaning job to contact Pena at the number or email above.

Revealed: How some Welsh MPs are earning thousands extra as storm rages over 10% salary hike: Calls are growing for a ban on MPs taking on consultancies and directorships as it emerged some Welsh MPs are legitimately earning up to £110,000 a year from second jobs – on top of their £66,000 parliamentary salaries. Latest records from the House of Commons show one Welsh MP receives £9,167 a month for 14 hours’ moonlighting – at a rate of £654 per hour – while another is paid £30,000 a year for a weekly column in a London-based newspaper. Among those profiting from political surveys was Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South Conservative MP Simon Hart, who completed seven surveys for £75 each, with each one taking “15 minutes” to fill in. Mr Hart said politicians such as himself saw the job as “an opportunity to give something back rather than an opportunity to earn a few bucks and climb up a greasy political pole.” He compared his outdoor education role to that of a firefighter who has a sideline as a window cleaner on a Saturday morning.

A quarter of cleaning firms are breaking the law: Over 25% of cleaning firms are breaking the law, according to an investigation by the social affairs and employment inspection agency SZW. Inspectors visited 1,450 cleaning firms last year, together with representatives of the tax authority, local councils and benefit agency UWV, and found that 27% are not keeping to the rules. Most of the offences occurred in small firms with under 50 workers, which are mainly active in the fast-food sector, transport, construction, hotels and window cleaning for private homes, the NRC reports. 

Fraud Offences included benefit and tax fraud, incomplete bookkeeping, low pay and exploitation. The inspectors also discovered 324 illegal workers: 41% from Bulgaria and 21% from Romania. In total, €37m was recovered or charged in fines. Large cleaning companies affiliated to the sector organisation are much less likely to break the law, the NRC reports. Last year saw a series of strikes by cleaning workers organised by the trade unions because of the poor pay and conditions.

Grit-blasting robots clean Sydney Harbour Bridge: Australia is using two grit-blasting robots to clean the Sydney Harbour Bridge before it is repainted. The robots shoot out compressed air to cut through rust and old paint on the famous Australian landmark. The exercise is billed as one of the world's biggest maintenance programmes. Cleaning the bridge is considered dangerous, forcing workers into uncomfortable poses and bringing risk of exposure to asbestos and old paint.

The robots, which were developed at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), operate by scanning the area, creating a 3D map, and working out how much force they should apply using high-pressure cleaners to strip paint from the bridge. "We now have two [operational], autonomous grit-blasting robots on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is a world-first technology," Martin Lloyd from UTS said, adding that the blasters on the robots were powerful enough to slice through people's clothes and skin.

The operation is the result of a collaboration between the university and Australia's Roads and Maritime Service. "The job [of cleaning the bridge] is very risky [for humans] - the bridge vibrates because of the traffic and it has complex geography - which is why we approached UTS to see if a machine could do this kind of work," Waruna Kaluarachchi from the Roads and Maritime Service said. Nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its distinctive shape, the bridge was opened in March 1932. Repainting work is a never-ending task, and the two robots are to remain a permanent part of the maintenance team, our correspondent adds. Video recommended at link.

Herb Madara (right) with his wife, Kate, daughter, Charley, son, Herbie and employees, Michael Wright (far left) and Michael Huber, opened a local franchised window and exterior cleaning company called Men In Kilts whose employees wear kilts while they work.

Abington man ditches the hard hat, dons the kilt - Herb Madara’s doctor delivered the news a few years ago: If he kept working his physically demanding job as an electrical lineman, he’d need a knee replacement by the time he was 40. It was a troubling announcement for Madara, the father of two young children who was counting on his career to support his family. But ultimately, Madara ditched the hard hat and utility uniform for something a bit more fashionable.. a kilt. The kilt is all part of the package at Men In Kilts Window Cleaning, the franchise that Madara bought into after leaving his job as a lineman. Madara, 35, admits he was a bit skeptical when he first came across the idea. “I thought it was crazy,” the Abington resident said. “Who would do this? And then as I looked more and more into it, I thought it was awesome. (Window washing) is an untapped market. And I knew the kilts would be a hit.”

Herb Madara opened a local franchised window and exterior cleaning company called Men In Kilts whose employees wear kilts while they work.

Founded in 2002 in Vancouver, Canada, Men In Kilts now has four U.S. franchises. In addition to Madara’s franchise, which serves Bucks and Montgomery counties, there are locations covering the Jersey Shore, Boston and Seattle. Yes, burly men wearing green tartan kilts really do show up to clean windows and gutters and do pressure washing. And yes, the kilts are a gimmick. But, Madara said, the business is serious. “The brand gets us in the door,” Madara said. “But our service is what sets us apart from our competitors.”

Michael Wright, Hatboro, works for men in Kilts, a franchised window and exterior cleaning company whose employees wear kilts while they work.

Patrick Casey, owner of Vintage in Abington, said the kilt-clad cleaners have the restaurant’s windows sparkling monthly. “(The kilts are) a great marketing tool,” he said. “And they do great work.” Madara leaves most of the cleaning to his crew, which includes brother Mike Huber, “Big Mike” Wright and Ryan Barhart. But he’s at most sites overseeing the work. And Madara’s wife, Kate, and children Charley, 7, and Herbie, 17 months, wear their own kilts to help market the business. As for the answer to the age-old question of what’s under the kilt? Madara isn’t exactly telling. “What’s under our kilts is a whole lotta’ confidence,” he said. “But of course, when we’re on ladders, no peeking.”

Groovy grandads: Charlie Sheen has just become a grandad at 47. We meet other young grandpas who are down with the kids. Grandad of four Johnny Cooney (44), a window cleaner from Dundalk, says he's only too happy to help with nappies and night feeds. "When you first find out you're going to be a grandparent, it's a bit of a shock. "At 39, I remember joking with my eldest daughter Derval: 'I'm too young to be a grandad!' Secretly though, I couldn't wait. "Now I have four grandchildren: Lee (5), Jay (4), Tara-Lynn (3) and Penny-Rose (7 months).

"As a dad-of-five myself, I have great time for the kids. Your first grandchild is a bit like starting all over again. "They all live close enough by, so I can help out with the school run and babysitting. Or if I'm going somewhere and they want to come with me, it's no bother. "I'd like to think I'm a good grandad. I'm very close to all four children. Like most grandads though, your granddaughters are your little princesses!

"When we're out and they call me 'grandad', some people do look twice. But I just laugh it off. As a young grandad, with any luck, you get more time with your grandchildren. You get to see them growing up. "When my grandkids are in their 20s, I'll still only be in my 60s and able to do stuff with them. "I know lots of people who are older than me and don't have any children or grandchildren, so I consider myself very lucky."

A worker from the company that washes the exterior of the facility is trying to put a smile on patients’ faces. Boston has its very own super hero—one with the superhuman power of cleaning windows and making sick kids smile.

Click to enlarge.

Boston Children's Hospital: A Guy Dressed As Spider-Man Is Now Cleaning the Windows At Boston Children’s Hospital. This week, Boston Children’s staff decided to take a new approach to getting the outside of their facility looking spotless while easing the minds of young patients. Using their contracted cleaning company, Hub Window Cleaning, representatives from the hospital worked out a deal to have one of the window-washers wear a Spider-Man outfit as he took care of his job. “He was pumped to do it, he was definitely excited. We did a test run last week, and he was a really good sport. He has been waving at the kids who were on the inside, and it has been pretty cool for not just the patients, but the staff is also excited,” said Lily Albin, the social media specialist at the hospital.

Albin said this is the first time Boston Children’s has tried this technique, offering an uplifting experience along with some of the other programs they’ve rolled out for children staying with them for extended periods of time. She said all day Monday, as Spider-Man scaled the side of the building, children crowded around the windows to watch the superhero at work. “[It] makes it a little extra fun. Any time we can do something fun for our patients that are here all day everyday, and get a little more excitement—we do that in a number of ways—I think anytime we can add that element it’s always a nice thing to do,” she said. She said the hospital may consider bringing in some other superhero figures—like Captain America or Batman—to help get the job done in the future. The window washing at Boston Children’s is done once a month.

The decision to try the costumed approach, which she said was appreciated by hospital staff considering the summer heat, was part of a brainstorming project led by the hospital’s Patient Support Services division. The idea was taken right out of the book of other children’s hospitals around the country. The superhero surprise has been something facilities in Philadelphia, and the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis have been doing. People hanging around outside of the Boston hospital on Monday managed to spot Spider-Man way up high, scaling the building, as he tended to his window-cleaning duties. Others also tweeted about seeing the Spider-man-costume clad worker walking along the rooftop of the hospital, wondering if it was just an uber-comic fan. Turns out, it was a superhero of a different kind.

Is it goodbye to cash? Cash still governs the world of small businesses but new technology means this could soon change, writes Global Payments UK's Chris Davies (pictured). As digital technology becomes more ingrained in our way of life there is a gradual shift underway to paying by plastic. Few of us would find it strange to pay for a coffee or a few groceries by card, especially now that contactless cards are so commonplace. However, one space that has remained governed by paper money is the world of mobile businesses. Despite handling, in some instances, relatively large amounts of money window cleaners, florists, hairdressers and handymen are still often paid in cash. This is despite growing demand from both business and customers for card payments as wider usage of plastic grows. For mobile businesses cash has an invisible but heavy cost; in banking, security and even the complications of tracking cashflow through the business. In addition, mobile businesses can often miss sales from customers who are not carrying cash and have to refuse card payments. 

A recent survey of 1,000 micro-businesses (those with 10 employees or less, of which there are 4.6 million in the UK) conducted on behalf of Intuit found that only 19% accepted cards but 50% wished they could. So why have window cleaners, for example, historically not been able to accept cards? Card acceptance has been difficult for small businesses owing to a number of factors - cost and complexity being the most significant. One of the main barriers is the unpredictability of how many customers they will have paying by card, and the small size of transactions overall, both of which make signing up to a subscription package unworkable. Card processing usually works by paying a monthly subscription fee to a provider, as well as renting a terminal. Some businesses might only need to take one card payment a week for example, which makes these costs unrealistically expensive. These elements have combined to keep card payments as the preserve of larger companies.
However, technology now looks set to democratise card payments for small businesses, no matter how tiny they are. The catalyst here has been the explosion in the use of sophisticated internet-enabled smartphones. With a small, inexpensive card reader and downloadable app the device can be turned into a chip and PIN compliant card terminal. The reader "talks" to the phone through a Bluetooth connection and the cardholder enters their pin on the device. The cardholder's details are kept as safe as a regular terminal that you might expect to use in a supermarket or restaurant. This is an interesting development because it means that the individual effectively supplies their own hardware - instantly cutting the rental costs that small businesses find difficult to bear. Instead, most of these new payment systems require only an upfront investment in a card reader with PIN pad (usually at around £49) then fees of around 2.75% per transaction.
Relative to the cost of handling cash and lost custom from not being able to accept cards this level of fee introduces a realistic card payment option where none have existed before. As new entrants such as Intuit and PayPal bring their solutions to the market 2013 could be the year that card payments finally reach the great and the good of small businesses. Next time the window cleaner calls you may find yourself reaching for your card to pay rather than your loose change.

The Rise of Virtual Retirement Villages: Each virtual retirement community varies depending on the people involved, but they share some common traits: They offer a list of preferred service providers for residents. That makes it easy for residents to hire any vendor, from an arborist to a window washer, knowing they have been vetted by the community. Nearly a quarter of village members need help with household chores, and about 14% require assistance for personal care, the Rutgers study finds.

New research reveals that car salesmen have the priciest profession when it comes to getting car insurance. According to Confused.com, data analysed over the past 12 months to March 2013 showed that motor traders’ annual premiums top an astonishing £10,000. The results also revealed that car salesmen pay 13 times more than the average annual cost for fully comprehensive cover. But it’s not just vehicle salesmen who receive these high insurance quotes. The data also revealed that ‘car valeting’ is the second most expensive profession, with an annual cost of £4,943 to cover their vehicle. Next up is ‘window cleaner’ and then ‘professional football apprentice’, which pay an average of £4,830 and £4,038 per year respectively.

Pets fill Santa Cruz Animal Shelter: A dozen people filed into the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter on Thursday afternoon, browsing the kennels, looking for a potential friend. The facilities for dogs, cats and rabbits are at capacity this month. The shelter is offering half-price pet adoptions for the remainder of July in an effort to free space for the next wave of animals. The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter provides animal rescue, adoption and temporary care for about 6,000 animals a year, according to its website. The nation celebrated the sights and sounds of the Fourth of July earlier this month. But the season is notoriously frightening for pets, Sobel said.

Stray pets account for a fraction of the shelter's animals. If a pet owner is arrested or dies, the shelter will look after the animals. It is key to have a constant outflow of animals to make room for unexpected arrivals, Sobel said. Last November, the shelter rescued 80 cats that were living in a one-room trailer. More recently, the shelter took on 61 roosters that were confiscated from a cockfight. The shelter counts on frequent adoptions so it can be prepared for special circumstances and crowding. Now that Mike Burkett, 46, is back from vacation he is ready to adopt another cat. As a self-employed window washer from Prospect Heights, he has time to spare to make a new pet comfortable. 

Lightning strikes house, leaves a hole in bathroom: Kahului resident Uilani Endo was standing in her bedroom Monday evening, contemplating what she needed to take downstairs, when she saw a bright blue flash of light crash through her bathroom just 15 feet from her. A deafening boom shook the house, she heard glass shattering and then everything went dark. Endo grabbed her daughter from the next room and ran out of the house, screaming. "It was like a blue line that went right through my bathroom, it streaked right through the house, I yelled for my daughter and told her we had to get the hell out of the house," Endo said, as police and firefighters responded outside her home on Kipapa Place. 

Endo's house was hit by lightning at about 6:15 p.m. Monday, as Maui residents began seeing the first signs of Tropical Depression Flossie's late arrival. Kahului and Wailuku firefighters responded to the 6:17 p.m. alarm, finding a hole about 5 inches in diameter that went through the roof, said Fire Services Chief Lee Mainaga. The lightning struck through and shattered a glass window louver located high above the bathtub in the master bathroom on the second floor of the home, Endo said.

She, her husband, daughter and tenant were inside the house when the lightning struck. "I was just freaked, all I could think of was to get my daughter out of the main house," Endo said. Her daughter, 21-year-old Kanoe, was in the next room when the lightning beamed through her mother's bathroom. Just five minutes earlier, she had been texting on her cellphone inside the bathroom where it struck. "I was just thinking, 'Oh my God, oh my God,' " Kanoe Endo said. "I never thought that would happen in my life." "It's pretty terrifying," said Bill Tavares, who spoke to The Maui News from his home in Kuau as lightning thundered down 5:45 Monday evening. "It's the loudest thunder I've ever heard in all my life and I'm almost 92."

Family's loving tribute to 'the very best of men' - The heartbroken parents of a young man who died after getting into difficulty while swimming in a Chirk river last week have said their son was “the very best of men”. Anthony James Lawrence died after an incident at the confluence of the rivers Ceiriog and Dee, near Pont-y-Blew, Chirk, last Tuesday evening. Paying tribute to the 21-year-old from Oswestry yesterday, his parents Dave and Denise Lawrence said their son was “committed” to his family and friends and had a talent for Japanese manga animation, a passion he hoped would take him to Japan.

Father, Dave Lawrence, 44, who was introducing his son to the family’s window cleaning business, which he runs with Anthony’s 24-year-old brother, Dean, urged other parents to take every opportunity with their children. “I have got no regrets with Anthony. Even to the very end we were together and enjoying ourselves – that is one thing that has helped me through this. “You can’t wrap them up in cotton wool, they have got to live, but make the most of it.” Mrs Lawrence, who the couple said was Anthony’s closest friend, added: “Don’t take each other for granted - have a really good relationship with them because they are so precious.”

Hemel Hempstead window cleaner took his own life after heated row with on/off girlfriend: A man took his own life after a booze-fuelled argument with his on/off girlfriend, an inquest into his death heard.  Kevin Alderman and Magrieta Smith - better known as Maffti - had a row which escalated into violence in the early hours of January 22, 2012. Window cleaner Kevin, 31, of Leighton Buzzard Road, Hemel Hempstead, was left with two small abrasions on his face - Ms Smith told the inquest, held at Hatfield on Thursday, that she had scratched him.
Kevin left her home when she threatened to call the police and he went to his sister’s house. In a statement read out by Herts Coroner Edward Thomas, his sister described him as upset and ‘crying his eyes out’. Before heading home he told her: ‘This is going to be my last night’. In the morning when Ms Smith went to Kevin’s home she looked through the window and discovered he had hung himself. She got back in her car and went to friends for help before the police were called. “I just wanted to go and get them and make things better,” she said.
Mr Thomas said that even if Ms Smith had acted straight away it would not have made any difference as Kevin had been dead for some time. A post mortem examination revealed alcohol, cocaine and cannabis in Kevin’s system, although the Class B drug can remain present for up to two weeks after using it. “There was alcohol and cocaine and the effect of both can make you very low,” said Mr Thomas. “If you are miserable it can make you more miserable.”
He recorded that Kevin died of asphyxiation and had taken his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed. Mr Thomas said: “It is very sad because he was obviously someone who, most of the time, was great fun to be with.” He told the family that a note had been left on the kitchen side by Kevin and handed it to his parents in an envelope after closing the inquest. 

Bogus window cleaner steals cash: A bogus window cleaner carrying a red bucket and a squeegee stole cash after calling at two houses in Basingstoke. The first theft took place at 1pm on Thursday, July 18, when the man walked through an open front door of a house in Cliddesden Road. A 73 year old woman, who lived at the house, confronted him before he offered to clean windows. She declined but later found £20 was missing from her handbag.

The second theft took place at 11.30am on Monday, July 22. The man called at a sheltered housing complex, again in Cliddesden Road, and asked a 57-year-old man, who is vulnerable, for a drink. He then took the man’s wallet, which contained £300 in cash and bank cards. The man is described as white, 5ft 9ins tall, of medium build with short, dark hair. The woman described him as wearing a red t-shirt and jeans with a tattoo on his upper right arm. Police are linking the two incidents. A 32 year old man from Basingstoke was arrested in connection with these incidents but has been released with no further action. Anyone with information can contact PC Craig Bannerman at Basingstoke police station on 101.

Update - Bogus window cleaner tricks vulnerable people: Police have released further information about a man who has been posing as a window cleaner to steal from elderly people. On Thursday, 18 July at 8.50am a 98-year-old woman in Barking opened her front door to a man carrying a bucket who claimed to be collecting money for her window cleaner. The man has been described as charming, polite and believable. The man asked for £3 and when the victim went inside to get her purse the man followed her into the lounge. Not having enough change to hand over the £3, the suspect said he would take a £20 note and return with change in half an hour. After the man left, the woman checked her purse and saw that he had taken two £20 notes. He did not return as promised. The suspect has been described as a white male, 6ft tall, aged 30-35 years, of slim build with cropped fair/mousey hair. He spoke in a local accent and was wearing a copper/orange jumper with dark navy jeans. He is known to have called at the following addresses also:

 - St Awdrys Road, Barking on 8 July
 - The Avenue, Hornchurch on 10 July
 - Maplestead Road, Dagenham on 15 July
 - Valence Circus, Dagenham on 15 July
 - Howard Road, Barking on 17 July
 - Wedderburn Road, Barking on 18 July

Investigating officer Detective Constable Gemma Townsend of Barking and Dagenham CID said: “This man is relying on the trusting nature of our most vulnerable residents. Please make sure that any elderly people that you know or care for are aware of this despicable crime. “It is okay to be suspicious and to tell strangers to come back when a friend or relative can be with you. If they are persistent please shut the front door and dial 999.” This suspect is believed to be responsible for a number of identical offences in Barking and Dagenham and a further offence at The Avenue, Hornchurch. 

Fake window cleaner robs 93 year old woman in Lynstead near Sittingbourne: This man is being hunted after a 93-year-old woman was robbed by a fake window cleaner. She was targeted by a man who stole £300 when he burst into her home in Cellar Hill Lynstead, near Sittingbourne. The victim was in her living room when he came in through the kitchen door and told her he was collecting money for window cleaning. She stood up to confront him, but he pushed her down and forcibly held her in place before stealing her purse out of her knitting bag. The offender ran out of the door with her purse, containing bank cards and £300.
Police said the offender is described as white, with dark short hair and a "longish face". He was clean-shaven and thought to have been in his late 20s. Detectives have now released an efit of a man they want to speak to about the incident, between 1.55pm and 2.07pm on last Tuesday. DCI Ann Lisseman, from Kent Police, said: "While the victim suffered no injuries, we are classing this as robbery because the offender used force to restrain his vulnerable victim. "Someone out there must recognise this man and I'd ask you to call into us as soon as possible. "Targeting an elderly lady and stealing her belongings is a despicable thing to do and we are following up every possible line of enquiry to find the offender and bring him to justice. "Despite her ordeal, the victim has shown remarkable courage and fortitude in helping us compile an e-fit, and I'd like to commend her for her bravery."

Fairfield Police Warn Residents About Scams - An in-person scam was attempted on Saturday in the area of Nepas Road. A resident told police a man went door to door with a woman to talk about window cleaning. The report said that they had no documentation to verify this. If residents are concerned about a possible scam, they should contact the Fairfield police at 203-254-4800 and file a report. 

More woe for families as benefits cap is rolled out (UK): The bedroom tax has already hit residents in the pocket with one Stafford man saying he is struggling to afford food. And plans to introduce a Universal Credit system, which will see benefits paid monthly, and a benefits cap, could leave many in hardship, Stafford and Rural Homes bosses have warned. One 35-year-old resident, who asked not to be named, told the Newsletter the bedroom tax was crippling him. The Exeter Street resident was signed off work 14 months ago due to medical issues. He previously worked as a grounds worker and window cleaner.

He said: “I lived with my mum in a house but when she died I asked to be moved to a two-bedroom flat as I have two children who sometimes stay. “When the bedroom tax came in I suddenly had to pay £50 a month. I can’t afford it. I will often miss out on either some food or put off paying the TV licence to buy food. I’ve sold some belongings to make money. I’m on the list to get a one-bedroom place but it will be difficult if my children stay. “Monthly payments are worrying because I don’t know how I’ll survive and make it last. I’m struggling now. I’ve run out of bread and milk and have £7 of elec- tricity to last me until next week.”

Fast-Food Restaurant Workers In Some Cities Plan To Walk Off Job: Don’t expect to have it your way Monday at some fast-food restaurants across the country. Workers at the nation’s best known fast-food restaurants in seven cities across America are planning to walk off the job Monday to protest what they say are wages that are too low to live on, Fox News reported.

The Washington Post reported that the protests will take place in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Flint, Mich., involving workers at McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and KFC. Some employees at stores including Dollar Tree, Macy's and Victoria's Secret are also expected to join the protesters in several cities.

"A lot of the workers are living in poverty, you know, not being able to afford to put food on the table or take the train to work." The workers are calling for wages of $15 per hour, more than double New York's current minimum wage of $7.25. “SEIU members, like all service-sector workers, are worse off when large fast-food and retail companies are able to hold down wages and push benefit standards for working people,” Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, told the Washington Post.

In New York City, the protests were organized by a group called Fast Food Forward, which states its Twitter account: "No one can survive on $7.25." Some Kanawha County residents agreed. "Me and my wife both work and we struggle to make it by every week, so it would definitely help a lot," said John Fields, a window washer who makes $10 an hour.

Metal baton used to fight off others during melee in Street: A window cleaner took out a metal cosh from his car in a bid to protect himself as he was under attack from two other males after a family birthday party in Street. Benjamin Allan got involved in a fight with his girlfriend's father and brother and took out the weapon from his car and used it during the melee. When police were called to the incident they searched the area and found it hidden in a nearby hedge and the defendant was arrested. The 26-year-old, of Barlinch Close, Taunton, pleaded guilty to being in possession of an offensive weapon, namely an extendable baton, in Street on June 15 when he appeared before District Judge Maurice Champion sitting at Yeovil.

He said: "Things got out of hand between the family members and at some point during a fight it transpired that Allan took an extendable baton from his car and this was used in the course of this fight. "When the police attended the scene it was found hidden in a nearby hedge and it is accepted by Allan that it belonged to him and that he took it out of his car saying he had it for self-defence purposes." Defending solicitor Robin Weelen said that there was a history of bad feeling between Allan and his partner's father and brother who were the other two males involved in the incident. Allan went back to his partner's house after the party but then said he was leaving as her brother and father were there. "Her brother then came out and punched Allan through the car window and the father also came out and my client tried to drive away," he said. "However his car windscreen was then smashed by the brother and Allan, who had a metal cosh in his car, was being attacked so he picked it up and was trying to ensure that nobody else was going to do anything to him."

He added that Allan had the baton as he used to live above a shop which sold similar items including samurai swords and he was given some of them. He had been living in a tent at the time so kept the baton in his car. He added that the defendant worked as a window cleaner in Taunton and his employer had now lent him the money to buy himself a caravan to live in. The judge accepted that Allan had been caught up in "exceptional circumstances" and fined him £200. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

Forbes Features Men In Kilts

Men In Kilts go from strength to strength, Tressa Wood center, Brent Hohlweg Left. Click to enlarge.

Will Kilt-Wearing Window Washers Be In Your City By 2017? - If you want men in kilts standing on ladders as they wash your windows, you may be able to rent them if you live in the right North American city. The company behind this innovation is Men In Kilts that describes itself as “a franchised window and exterior cleaning company whose cleaning technicians wear kilts while they work.”

As I learned from interviewing its founder Nicholas Brand on July 25,  Brand was born in Vancouver, BC and his father immigrated there at age 25 from Aberdeen, Scotland. Men In Kilts — they do not ‘go commando’ — is already in nine north American cities — with 66 more by 2017.

He decided to start a business in 2002 when he was 24. As Brand explained, “In high school, the teacher who inspired me most had a successful tourism business and one of my uncles had run a successful business and retired at 50. Six years after high school, I was working at a Vancouver Boston Pizza and decided with my wife’s support to start a business. I thought about three possible opportunities: landscaping, painting, and window washing.”

The lack of competition and the low entry barriers steered him to window washing. “Landscaping was too competitive and painting required too much technical skill. There were no window cleaners in the market, and I only had a few hundred dollars in my bank account,” explained Brand.

The company has a good story behind its name. Brand said, ”Right from the beginning, we decided to have our men wear kilts. My friends and I were at a bar and one of them thought that kilts would reflect my proud Scottish heritage. Kilts have been worn for hundreds of years; soldiers wore them into battle in World War II; and everyone knew the movie, Braveheart [a 1995 movie about William Wallace, a kilt-wearing Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks].”

The business started gradually. Brand said, “My wife and I started walking around Vancouver handing out flyers and for the first few years we lived off her salary from her job at a paper company and ate macaroni and cheese. Each time I hired a new worker, she sewed him a new kilt.”

In 2008, Tressa Wood, former VP of Operations at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, was on maternity leave. She read an article in the local newspaper about Men In Kilts and its interest in franchising the service. As Wood explained in a July 25 interview, “I would see the guys from Men In Kilts around town with their truck wrapped in tartan and it would make me smile. I contacted Nicholas and talked about how I could help with franchising. I joined as CEO in 2009.”

Men In Kilts stumbled with its first franchise in east Vancouver — but the learning was valuable. According to Brand, “We wanted our new cleaning technicians to spend two to three weeks shadowing the experienced ones so they could learn how to clean windows as we had done before we started franchising. But in a new territory, there were no experienced people. So we had to improve our training.”

Men In Kilts is now in nine cities. “We are in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia and the Jersey Coast,” said Brand.

The cost of a Men In Kilts franchise is fairly low and the possibility of earning back the franchise depends on revenues and cash flow. As Wood explained, “The start-up fee for a franchise – given out by zip or postal code — varies between $45,000 and $150,000 depending on the number of households — $20,000 per 100,000 households — and the number of trucks. We also charge a [7%] royalty fee and a [6%] fee for handling inbound calls and scheduling. And the annual revenues of our franchises varied from $100,000 to $3.5 million.”

Wood looks for people who are comfortable wearing kilts when she looks for someone to lead a franchise. “We look for people who really want to take control of their futures; have a strong customer-service orientation; are outgoing enough to like the attention they’ll get when they wear a kilt; get the job done efficiently; solve problems on-the-fly with a MacGyver-like mindset; have the energy to take advantage of all the opportunities in the residential and commercial markets.”

When people call in to its central call center, Wood notes that most of the callers are female. “Overall, 60% of the calls are from women and 40% from men. Residential callers tend to be more skewed towards women and commercial callers are more often men,” she explained.

Men in kilts washing windows on ladders could lead to awkward moments but Brand has a handy response: “People ask me: ‘What happens on windy days?’ I tell them, ‘We let the wind answer that.’”

How to Balance a Gimmick With Serious Business. Tressa Wood pictured center.

How to Balance a Gimmick With Serious Business: By Tressa Wood (CEO, Men in Kilts) - Back in 2009 when I first told people I was joining Men In Kilts and we were planning to franchise, some people said, “Really, Tressa? Isn’t that just a gimmick?” Gimmick is defined as, “an innovative stratagem or scheme employed especially to promote a project.” Another definition is, “a unique or quirky special feature that makes something ‘stand out’ from its contemporaries.” We definitely stand out and I would agree that we are unique, maybe even quirky. People stop, look, and smile when they see us. That is pretty powerful. But how do we ensure the perceived gimmick is more than just that? We put it aside, and built our business strategy and systems as if the gimmick did not exist. We quickly got to the point of, “Forget the kilts. How will we become the leader in this market, even if we were ABC Window Cleaning franchise?” Here are some ways to help your seemingly off the wall name or idea becomes more than a gimmick: 

FOLLOW UP WITH CUSTOMERS IMMEDIATELY 

We found that most of our competitors did not make it a priority to respond to customer inquiries within the day, let alone within minutes. We built a centralized customer service and sales center where our team answers customer calls from across North America in less than 60 seconds. Market research is an important first step as this type of strategy would have been difficult to implement after franchising had begun.  

BUILD AN “EXCEED EXPECTATIONS” CULTURE 

 It really is the little things that matter. Our teams are on the lookout for opportunities to provide a little more than expected, in any situation. The question is always: what can we do that’s even more unique than the kilts we’re wearing? For example, changing a hard-to-reach light bulb for a customer while we’re cleaning their interior windows, getting involved in the community and supporting a charity, or even stopping to help someone change a flat tire. We encourage everyone at Men In Kilts to go the extra mile and do more than people would expect from a window cleaning company.  

MEASURE FEEDBACK 

We’re not perfect and if we make a mistake or someone isn’t happy with our work, we want to know so we can make it right. We follow up with customers after every job, we use the NPS (Net Promoter Score) system to measure where we stand in terms of service, and we listen to our customers. We also guarantee our work. If businesses are not accountable to delivering what they say they will, customers will not stay loyal.  

AS THE CEO, STAY DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO CUSTOMERS 

The CEO needs a direct line to the customer. It is not something you can pass off. The NPS email goes out from my alternate email address, so customers can respond to me directly. I have a copy of every NPS response delivered to a folder in my inbox, which I review weekly. Considering happy customers are critical to our success, I make it a priority to stay connected.  

LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY … and keep your growth plans in mind. 

Every role in our company can be done from a home office. This mobility allows us to keep overhead down, attract great people and remain flexible and responsive as we grow and navigate our way through start up. We also ensure we are respectful of the Scottish culture, and we wear our Wallace tartan kilts with pride. We make every effort to manage the brand and never cross the line from being fun to being “sexy,” which can be a challenge. We once had a women call us to try and book our service during a wedding shower, which we respectfully declined. Don’t get me wrong, while it takes a lot more than just wearing a kilt to make customers happy, we leverage the kilt angle as much as possible. It makes marketing virtually a breeze and the PR is fantastic. So if you are thinking of ways to stand out and be different, make sure you do it with taste and purpose.

Window Cleaning News

PSE&G Children;s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick had their windows washed by a couple of Superheros today. Window washers from Alpha Window Cleaning of Wanaque, NJ dressed up as Batman and Spiderman to wash the outside of windows of the hospital.

Superheroes scale PSE&G Children's Specialized Hospital building for some super kids (New Brunswick) — Gotham City has nothing over Hub City as the caped crusader Batman, along with fellow comic book superhero Spider-Man made a special appearance at PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital to surprise patients and families in the pediatric rehabilitation unit. Alexander Galvis of Englewood portrayed Batman and Julian Lopez of Englewood portrayed Spider-Man Wednesday as the men washed windows at the hospital and visited with patients. Both men work as window washers for Alpha Window Cleaning based in Wanaque.

“Our patients at the PSE&G Children's Specialized Hospital spend every day working really hard recovering from serious injury, or being born too early — all preparing to be home with their families. As we do that work, we want to make sure we provide opportunities to remind all of us that regardless of how sick, injured or fragile our patients are, they are still children and we need to find ways to create fun and smiles,” said Amy B. Mansue, president and CEO of Children’s Specialized Hospital. “Many thanks to Alpha Window Cleaning for bringing joy and laughter to our families; it is an essential part of the healing process.”

Window washers from the Wanaque-based company immediately agreed to dress as the famous superheroes when hospital staff approached Alpha Window Cleaning owner Ronn Kidd with the idea. The superheroes then went inside to make their rounds on the units and greet patients for pictures. They met with about 25 children, ages 4 to 21. The children are recovering from brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, premature birth, developmental delays or life-changing illnesses. “We have been cleaning the windows of PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital for years now and we jumped at the chance to help these kids feel even a little better. We know these patients are going through a tough time,” Kidd said. “The look on the kids’ faces when Batman and Spider-Man descended down the building was priceless. But the real super heroes are these children and we can’t wait to do it again next year.”

Amazing Spiderman puts on annual Missoula show: - The Amazing Spiderman made a stop in Missoula Saturday, and it was quite the show. The superhero made an appearance on the Millennium Building in downtown Missoula on Saturday morning, and the kids and adults loved it. Spiderman, also known as Carson Routhe, puts on a show once a year for the Clark Fork Farmers' Market. Carson is a window washer by trade who says he was impressed by Spiderman as a kid - so he loves the reaction he gets from children now.

Window washing truck gets stuck in power lines, disrupts power for thousands (Traverse City) Thousands lost power late this morning after a bucket truck that was washing windows got stuck in a 96,000 volt power line. Consumers Energy said it is their understanding that no one was hurt. Nearly 3,400 Consumers customers are without power, but officials estimate power will be back within the hour.  In addition, 636 Traverse City Light and Power customers lost power but all have since been restored. Most of the customers affected by the outage were located on Old Mission Peninsula and near downtown Traverse City.

In Dangerous Jobs, Trust Is Vital - It would have been easy for management to tell workers at the Marsh Landing Generating Station, a $700 million electricity plant in Antioch, Calif., to just scale the ladder and get on with the project. But throughout construction, supervisors emphasized that work should be completed safely, no matter the cost in dollars or time.
So when foreman Chris Derrico saw a ladder at an odd angle, he had the crew take the time to erect a scaffold. "In ironwork, everything is based on trust," he explains. "On this job, they went above and beyond. Any tool we needed, any safety equipment, they were willing to purchase … When they give you that type of leeway, everybody is willing to do their best."
Eric Johanson, project manager for Omaha, Neb.-based Kiewit, which built the station, says trust-building begins on an employee's first day. "We'd just talk," he says. "'What's important to you? What do you like to do away from work?' That's the reason we all want to work safely--so you can go home and do something with your family." Johanson meets with new employees 30 days after they begin to see if they have concerns. "If you don't follow up," he says, "it's all for naught."
At 20/20 Window Cleaning of NC in Raleigh, N.C., president Jack Evans values consistency. "If a new employee sees you give a veteran a break, you lose trust," he points out. "You have to be consistent, be a leader by example."
David Bruce Fryer of Fryer Roofing in Fresno, Calif., believes trust comes from keeping employees informed about workplace decisions. Many on his team see safety harnesses as cumbersome. "They had to see this was something we all agreed was beneficial," he says. "By having a safe workplace, we've been able to reduce costs, which makes us more competitive and gets us more work, which relates directly to them."

ITV’s Grimefighters - a popular TV show in the UK

ITV Grimefighters firm to close: A cleaning company featured on ITV’s Grimefighters is to be wound up voluntarily by insolvency practitioners at Oldham-based firm Bridgestones. Ace Cleaning Company Limited (ACCL) is to be wound up following a meeting of creditors which took place on 7 May 2013. Jonathan Lord of Bridgestones is the insolvency practitioner appointed to handle the liquidation of the business.
The most recent annual accounts filed with Companies House show that the company had amounts falling due of £712,905 within one year as declared at the end of February 2012 against total current assets of £280,457. Company directors Melvyn and Graham Booley have directorships of another cleaning company – The Cleaning Agency Limited. Melvyn Booley is also a director of another company – Outland Projects Limited – together with Charles Hayward.
Coincidentally, Hayward started a similarly named company called Ace Cleaning Company (Leicester) Limited in April 2013. The Booleys have previously held a string of directorships of other cleaning businesses, including G&M Cleaning Company Limited, G&M Janitorial Supplies Limited and Hockton Cleaning Limited.
Ace Cleaning has three offices in Coventry, Leicester and Tamworth offering cleaning services to businesses in the Midlands. ACCL was incorporated in 1995, but Ace Cleaning Company in its former guise was originally founded in 1969, developing from an office window cleaning service business to all aspects of commercial and industrial cleaning. Insolvency News has contacted both Ace Cleaning Company Limited and insolvency practitioner firm Bridgestones for comment on this story and has, so far, not received a response.

Dirty Britain: Britain is an island obsessed with cleaning. But we’re not as clean as we’d like to think and the 400,000 men and women who do our dirty work know the truth. Unseen and unheard, they keep our filth out of sight and prevent us from drowning beneath our mountains of waste. As Dirty Britain returns for a second, two-part series, we uncover the truth about the grime hidden within our green and pleasant land.
In episode two, we meet the cleaners who make a living scrubbing the homes of the super rich.  There is a part of Cheshire known as ‘Footballer Alley’, where the houses are worth on average £1.2 million, making it one of the most expensive places in the UK.  Sarah Creighton and Christine Collins are paid to make these vast homes sparkle. 
Sarah says: “Very high profile people live in them you know.  Footballers, TV stars.  How the other half live.  Would be nice wouldn’t it?  I can dream.  You think you’ve got things clean but then, all of a sudden, you see a smear and you have to keep working with it, you know. I think I’m probably OCD. I just never stop cleaning, honest to God.”
In Britain’s densely populated cities, 18 million feral pigeons thrive, living off our rubbish and discarded food.  Their corrosive droppings spread disease and cause millions of pounds worth of damage to our buildings every year.

Window cleaning is one of the riskiest professions in the UK and Terry Dunford spends up to eight hours a day suspended high over the city in a one-foot wide cradle, exposed to the elements. Terry says: “The cradle takes all day like to go from top to bottom. Freezing as well. It’s a nightmare.  I wish I was in there, in the warmth.”
However he reflects: “I’m happy doing this - it’s not the hardest job in the world. They don’t pay the best wages but I got my little flat, my girlfriend, I got a cat.  I’m happy, you know what I mean? You get people with loads of money and they’re not happy.” Episode: 2. Transmission: Tue 11 Jun 2013 - 9.00pm - 10.00pm.

The Men In Kilts mission is to “bring smiles into the world…one kilt at a time!” Just like the Army, Men In Kilts is fighting to make the world a better place. Even if it is something as simple as making someone smile, Murphy’s passion for caring for his country and all the people in it, carries on in his work at Men In Kilts.

From Camo to Kilt: Chris Murphy Shares Why He Chose Men In Kilts After Leaving the US Army: Veteran, and now Men In Kilts Boston Operations Manager, Chris Murphy knows he made the right decision to go into franchising and his experience has been very rewarding. The transition from US Army Specialist as a Military Police Officer, to that of a kilt-wearing window and exterior cleaning technician might seem odd from an outsider’s perspective. But in all reality, it makes perfect sense. Chris Murphy, Operations Manager at Men In Kilts Boston, served in the US Army for just under 11 years and during that time was deployed to Iraq twice. He spent a year in Baghdad where he provided personal security to Tier 1 government officials. After being back in Boston for six months, Murphy volunteered to go back and this time he travelled to Fallujah where he worked with Iraqi police on daily operations and helped them to develop procedures and protocols. Murphy’s time serving in the Army was nothing short of rewarding, but he was ready for a change.
Deciding to become a part of a franchise was deeply rooted in the support systems that Murphy knows are in place for franchisees. “The brand and operational support that comes from the franchisor is definitely a bonus. From fellow employees, the franchisor, and even other franchisees, there is always someone there to help you. In the Army, it is the same way. There is an endless system of support and everyone works together as a team,” says Murphy. The transition from military to civilian was pretty easy for Murphy. “In the military, I was used to long days of training and work, and not having a set schedule was pretty standard. Being a part of a franchise is very similar. I could have a job that requires me to work earlier than 8 am or later than 5 pm, and I just have to go with it. So, when I came back to work full-time in the franchising world, it was pretty smooth.”

Summer entrepreneurs -Logan MacDonald (left), Kurtis Watts, Matthew Roth and Reed MacDonald are university students who provide their own summer employment with their own business.

Summer entrepreneurs back in play: Washing windows may not be the job of a lifetime but Reed MacDonald said being your own entrepreneur makes for a valuable experience. The 21-year-old business student from St. Albert started Sods & Odds last year with his brother and two friends. The company provides window washing, lawn care, spring clean-up and driveway sealing services in the summer months between their university studies. “I have to say, it just kind of happened. We ran through a few ideas and thought of different things and finally said maybe we do lawn maintenance or window washing,” he said. “As students you don’t have a lot of capital to start up a company but with window washing all you need is a squeegee and ambition.”
It wasn’t always that easy. MacDonald said they worked hard on getting the business on its feet. In the first week, they handed out over 1,000 flyers but only received three calls for jobs. They also dealt with customers who refused to pay them or questioned their ability to do the job. But MacDonald said there are also perks to being a young entrepreneur. “In some sense it can help you because people see that you are a student and want to help you,” he said. “As long as you are persistent and keep going you’ll be able to do it.”
It is not uncommon for students to create their own business in the summer, said Ray DePaul, director at the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Calgary-based Mount Royal University. Most student-run businesses are landscaping or window washing companies, but there are also entrepreneurs who run shops for drive-through oil changes or own a food truck during the summer.
DePaul said the skills and mindset students pick up during these few months give them valuable knowledge in the future, whether they stay in the business or not. “This can really help a student grow and the lessons will be remembered forever,” he said. “They finish a course and things will trickle out of their memory. But if you go out and see how valuable it is and how important it is to make your livelihood that summer it will stick with you much better.”
He added that all new businesses have credibility issues to face – whether you are in your early twenties or late fifties. But there are many industries and activities linked to younger people, such as web design. And many people will go out of their way to help see students succeed, he said. The major mistake any business owner can make is misunderstanding their customer’s needs. DePaul said entrepreneurs need to differentiate their business from others or find a niche in the market that will get them hired. “If you start your own business you wear multiple hats and you are expected to solve all kinds of problems yourself and you have very little support which can be scary,” he said. “And that’s why one of the key things you can do is get some mentorship and get people who are helping you.”

Scouts To Clean Hospital Windows (Wrexham, UK): Wrexham Scouts are set to help out their local community by cleaning windows at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital. As part of the national Scout Community Week which takes place from the 3rd to the 9th June, youngsters will be helping out with several projects including the one at the Maelor, helping Keep Wales Tidy with Himalayan Balsam clearance, and helping out North Wales Police.
David Morris from the Scouts works at the Maelor Hospital and thought up the window cleaning project: “My job takes me out and about in the hospital and I noticed the windows were a bit dirty. I contacted management who were only too happy for the Scouts to help out give the place a spring clean.
“We’ll be concentrating on the ground floor windows on the main corridor so we don’t effect patient care. Groups across the District have been really keen to get involved.” The Scouts are looking for cleaning materials to help complete the window cleaning. David added: “We’re asking if any companies in Wrexham could donate sponges, cleaning fluids, and importantly squeegees and extendable poles so younger Beaver Scouts can reach the windows, or even give us a donation so we can purchase this equipment.

Window cleaner to the rescue of an elderly man in house fire drama: An elderly man was rescued from his South Bank home when a fire broke out in his kitchen this afternoon. A window cleaner who was in the area threw water from his bowl onto the blaze and extinguished the flames before firefighters arrived. The fire was started by a chip pan. Crews from Acomb and York Fire Station got the householder out of his home in a street off Nunnery Lane. He was suffering from smoke inhalation and was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Bottle man Rab is Central FM’s ultimate Local Hero -  He’s the retired window cleaner who’s raised more than £100,000 for Strathcarron Hospice by collecting empty ginger bottles. Rab Simpson’s remarkable effort on behalf of the Denny facility was formally recognised last week when he was named charity hero of the year at the 2013 Local Hero Awards at Airth Castle. The annual event, organised by Central FM, celebrates people from across the Forth Valley who go that extra mile on behalf of others. Those that make the awards shortlist have all been nominated by members of the public.
Rab (77) was also bestowed with the title of Ultimate Local Hero, which is decided from the list of winners on the night – although he had already headed home by the time his name was read out! Angela Gillies, fundraising manager at Strathcarron Hospice, said: “The hospice nominated Rab for this award to recognise his extraordinary efforts in raising more than £100,000 for the hospice over the past 20 years. “We can’t thank him enough for everything that he’s done.”
Rab started collecting empty glass Barr’s bottles in 1990 and regularly donated the money generated to the hospice in Fankerton. He even invested in a small truck so he could drive around the country to collect donations, regularly travelling as far as Glasgow. His achievements were officially recognised in 2011 when he was presented with a mounted stone ginger beer bottle from 1905 by Robin Barr, former chairman of AG Barr.

 Window Cleaner Liam and Mandy on the booze cruise with Capital FM staff.

Window man’s first foreign holiday - A man who had never stepped a foot out of Britain made his first trip abroad with his mother after winning a radio competition. Window cleaner Liam Keys, 31, of Illingworth, was taken to Majorca after his mother entered and won a Capital FM breakfast show competition. Mandy Green, 50, from Hull, answered the question: Which of these is an island on its own? She guessed right and three days later Mandy and son Liam were on their way to Leeds Bradford aiport; heading for the Balearic island for a 24hour holiday.
Liam said: “I was anxious about flying at first but it was brilliant - I’ve got the bug for travelling now.” Mandy said: “I brought Liam up alone so I couldn’t afford to take him abroad when he was little. “I thought it would be a good taster before his first foreign family holiday in August.” Liam has only recently become the owner of his own passport.
During the one-night all expenses paid vacation, the mother and son duo were taken on a booze cruise with Capital FM DJ’s Hirsty, Danny and JoJo, radio staff and 20 other competition winners and their party-partners. Liam, pictured with the radio crew and other winners, said the picture was taken to humorously wind-up his wife who is known as ‘Twinks’ - one of Hirsty’s Daily Dose breakfast show’s most ardent fans. 

Liam’s wife Rachel had told the show’s presenters that she wanted no pictures of her husband with bikini clad girls but Capital FM say Hirsty, Danny and JoJo say they had other ideas. Hirsty said: “It was non-stop fun in the sun and an extra bonus to be able to send Liam on his first ever plane trip and wind up one of our biggest fans.” 

High drama as gutsy women dare to bare! A gutsy group of women have dared to bare all for a Calendar Girls style shoot in aid of charity. Cast members from the Kilmacolm Dramatic Society stripped off as part of a bold production of 2003 comedy film Calendar Girls. Just like the original Calendar Girls, fledgling stars Claire McClatchie, Gill Durham, Eleanor McKellar, Suzie Dunlop, Kate Watt and Claire Fraser have also unveiled their very own nude calendar - with a total of 250 copies being sold out within a matter of days.

Photographs from the shoot show the women posing with a number of strategically placed objects to maintain their decency - some of which include a watering can, sponge cake, tea cups - and even a bottle of vodka. Reflecting on the "liberating" experience, mum-of-two Claire McClatchie, who played leading character Chris in the performance, said: "It was such a fun experience and it has caused an immense stir within the village. Just a month before the performance, the six women teamed up with photographer Carol Biggin to put together the shots, providing them with plenty of laughs along the way. "Many of the photographs were taken in my kitchen - we were all praying that the window cleaner wouldn't come round!" Claire chuckled. 

Corner Baja Bean says goodbye: After 21 years of serving up California-style Mexican food, Baja Bean Co. on The Corner is closing. At Midnight on May 31, the iconic Corner hangout will serve its last margarita. Fortunately for area taco-lovers, the Baja on Route 29 will remain open, as will locations in Staunton and Richmond. Owner Ron Morse tells Dish that his other concept, Station 2 in Richmond's Shockoe Bottom, is still very much open, and a new venture in Richmond, Postbellum, will be opening soon. Despite the success and growth of his other restaurants, the closure of the Corner Bean has hit him and his employees hard.
"It was a business decision," says Morse. "When we opened on the Corner in 1992 there were nine restaurants; now there are around 33 places. Fifteen years ago, if you were on the youngish side, you went to the Corner. Now it’s the Downtown Mall." Even Morse’s window washer was nostalgic when learning of the decision to close, telling him that he remembered when Morse’s wife was pregnant with their first child. “My vendors — they’re more like friendships,” Morse says.

You Dropped a Bong on Me - Could Amanda Bynes have killed someone by tossing glassware out of a 36th-floor window? Actress Amanda Bynes accused the New York Police Department of sexual harassment on Tuesday, after her arrest last week for allegedly throwing a glass bong out of her 36th-floor apartment window. Bynes, who claims the item was a vase, has been charged with reckless endangerment. Could a bong dropped from that height kill a pedestrian?
Yes. A 36th-story window is about 460 feet high. By the time a bong dropped from that height reached the ground, it would likely be traveling 115 miles per hour. (It takes a bong more than 350 feet to reach terminal velocity. Air drag would have minimal effect on the speed of the falling bong.) A typical glass bong weighs between 2 and 3 pounds, which means it would have been carrying more than 1,100 foot-pounds of kinetic energy on impact. Therefore, if the bong were unbreakable, the victim’s skull would have to absorb nearly 34,000 pounds of force to bring it to a stop before it crashed into the brain. That’s about 10 times more force than the strongest human skull can tolerate. Studies on cadavers suggest that it takes between 475 and 3,800 pounds of force to break a skull, depending on the location of the impact.

Not all of the force would be absorbed by the skull, of course. Some of it would go into shattering the glass and sending the fragments flying. It’s unlikely, however, that the breaking bong would absorb enough of the force to save the victim in the event of a direct hit. The glass in a high-quality bong is 5 millimeters thick, about as thick as a home window pane. Imagine trying to shatter a window at high speed with the crown of your head.

Even if the bong struck a victim square in the crown, there have been extraordinary feats of survival after a major collision. Five years ago, for example, a window washer in Manhattan plunged 500 feet to the ground and survived, even though many people die after a 40-foot drop. Falling glass has killed people in the past, but window panes are more often to blame than bottles or bongs. In 1923 a 9-year-old Wisconsin boy died when a window pane dislodged from its frame, fell 60 feet, and struck him on the head. In 1999 a piece of glass fell from a 29th-story window in a building on Wabash Avenue in Chicago, killing a woman.

Wind wrenches window from hinges (New Zealand) -  A fifth-floor office window was wrenched from its hinges and crashed to the footpath below in central Wellington this morning. Darrell White said he was walking his 19-month-old son to daycare about 7.30am. ''I heard a sound like boards slapping together in the wind.'' He turned and caught a glimpse of a window pane falling from the Molesworth St building. ''It smashed through the sidewalk awning, sending large and small shards onto the sidewalk. There was a woman nearby who had just passed under the area. She appeared unharmed and went along with her morning routine.'' What stuck most in his mind were the shards of glass that came through the awning. ''It would have diced someone had they been walking underneath it.''
Keywai Construction director John Fletcher confirmed his company was earthquake strengthening the building. He said a contractor left the window open last night by accident. ''In the high wind this morning it has wrenched it off its hinges.'' The window, approximately 1.5 metres by 800mm, hit the awning above the street, shattering its perspex. ''Potentially it could have blown out into the road. It could have been more serious.'' He said the window was usually locked.

Large glass window topples onto Lancaster city street: A close call on a Lancaster city street this morning resulted in lots of broken glass, but no injuries. A large pane of glass from a pedestrian bridge in the 500 block of North Duke Street toppled onto the road, but missed any passing cars and people, officials said. The block was closed for over an hour, until 10 a.m., as glass was swept off the road. Also, city firefighters inspected the bridge to be sure the remaining glass from the double-pane window was secure. The shattered pane had been cracked for a few days and was being prepped for replacement, fire officials said. "I'm assuming these gusts of wind finally made it give way," Lancaster city fire Capt. David Longenecker said after completing the job. The bridge connects Lancaster General Hospital and another hospital-owned building across the street.

Mark Haskin, of Shine Window Care, washes windows in downtown Midland on Wednesday afternoon. Haskin said that after lunch he planned to ask various downtown businesses if they were interested in having their windows cleaned.

Shine Window Care opens in Midland: Owned by Jim and Mary Reif and managed by son-in-law, Mark Haskin, Shine Window Care and Holiday Lighting is the epitome of a family business. “We think it is amazing that we will get to spend more time with our daughter and son-in-law,” said owner Mary Reif, in a press release. “We are so excited to provide a wonderful service to the community we love, creating jobs and building relationships in the process.” After daughter, Lauren, moved from Holland to Mount Pleasant to enroll in the physician’s assistant program at Central Michigan University, Jim and Mary saw an opportunity to grow closer to Lauren and Mark through a new family business venture, Shine Window Care.
It was in Holland, where Mark and Lauren had been students at Hope College, that Haskin received his first exposure to Shine Window Cleaning. “I really loved working for Shine when I was living in Holland,” he said. “When we first discussed the opportunity to bring this business to Midland with Jim and Mary, we knew that it was a good fit for everyone.”
Jim, a surgeon at MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland, saw an opportunity to bring to Midland a company that provides window cleaning, house washing, gutter service and holiday lighting services. “The way the people at Shine headquarters talked about Mark when I first inquired about the business really made me excited about this opportunity,” he said. “In our family we do what we can to stay close and connected. Starting a business together is a tremendous opportunity for our family to focus on what is most important, all while servicing our community.”
The Reif’s franchise covers Midland, Bay, Saginaw and Isabella counties along with the surrounding areas. Even though Shine is based in Michigan, the company has an impact worldwide through Shine Inc., an organization that advocates for orphans in Africa. The company website states: “Shine in Africa exists to 1. educate on the great need of the orphans in our world today 2. connect you to organizations and ways to help 3. provide financial assistance to organizations caring for orphans.”

Window Cleaner for Madonna? Madonna uses DNA cleaning team for tour - Music star Madonna has a 'sterilisation team' to wipe away any DNA left in her dressing room during her world tour. And she has ordered aides to leave no trace of her at any venue after she moves on to the next event. This is the claim of promoters overseeing the Portuguese leg of the singer's MDNA tour, which will last more than seven months and span 80 countries. "We can only enter after her sterilisation team has left the room," said concert promoter Álvaro Ramos. "There will not be any of Madonna's DNA - no hair or anything. "They will clean up everything to protect her and make her feel comfortable. We cannot even look at the dressing room after it is ready or even open the door."
Only the tour organisers and Madonna's own entourage are allowed backstage passes to the shows. The singer's team has built her dressing room according to her own specifications to include fake ceilings and fake walls to ensure that no hidden cameras can be concealed. Madonna's other demands in the past have included ordering a new toilet seat at every venue. A source close to Madonna said: ''She is a perfectionist and expects the best. But then at her age and with her status, why shouldn't she?''

Open for business (Geelong, Australia) - A first look at the grand new facilities ahead of its June 1 official opening, which follows years of construction, controversy and $115 million. The five-storey, 92-room resort boasts numerous conference centres, a restaurant, golf club, bar, day spa and fitness club all available for everyday use. Resort manager Dean Newell said the building was delivered six weeks earlier than scheduled. "We've been planning for a long time, and I look forward to getting up and running," he said. Eighty new staff were hired last week to work alongside the 40 existing workers at the centre. The spectacular coastal views are capitalised with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and all 92 resort rooms face the ocean - lots of work for the full-time window cleaner.

Workers left my gutter in disrepair, now I can't contact them - Question: John contacted Smart Consumer about gutter cleaning and repair at his home. He employed a man who arrived on spec at his door offering a gutter cleaning service. It transpired that part of a gutter needed repair, which the man, with his assistants carried out. "The job seemed well done," said John, "but the following day a neighbour noticed that the gutter had not been sealed properly and so with some rain it could leak." He contacted the man. Initially he promised to call out to repair the job, but during further telephone conversations he gave various excuses as to why he could not come back. He then stopped answering John's calls. John wants to know where he stands now.
Answer: If a service isn't carried out with the necessary skill, with due care and diligence, or if the parts used are not of merchantable quality, you are entitled to a remedy. The problem here is that John does not know the surname of the man, nor does he have a business address. Such details are crucial. After all, if someone won't answer the phone you have no other way of contacting them or to take small claims action. The lessons learned here are many. Firstly, if someone calls to the door offering a service, don't feel pressured to purchase there and then. Instead, get details of the service, including price, and take time to think about it. An honourable business will want your custom today or tomorrow. In addition, it is also important to get full contact details when you hire someone so that you know who they are. Get full price details so you can compare the cost with other service providers. Finally, once the work has been completed to your satisfaction, get a receipt so that you have proof of purchase. You'll need this if something goes wrong later.

A former Blackpool window cleaner who travelled the world entertaining troops with his music during the Second World War has celebrated his 100th birthday. Great-grandfather Bob Hargreaves, who now resides in Annacliffe Residential Home on Newton Drive, became a regular face in Blackpool when he ran the Spar shop on Daggers Hall Lane for 30 years from 1958 to 1988. Mr Hargreaves moved to the town from Clitheroe after the Second World War. He had previously run a pub in Tockholes, near Blackburn and worked as a window cleaner. And the centenarian was also a musician who utilised his talent during the war to entertain troops across the world.

The new ABCB regulations (Australia) address concerns about the increasing number of children being injured in window falls by introducing more stringent window barrier requirements for open-able windows in habitable rooms of residential buildings. Effective 1st May 2013, the updated requirements call for the inclusion of window barriers for open-able windows in early childhood centres or bedrooms in houses, apartments, hotels and similar dwellings, where the floor below the window is more than two metres above the surface beneath.
The NCC changes require windows to be fitted with a suitable device or a screen that restricts the window opening to 125mm. The device or screen can have a child-resistant release mechanism, which allows it to be removed, unlocked or overridden to facilitate window cleaning or maintenance. However, a barrier is not required for a window located 1.7 metres or more above the floor of the room in which it is located.

Mayor Bowen loves to play football on pro women's team: When defensive linebacker No. 90 steps on to the football field to play the game, the competitive nature of the pro football player comes out. What many people in Lindsey might not know is that its Mayor Sandi Bowen is that football player. 

Bowen is on the roster of a woman’s pro football team called Thee Toledo Reign. Bowen, who served on village council before being elected to mayor of Lindsey in 2012, also owns and runs Sandi’s Village Cafe in town, owns a window washing business called Clear View Enterprises, is a massage therapist and an athletic trainer.

She’s had numerous injuries. She’s had a concussion, black eyes, a suspected fracture in her lower back, broken ribs, numerous strains and sprains, cauliflower ear, dislocations, broken wrist with surgeries needed and her left finger has been broken so badly that she has to wear her wedding ring on her right hand.

Leonard Marsh, the co-founder of the Snapple beverage brand, has died at age 80: Snapple began in New York in 1972 as Unadulterated Food Products, which sold natural fruit juices to health food stores. Marsh, a window washer who would later serve as CEO of Snapple, launched the business on the side with his brother-in-law Hyman Golden and childhood friend Arnold Greenberg, who each threw in $6,000. The three grew up in Jewish Brooklyn. Marsh, the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia, worked as an egg dealer and in the garment district before setting up a window-washing and office-cleaning business with Golden before their burgeoning new venture took off. The trio didn’t introduce the brand name until 1980 and its popularity quickly soared as consumers clamored for healthier beverage options.

Bill Pertwee, who has died aged 86, was a comedy actor famous for his role as the cantankerous air raid warden Hodges in the television sit-com Dad's Army. Hodges had two missions in life: to prick the pomposity of Captain Mainwaring and to make sure no-one flouted the blackout. His catchphrase, heard in many of the comedy's 80 episodes between 1968 and 1977, was: "Put that light out!" He was born the youngest of three brothers in Amersham in Buckinghamshire and came from a large theatrical family that included the playwright Michael Pertwee, the screenwriter Roland Pertwee and the Doctor Who star Jon Pertwee.
After leaving school, his first job was making parts for Spitfire cannons; he then worked for around five years as a window cleaner. By this time his cousin Jon had become a big radio star in shows such as Waterlogged Spa and it was while he was at one of Jon's showbusiness parties he got a break. In the improvisational way of showbusiness in those post-war days, he was also offered an acting part. It was the start of a career in entertainment. He gave up window cleaning and went on tour with Jon. And there was a pay rise too: he was now on £5 a week.

Carl W. Blake passed away at his home in Stockton surrounded by his loving family on May 26, 2013 at the age of 50. Born in San Bernardino, he has lived the past 23 years in Northern California. He worked for a number of years as a window washer for high-rise buildings, and most recently was a truck driver. His greatest joy came from spending time with family. He was a people person and he enjoyed telling stories and especially sharing his knowledge with others. He is survived by his beloved wife Laurie Blake of Stockton, children: Ricky Stone, John Blake, Sara Blake, Shelley Hoskins, Cassey Withers, Chriselle Hernandez; 12 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. A Funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, June 2, 2013 at the Evergreen Chapel at Cherokee Memorial Park, Hwy 99 at East Harney Lane in Lodi.

Suspect 77 is arrested in Tyne-Wear derby - Manacled to a police officer, this is the moment a suspected soccer yob was arrested over the derby day disorder. Detectives are hunting around 100 people over the shameful violence which erupted on the streets after Newcastle United’s home defeat to rivals Sunderland. Police swooped to arrest suspect number 77. The shocking riots followed the lunchtime game at St James Park, on April 14.

Newcastle followers clashed with police at Strawberry Place, near the ground, before moving on to nearby St James’ Boulevard, Westgate Road, the Centre for Life and Central Station, following the route Sunderland supporters would have taken.
Now Det Chief Insp Ged Noble, who is leading the probe, has revealed his team has identified around 100 people they suspect were involved. He said: “No right-minded person would want to see that sort of behaviour on the streets of Newcastle. “We believe approximately 100 people were actively involved in the violent disorder. “They are the ones that have done something significantly violent in one of the locations where disorder occurred or have been present in all the locations, that showed a determination by these individuals to get involved in serious or significant disorder.”
One of the 100 suspects was arrested yesterday. Detectives identified the 19-year-old as someone they wanted to speak to from video footage. And when his image was circulated officers were able to identify him. Officers called at his home in Felling, Gateshead, at 7am. He was not there but relatives said he was working as a window cleaner nearby. The teen, scratched his head when officers turned up and interrupted him at work.

Teenager threatened with crowbar by bogus window cleaners - Man with "appalling" criminal record jailed for eight years over attack. A teenager was threatened with a crowbar after two men posing as window cleaners forced their way into his Birmingham home. Craig Johnson, 30, of no fixed address, was jailed for eight years at Birmingham Crown Court . Johnson, who had previously admitted robbery, and had an “appalling” criminal record was also ordered to remain on licence for 12 years. 

The court heard that on the afternoon of February 6 this year the 18-year-old victim answered a knock at the door of his home in Wylde Green , “a place where he was entitled to feel secure”. Johnson and another man claimed to be window cleaners looking for work and asked the teenager where his parents were to establish whether he was alone. When the victim tried to shut the door, Johnson used his foot to keep it open and the two raiders then forced their way in. He was then grabbed by the throat and the second man produced a crowbar and threatened him with the weapon as he lay on the floor. Johnson then went to look for valuables and at one point the victim was taken upstairs where he witnessed the defendant make an untidy search of rooms.
The raiders were eventually disturbed by a dry cleaner delivery man and, as they fled from the address, pulled telephone wires out. Recorder Benjamin Nicholls said at the time of committing the offence Johnson had been on licence for a serious conspiracy to rob as a result of which he had been recalled to prison. The judge said he was extending the licence period because he was satisfied the defendant represented a risk of causing serious harm to members of the public. He said he accepted no serious physical harm was caused to the victim.

‘Notorious’ Shipley conman jailed - A burglar who posed as a cheerful window cleaner to trick money out of elderly people and rifle their homes has been jailed for four years. Notorious conman Luke Brewster preyed on his vulnerable victims to fund his drug addiction, Bradford Crown Court heard. Yesterday, Brewster, 28, of The Sidings, Shipley, pleaded guilty to fraud and burglary on the day he was to stand trial. It was his third series of similar offences for posing as a window cleaner to fleece pensioners in Bradford.
On January 8, Brewster, who was on prison licence, armed himself with his trademark cloth and squeegee and went to Ivy Bank sheltered housing at Baildon. He got into the secure warden-aided flats after workmen left a door propped open. Brewster tricked a 76-year-old man into handing over £4 for having his windows cleaned. He was then offered a cup of tea and given a bottle of wine by a resident in his 80s. He repaid the man’s kindness by stealing his wallet containing £300, prosecutor Michael Greenhalgh told the court.
In January last year, Brewster was jailed for five months for posing as a window cleaner to prey on a vulnerable elderly couple in Thackley. He was convicted by Bradford and Keighley magistrates of fraud by making a false representation after he turned up at the couple’s home asking for money. The 87-year-old householder gave him £20 and Brewster said he would return with the change.
The court was told that Brewster was “notorious” for posing as a window cleaner, with eight previous convictions for similar offences. In August, 2010, Brewster was locked up for 31 months for tricking his way into the home of a woman aged 94 and stealing £8 from her purse. Bradford Crown Court heard that his frail victim, who was deaf and registered blind, had lost the will to live since he sneaked into her bedroom.
Brewster had knocked on other doors posing as a window cleaner and asking for money after seeing a similar scam on television. In mitigation, his barrister, Gerald Hendron, said Brewster stole to fund his drugs habit. He was ashamed of himself and knew he must be punished.