SMS Assist

Chicago’s latest unicorn is all about grit. Flashy new technology, probably the same as the others.

SMS Assist, a No-Glamour Start-Up, Becomes a Unicorn: Unicorns – or private, venture capital-backed companies that are valued above $1 billion – are often defined by flashy new technology or millions of users, and often based in Silicon Valley. But the ones based in the Midwest have tended to be more about sprinkling digital dust on the dirtiest industries.

SMS Assist connects property managers with outside vendors, such as snow removal services, landscapers and window washers, through a cloud-based digital platform. SMS’s customers include retailers like Family Dollar and O’Reilly Automotive, as well as real estate operators, such as Colony Starwood Homes.

Turn a reactive event into a planned service: Exterior Maintenance technology creates real-time customer validation, satisfaction and feedback for continuous affiliate monitoring & quality control.

Using the SMS technology, a snow-plow serviceman can take pictures with his phone before and after the work is done and submit them to the property manager to show a task is completed. All invoicing is done through SMS’s cloud-based technology, and ratings are given to all vendor to assess their work. It allows companies with a lot of offices or real estate a way to keep tabs on the upkeep of properties.

On Tuesday, SMS announced that it had raised $150 million in new capital from the same Goldman Sachs team that invested in Uber, Facebook and Spotify, according to a news release. The new round, its Series D, sets SMS’s valuation at $1 billion, a spokesman for the company said.

Michael Rothman (pictured), founder of SMS Assist. Credit SMS Assist

That is almost double its valuation from a year ago, when a previous round of fund-raising was led by Insight Venture Partners. In the current market, private companies have had a difficult time raising capital at higher valuations, as investors have become pickier, looking for more reasons — such as profitability — to sink their money into something.

“This is a huge market opportunity, yet historically, the sector has lacked innovation and customer needs were largely unmet,” Christopher Dawe, co-head of venture capital at Goldman Sachs Investment Partners. “SMS Assist stands out to us as the only player delivering a scalable solution that improves both quality and transparency to its customer base while at the same time reduces costs.”

Michael Rothman founded SMS about 13 years ago, using the “bootstrap” method – which means he got started without much outside financial help. In 2008, a close friend invested $2 million, and several years later, he received his first infusions of capital from institutional investors, the Huizenga Group and Pritzker Venture Capital Group. “SMS Assist is a profitable company experiencing explosive growth,” said J. B. Pritzker, the managing partner of Pritzker Group, in the statement on Tuesday.

Mr. Rothman is a serial entrepreneur of sorts – always in the industrial services industry. One of his businesses was sold to Waste Management, while another, Kenny Industrial Services (which managed coatings and cleanings for industrial customers), made some acquisitions and reincorporated under the name K2 Industrial. In 2003, he left to start SMS.

More Windows With No Maintenance Plan

More Windows With No Maintenance Plan

Pop-Out Windows Would Be a Terrifying Way to Add More Sun and Space to Your Apartment: These window options would fold out into niches and add sun seat to any small apartment. Architect and industrial designer Aldana Ferrer Garcia has created three pop-out window concepts in her More Sky line that provide an extra seat in any room. As an added bonus, popping a squat in your window sill will let you soak up some vitamin D in an otherwise sun-deprived apartment, at least if you're not afraid of heights.

The "hopper niche

The first design, called the "hopper niche," folds out of a window frame like an accordion, allowing the occupant to recline against the glass. Perfect for kicking back with a good book, this window-seat provides an extra recliner where one might not otherwise be possible. As long as you trust your well-being to the strength of the install. 

The "casement niche"

The "casement niche" is a simpler design, rotating out to provide a little spot for someone to sit in the window sill. It does take up a little space when rotated into the closed position though, and you have to cross your legs to fit inside at all.

The "awning niche"

The third design, the "awning niche" folds out for a wide base to lean on rather than sit. You can easily watch all the action below your apartment without leaning outside into the erratic weather and open air.

Aldana Ferrer Garcia's window module offers 'more sky' to city dwellers. Creative initiatives presented at the inaugural Dubai design week.

Aldana - off her rocker.

Of course, if you live in an apartment high off the street below, you have to wonder what exactly these nook windows are made of. Leaning your full weight onto a window pane is a whole different experience from a death-defying 15 stories off the ground. And speaking for all the window washers out there, these things look like a real pain to keep sparkly clean. All that, and they're just a concept, so no one is actually making these things. But while they're only an idea, and potentially a flawed one at that, they'd be  easily the best way to put a thrill-ride right in your apartment. 

New Service Business Model Dubai - Jim Will Fix It

Another new addition to the company’s offerings is window cleaning, which is due to be available by the end of 2015. “Not a mop and bucket,” says Thomas, but a high tech system that’s being brought in from the UK and uses pure water as the main cleaning method to eliminate smears and droplet marks caused by ‘total dissolved solids’ (TDS).

Fixing up the maintenance industry: If you have lived in, or even just visited Dubai in the past seven or eight years, you will have almost certainly seen the purple and yellow Jim Will Fix It vans going from job to job. Their noticeable presence not only speaks volumes about their eye-catching branding, but also the company’s success in redefining the emirate’s approach to home repairs and maintenance.

Offering a range of services including DIY, plumbing, electrics, air conditioning, carpentry, and painting and decorating, the business was founded in 2007 by two men who wanted to change a maintenance landscape which they believed was restrictive and often poor quality. Colin Thomas and Daniel Garner both arrived in Dubai from the UK in the early years of the new millennium – Thomas with Sony PlayStation, and Garner with Morgan McKinley. But despite the heady days of pre-global financial crisis Dubai, there was something that the duo felt compelled to address. So much so that they started their own business to deal with it.

“I was living in a big place in Al Barsha, and the whole nugget of the idea came when the AC broke down,” explains Thomas. “On three different occasions I phoned three different companies. They either needed an annual contract and wanted all the money upfront, or alternatively it was a guy who spoke no English and came with one screwdriver. “We thought surely there’s a better way of doing maintenance than this. So we kind of started from there.”

Joining forces with Garner, the duo “sort of did it backwards” by quitting their jobs before embarking on a six-month research period, culminating in a business plan. “We did our market research - we were stood outside Spinneys and Choithrams every evening for about a week, and that research came back to say quite clearly that there was room for something that was radically different,” continues Thomas. “And that ‘different’ is exactly where we sat. Back home you would never have somebody coming to you saying ‘pay me £3,000 for the year and I’ll look after your house for you’. People would laugh them out the door. So we couldn’t understand why up until then Dubai had been operating in that way.”

The important thing in the early days was for people to try out the fledgling company. “The real key to the business was: can we get the quality service without needing an annual maintenance contract, so people have the option of trying us to work out whether we›re as good as we say we are?” says Thomas. “If we offer them a warranty not only on parts but also the service that we do, then they can have the peace of mind that they haven’t spent a small fortune before finding out whether we’re any good or not, and they have a warranty so if anything does go wrong they have that peace of mind there as well.”

The timing, however, was not ideal. The company launched in 2007, shortly before the financial crisis engulfed most of the globe. But while many new businesses were struggling to stay afloat, Thomas says Jim Will Fix It proved to be somewhat recession-proof. He explains: “It was quite clear within a month or so that the recession was very much upon us here in Dubai and at that stage there was a big question mark of whether or not the business would work. “But what became clear was that things break even in a recession, and you either lived with it or you get it repaired. It kind of grew exponentially from day one. And that’s continued for the last seven years which has been fantastic.”

Part of the company’s early success, according to Thomas, has been its balance between offering a full range of services, and building a reputation for honesty with clients. “We couldn’t just look after one particular facet, like a plumbing service,” he says. “We really needed to offer people enough of a breadth that we were almost a one-stop-shop for their maintenance needs. “That said if there was something too specialist, unlike some companies that claim to be experts in everything, we had to be prepared to walk away from it if it wasn’t within our core expertise. That’s really helped us build a rapport with our customers. They know if it’s a job we’ve taken on then we’re good at it.”

This kind of rapport has helped Jim Will Fix It compete against other companies in the facilities management sphere, but for Thomas there is a much more important differentiator. “What you tend to find with those guys is that they’re very much competing on price, while we’re very much competing on quality,” he explains.

“For us it was important that we had the right staff - really capable people who come to us with qualifications. For example all our AC guys are three years qualified in the Philippines and then we retrain them again, so they go through a really rigorous training process with our senior technicians to ensure they’re the required quality.  “Then we have ongoing training. So every three months they go through a refresher course on customer training, and then we have a refresher team on the road that just trains, trains, trains and shadows each of our teams.

“It’s permanent because we have to maintain that quality, even as we’re growing at a very quick rate.” The company’s tag line – ‘one call, one visit, job done’ – is “more than just a mantra”, according to Thomas. He explains that the quality of service needs to be strong throughout the entire process, starting with the initial call to the bookings team. “The first call is critical because that call is for us to be able to determine that we’ve got the right person there, make sure we have the materials we need to do that job, and make sure the customer understands exactly what that job is. “And that’s followed up by the fact that our staff are all English speaking - they are able to communicate, and are constantly retrained in communication with the customer. “They are there to eke out the maximum amount of information so that we can go there in one visit, can get the job done, ensure it’s going to be right, and that we’ve got all the right materials to proceed.”

The company also has back-up plans in place, just in case the job turns out to be more difficult than first expected, or if parts aren’t available. “We now have a fleet of very big vans that float around Dubai and work as mobile warehouses as well,” says Thomas. “So if we do have a job where those parts aren’t available, there’s a good chance they’ll be in the mobile vans, so we can get the parts to people quickly and still get everything done in that one job. “However, there are always going to be those jobs where you’ve got specific items, so when a technician is still on the roof, for example, from the roof he can call the parts team in office, and they will call in immediately the part details. The parts team will then call our driver who is already in the area of the supplier. So in effect from diagnosis to part being available, it can be as quick as half an hour. It’s something we’ve really worked on perfecting as we’ve got bigger.

“We’ve now done 55,000 jobs and we’re kind of at the stage where we’ve seen everything before, without a doubt, and we’ll know how to deal with it.” The focus on quality is something that Thomas and Garner were adamant about from the very beginning. While starting out, they took advice from friends who had also launched businesses in Dubai, and decided that there were certain things they would leave in the hands of other professionals. “We sat down with those guys to learn from their mistakes, and what that told us was that we didn’t need to worry about the bureaucracy of setting up. We could focus on our business and find a facilitation company to look at the set up requirements. We’ve got a great one that we still use to this day.

“There’s a real decision to make when setting up a business, which is what will you spend money on, and what will you focus on yourself. We knew that our product delivery had to be better than the lowest common denominator operators, and the established operators as well, and we couldn’t just match it, we had to be significantly, demonstratively better. We wanted to focus on that.” That focus paid dividends almost immediately.

Despite the challenges the founders faced in the form of competition and a generally poor perception of the maintenance industry, the quality that they were so intent on establishing shone through. “Within probably six months of us starting, Dubai’s word of mouth kicked in massively for us and it made our significant advertising efforts pale in significance,” says Thomas. “Expat Woman was probably the best source we had for word of mouth and we were getting 60-70 percent of our work on referral alone. For us that was absolutely critical.

“As well as that, there were just huge amounts of hard work and graft. When you’re signing the cheques yourselves, and it’s money you’ve earned yourselves [the start-up money came from the founders and their families] it makes you beyond hungry to make sure it works. “So for us it was ridiculous hours, ridiculous days. I lost a huge amount of weight, and for the first six months I spent a lot of time on the road going to the jobs, being on the roofs in 50C heat to ensure our service delivery was right, and I’m able to talk about jobs knowledgeably, which was absolutely key.”

Having established a strong following, and ensured a consistent quality of service through continual training, a system of spot checks, and customer feedback, the company began to expand its offering.

In order to provide the best possible service, Thomas explains that he and Garner keep a close eye on new products and procedures available in other parts of the world which could enhance their offering in Dubai. One example is the addition of duct cleaning to their AC service. Thomas explains that they have brought in a specific piece of equipment from the US which cleans AC units and ducts much more quickly and efficiently than they were previously able to do. Another new addition to the company’s offerings is window cleaning, which is due to be available by the end of 2015. “Not a mop and bucket,” says Thomas, but a high tech system that’s being brought in from the UK and uses pure water as the main cleaning method to eliminate smears and droplet marks caused by ‘total dissolved solids’ (TDS).

With any new product, there needs to be a tangible benefit to the customer and the company, explains Thomas. “If we can keep our quality level, but use the technology to make it faster while maintaining that quality, and get to the point where we reach a really nice competitive price, then it means it’s feasible for the Dubai market, and feasible for us. “There’s a bit of chicken and egg situation with new products, in as much as we know it’s being used in a certain way, but can we tweak it to get the quality we need, and can we get the economies of scale that we need to get to a price that will make it mainstream in Dubai?” The answer for an increasing number of products appears to be yes. But while the breadth of what they are able to do is increasing, the geography in which they do it is not. Yet.

“At the moment we’re in Dubai, and the reason we’ve stuck to Dubai so far is that for our services and the reputation we have here, we have a really strong amount of growth year on year, every year,” continues Thomas.

“But we are looking at Abu Dhabi, without a doubt - it’s just a case of how soon we will roll it out.

“We also get approached on an almost weekly basis for franchises abroad. To date we’ve decided not to do that. It’s so critical that anything we do, we do to our quality level, and to package all of that up into a little manual is not really possible in the way it might be for a fast food outlet. ‘If our key is quality, then it doesn’t really franchise that well, in our view, and we have to stick to maintaining that quality.”

Speaking with Thomas, it is clear that his business is about much more than making money. The company’s dedication to quality service is matched by the partners’ assertion that it should be a place their employees feel comfortable working. People are at the heart of what they do, and the quality they are keen to provide at every turn is a constant reminder of this. Having helped fix the reputation of the maintenance sector in Dubai, no doubt Jim Will Fix It will continue to be at the forefront of its development in the future.

Window Cleaners Expanding With Sub Contracting

Aaron Hess grows with sub contractors.

Small home maintenance company strives to grow: Sparks resident, Aaron Hess, owner of Hess Family Companies LLC, faces the challenge of expanding his small business into an established company.

The company has been providing indoor and outdoor home maintenance services to residents in the Reno/Sparks area since 2010. The idea originated from a business called Clean Cut Lawns, which Hess and his brother, Jon, bought in June of 2005 doing lawn maintenance.

In 2010, Hess and his brother decided to split their business. Hess bought a window-cleaning business while his brother continued doing lawns. Hess then extended his own business into full-service maintenance for facility and home, inside and outside. The services include window cleaning, lawn and landscape maintenance, as well as carpet and hardware floor cleaning.

“We strive to take care of our customers and give nothing but the best,” Hess said. “I really don’t know what competition is out there against us, besides just one company for each thing that we do. But not a combined company like ours,” said Hess.

Hess is also thankful he bought the window cleaning business, which provides a higher margin of profit than maintaining lawns or cleaning houses. Since 2010, Hess Family Companies has grown about $30,000 each year in sales and the lawn business has grown 300 percent since it started.

As his business expanded, Hess started using subcontractors to help get his work done. In 2010, he began with just a carpet cleaning crew but this past year, Hess added more subcontractors for landscape and cleaning work because there was so much work to do.

Last year, he also began hiring employees but realized it was too much for him to handle, so he cut back to only having one or two employees. An obstacle for him has been hiring good people to help his company be run the way he wants it to be.

“People gain your trust and obviously, as an owner, they love you because you put everything you have into it. And when you start hiring employees, you start getting complaints, you know. Because people don’t like change. They go from having me to someone else and that’s tough,” said Hess.

The local resident enjoys having subcontractors because they are already established companies with good employees. He said that instead of competing against them, he brings them in to work for him so he doesn’t have to hire people.

Eventually, Hess does want his own employees and to stop using subcontractors. His ultimate goal is to establish his own larger business which will require him to find the right people to hire.

“I could stay small and do it myself or I can keep growing and find the right people,” said Hess.

Since Clean Cut Lawns is a business that originated in Sparks, most of Hess Family Companies’ clientele for lawn maintenance are Sparks residents. The majority of the clientele for indoor home maintenance are Reno residents.

“We enjoy working in both Reno and Sparks equally. They both have positives. In Reno, we get to enjoy mature landscape growth and some bigger upscale properties. Sparks has smaller properties, which are easier to maintain and typically its newer developed communities that we are working in. I believe both areas offer a client worth pursuing,” said Hess.

Stolen Van Driven Off With Window Cleaner Inside

The stolen van.

Thief drives away stolen van with worker inside: A family's livelihood hangs in the balance after their van full of specialist equipment was stolen while a worker was still inside. A 19-year-old window cleaner from Active Cleaning and Maintenance was in the back of the van, which was parked in Dawson Close, Accrington, when a robber jumped in the front seat and sped away. The stunned window cleaner fell out of the rear of the vehicle as it began to move, and quickly jumped to his feet to chase it down the street.

The Ford Transit van was full of specialist cleaning equipment including a water tank worth £9,000 as well as power jets, hoses and ladders, all of which would have been worth around £20,000 altogether. The firm uses the equipment to carry out their services which include window cleaning, power washing, ground maintenance, office cleaning and valets. Without it, the family-run business will struggle to operate and Andrew Wilcock, managing director of the firm, has now issued a £1,000 reward to anyone who finds the van.

CCTV picture of van being driven away.

CCTV picture of the worker running after the vehicle.

Jessica Dowling, Andrew’s daughter-in-law, said: “The van was essential to our livelihoods and we just can’t believe that this has happened. It’s a family business and we are all going to be affected by it. “My partner Ben and I have two young children, a three-year-old and a seven-month-old, and we just don’t know how this is going to affect our income. “We only live round the corner from Dawson Close and it’s unsettling that this kind of thing happens, especially so close to home.”

The theft was reported to the police who said that they would log the registration and let the family know if it was found. The Wilcock family knocked on doors and collected CCTV images. Jessica said: “The police weren’t doing anything and even when we had collected the CCTV they told us they couldn’t come and collect it and we had to drop it off at the station. I know it maybe isn’t a priority to them but the business is in danger of folding.”

A spokesman for Lancashire police said: “We are aware of this incident and enquiries are being made. CCTV has been viewed, but unfortunately on this occasion it has not been helpful to the investigation. If anybody has any information they are asked to call police on 101.”

A Day In The Life Of A Window Cleaner

Peter Manzi the managing director of Clearwater in the company's water purication plant where the equipment can filter up to 75,000 litres of water per day and is stored in these containers.

A day in the life: keeping Dubai water and windows up to scratch - Peter Manzi is the managing director of Clearwater, a window cleaning and maintenance company based in Dubai. The 53 year old Briton arrived in the UAE nine years ago having seen a new water purification system in the United Kingdom and sensed a window of opportunity opening in Dubai with the emergence of the property market. He began with three employees, which has grown to a staff of 20. The purification system he employs removes the sodium, calcium and magnesium to leave the water chemical free and windows streak-free.

6am

I have always been an early riser, not naturally, it’s because I have seven children, aged nine to 29. Only four of them are here at the moment, but Christmas can become chaotic. I get the kids ready for school. I live in Arabian Ranches with the kids at Jess Ranches, so I’m lucky enough to be able to walk them there. We have recently restructured the company so domesticity is a respite.

7.45am

I have a cup of tea and some toast and then pack the wife off to work. She is in property so is constantly busy. I swim 20 lengths every morning, it focuses my mind, strengthens my body and creates a positive energy that doesn’t leave me for the whole day.

8.45am

Clearwater has changed tack from the corporate world and rope access on high towers to the residential space. We moved from concentrating solely on window cleaning to adding a maintenance service. The service is a 24-hour operation so we have to be ready to react day or night to people with plumbing problems, AC maintenance or electricity concerns. When I began the business I partnered with the Lootah family, which helped with the licensing and the business development. That partnership ended 18 months ago as the Clearwater business didn’t fit with their core business. However, the family are still a valuable and dependable resource. We have the contract for cleaning the windows of all the Eppco and Enoc service stations. This has to be done at night which generally means the morning is more than busy.

11am

I often have site visits or contract negotiations. We recently signed the contract to do deep cleaning [when one tenant leaves and a home is readied for another] on 100 villas and preventive maintenance for 42 villas on Jumeirah Golf Estates. There has been a real movement in the business confidence of the city and it is showing in our contracts book.

1pm

I have lunch – usually a smoked salmon sandwich – which is generally eaten at my desk. I would like to expand regionally but for the moment I am relying on organic growth. The maintenance business is a very competitive field. It requires professional, prompt service and now we are seeing the benefit from the referrals. The past few years have been difficult but the fact that we have stayed in the market, delivering a competitive package, is now paying dividends.

3pm

There are usually more site visits in the afternoon whether it’s checking on the maintenance team or to see if an overnight clean has been done correctly. I believe in our product and the water purification system that we use [for window cleaning] so I have diversified into selling bottled cleaning water for interior windows. It was a natural extension as one can see a myriad of products in every supermarket that use countless chemicals to clean windows.

Our product is environmentally friendly and we keep our carbon footprint as low as possible. Our fleet of vans run on bio diesel, sourced from the Lootah family. The bottled water business is still in its infancy as the patent costs and the scale of distribution is huge but we are in Géant and Lulu. It probably needs a Dh3 million investment to push that side of the business, which at present I feel would be challenging, but you don’t get many cleaning products that are safe enough for your children to drink and kind to the environment. I am planning for a very good 2014 with 50 per cent growth in manpower and 28 per cent growth in profits. When you look at global commerce right now there are few better places to be in business than here.

6pm

I leave for home and make sure the kids have done all their homework. If there is something on the TV, or Chelsea, I may watch but generally the business always needs some attention. Supper is usually pasta at 8pm.

10.30pm

It’s lights out and straight to sleep as long as there has not been too much stress that day.

Cherry Picker Accident Florida

"That is what goes on this time of year. When most of the snow birds are gone is when we do all the outside painting, window washing, cleaning, things like that," said Beutler. The Sheriff's Office says OSHA will investigate. Back in April, another man died after being electrocuted while trimming trees on Fort Myers Beach.

Two men were electrocuted and killed Friday while performing maintenance on a Fort Myers Beach building. Juan Bocanegra, 37, of Fort Myers, and Dustin Manning, 30, of Bradenton were in a cherry-picker performing maintenance on a building in the 7400 block of Bella Lago Drive around 1:30 p.m., according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The two men were electrocuted and killed when the cherry picker lifted into the power lines, according to an initial investigation. "Dustin was a wonderful husband, a wonderful father and they were expecting their second child," his friend Sharon Reinhart told NBC-2. "I just want his family to know that he was very liked by so many people." The deaths appear to be accidental, the Sheriff's Office reported. The Medical Examiner's Office will conduct autopsies to make an official determination.

Solar Panel Cleaning

Sunny outlook: solar cells are being improved in order to harvest energy more efficiently.

Solar Panel Maintenance Opportunities: Solar Panels are exposed to the environment – sun, wind, dust, rain etc. Solar panels are very similar to windows, lying flat or at a slight angle which means they get dirty very fast. Pollen, bird droppings, dirt, and dust can build up on solar panels.“Solar Clouding” commonly referred by the panel manufacturers, which means dirty panels and needs to be cleaned on a regular schedule in order to keep them producing at full capacity. There is a 10-15% decrease in solar output when solar panels are dirty.

Solar panels generally require very little maintenance. A few times a year, the panels should be inspected for any dirt or debris that may collect on them. Most manufacturers recommend the cleaning of solar panels every six months. Typically they should be cleaned in March/April when the rainy season has passed and August/September, towards the end of summer. The cleaning services are a necessary part of the system maintenance and also to maintain its warranty.

Having the PhotoVoltaic system cleaned will:

• Maintain your investment
• Ensure peak performance
• Extend the life of your product
• Maintain product warranty.

How to Clean Solar Panels: One can use a garden hose to wash the face of the panels during either the early morning or in the evening. Care should be taken not to spray cold water onto hot panels or there could be a risk of cracking them. There are also automated cleaners, which can be programmed to clean the panels as needed - a good choice if you are in an especially dusty area. Professional solar panel cleaners are also in abundance and can come out periodically to clean them.

Generally the solar panels are dusted gently and then washed using a soft wash brush to lightly scrub the dirt off. One should check with the solar panel manufacturer to know the best way to clean your solar panels. Hard water should not be used for the cleaning. Also check if there is any blockage from the sun like trees or plants. Clean solar panels are worth the effort.

Checking Solar Panel Operation: The only other part of solar panel maintenance is monitoring their energy output and ensuring there are no malfunctions. Check and log the power output on the solar inverters display on a daily or monthly basis. With this data, one can check to see if solar panels are functioning at full efficiency.  Solar panels produce different amounts of power during the year, so keeping a baseline measurement helps.

Solar Panel Maintenance and Cleaning Companies:

1) GR3 Solar – is a leading solar panel maintenance company throughout the UK, which specializes in the maintenance, repair and upgrades of solar panel installations. The solar maintenance packages can be customized to suit any organizational size, demand and need, whether small business, corporate or public institution or body. It provides services like Solar panel repair, maintenance, upgradation, cleaning, roof vent repairs, photovoltaic repairs, solar panel servicing. GR3 Solar covers both commercial and domestic markets, helping to reach solar panels which are often difficult and dangerous to access for homeowners or building managers. Cracks, breaks, loose connections can be rectified and upgraded, where they have become out-dated. The company’s Health & Safety procedures are constantly reviewed and upgraded and are accredited by CHAS, SAFE contractor and Constructionline.

2) Solar Clean – is a professional solar panel cleaning company. The latest unique & environmental-friendly reach-and-wash cleaning system is used, which ensures perfect cleaning results and is safe for the solar panels. The  system uses approx. 1.5  litres of water per minute. At Solar Clean, services are available to clean all residential, business and corporate solar systems in South Australia. Residential cleaning costs start from as little as $6 a panel, subject to site inspection.

3) Solar Maid – is a leading provider of solar panel washing service, cleaning and maintenance and global solar O&M provider. The company provides residential, commercial and governmental solar panel washing service. Solar Maid was the first company to provide “Janitorial Solar O&M” and is still by far the largest worldwide. Solar Maid sets industry standards for this new service sector. Solar Maid has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA with service offices throughout North America and parts of Europe.

4) Solar King - A national company with over 10 years experience Solar King is a leading supplier and installer of Solar PV, Solar Thermal & Ground & Heat Source energy systems for domestic, industrial, and commercial projects across the UK. The services provided are – supply, design, installation, commissioning, handover, maintenance, upgrades and repairs to various microgeneration technologies (Solar Thermal, Heat Pumps, Solar Photovoltaic) to commercial and domestic customers. Solar Power systems that are managed by Solar King can be up to 30% more efficient.

5) Solar Shine – is a professional solar panel cleaning company, using 100% biodegradable cleaning products that are safe for the photovoltaic system and the environment. There are many cleaning packages to choose from. Commercial and residential cleaning are available. Solar Shine offers a cleaning maintenance service, to remove the build up of debris on the surface of  photovoltaic modules.

6) Spectrum Solar – is an Australian owned company. The company is engaged in delivering high end electronic solutions to homes and businesses, for the past 35 years.  The company has installed thousands of solar power systems, in homes, businesses and schools. Spectrum Solar identifies emerging problems like shading, scaling and leaf build up & its scheduled inspection & cleaning service consists of physical inspection, panel cleaning & performance check. The panels are cleaned with purified water and no detergents or chemicals are used.

7) Fortress Complete Cleaning – Founded in Melbourne, is the culmination of over 15 years in the cleaning and maintenance industry. It provides all the equipments to access and clean the panels & cleans the panels using the most appropriate cleaning method for the job, inspects the condition of the frames and mounts & panels and records the output of the system before & after cleaning and finally provides a report on the spot for client’s reference. Solar Panel cleaning starts from 7$ per panel subject to site inspection.

8) Solar Service WA – is a WA owned business who services all of the Perth area. Solar Service WA is fully accredited to the Clean Energy Council. The company is specialized to handle Perth specific problems – like dealing with hard water stains. Water Filtration and De-Ionization equipments are used to make the panels stain free. There are no harsh chemicals used in cleaning the panels and all equipments used are the latest environmental-friendly reach-and-wash cleaning technology, which ensures perfect cleaning results and scratch free brush ensuring crystal clear panels.

9) Watson Window Washing - are currently serving all commercial systems in Southern California and all utility sized systems in California and Arizona. They are  pioneers of the commercial solar panel industry for over 5 years & their completed jobs range from small 350kw rooftop systems to 15mw ground mount utility systems. The company uses super purified water that contains no chemicals or detergents, hence there is no sticky residue left on the solar panels. Therefore, there is nothing for the dust to stick to and they will stay clean up to 10x longer. The solar panels cannot much pressure on them. Hence, long telescopic poles with soft brush heads are used to safely maintain the solar panels, while not applying much pressure. They use a method that does not quickly lower the temperature of the panels otherwise the panels would break.

Cost Involved in  Cleaning & Maintaining Solar Panels

The cost of cleaning a residential solar panel depends upon:

• Location of the Building
• Number of Panels
• Location of panels on the Premises
• Availability of water.

Maintenance & Window Cleaning Bill Queried

Former Clarion hotel protests Sioux City skywalk fee, Iowa - Every day, pedestrians take the high road through Sioux City's downtown, via the skywalks. Many do business, others are getting exercise.  Some, say the system is broken. "It's not that we don't want to pay the bill, and it's not that we can't pay the bill," said Dan Maher, the sales manager at the Sioux City Hotel and Conference Center. However, the sales manager of the Sioux City Hotel and Conference Center, formerly the Clarion, says their May bill for the Sioux City skywalk isn't going to get paid until the city explains what they're paying for.  They haven't paid since November. 

To date the hotel owes more than $15-thousand. "If you get a bill in the mail and it doesn't explain to you what it really is, most people are not going to pay it right away either," explained Maher. "It's based on frontage and linear footage of the building.  Because of the Clarion Hotel's height and number of floors, they pay a higher percentage," explained parking and skywalk manager Monette Harbeck. Sioux City's tallest building the Badgerow Building sits on the same block as the Terra Center another tall one.  In May, their bill was $266.  "Ours is without a doubt the most expensive, and by a lot," Maher pointed out. The hotel's bill was $2,900.  A detailed report of the expenditures shows just over $500 billed to Terra Real Estate. "Their staff takes care of the repairs or takes bids for the repairs.  The city charges those back to whatever businesses are attached to that block in the skywalk," explained Harbeck.

$500 for window cleaning, $500 for janitorial work, and $850 for utilities. "There's a couple things in there that we have no idea what we're paying for," said Maher. There are also general expenses that are divided between every business.  Things like insurance and administrative fees. There's even a charge for the Sioux City council's lunch with the skywalk board. "We've gone to the city, we've gone to the skywalk board and asked them to give us an explanation," said Maher.

The formula for calculating the cost that's passed onto the various businesses has been on the books since the skywalk was built in the 70's, and some say it's time to give it a second look. Council member Keith Radig wants access to the skywalk to be by key card only, eliminating the need for security, and reducing operational costs.  He points out that most businesses are accessible on the ground-level. "And also, you could have maintenance taken over by adjacent businesses rather than having maintenance contracts," said Radig. "I tell ya, it's ridiculous," said Bob Nickolson.

Downtown Partners, the Public Policy Committee, and the Skywalk board are meeting this month to study the issue.  "It's not like we aren't taking these businesses concerns to heart because we are.  We're trying to figure out if there's an easier, simpler way of doing this," said Harbeck. Something the Sioux City hotel hopes to see soon. "I basically have to sell 50 rooms a month to pay for the skywalk system.  We would just like it to be fair," said Maher.

SKYWALK SYSTEM OPERATIONS-DETAILED EXPENDITURES
May 2011- General (Divided Amongst All Skywalk Business)

Wages                                                                      $6,000 (administrative fee)
Skywalk Board/Council Luncheon                                    $148 (annual meeting)
SC Journal/Clarion Legal                                                         $27 (ad in paper)
Terra Real Estate                                                                                         $678
Security                                                                                                   $11,000

Other Skywalk Fees By Block (From Most Expensive to Least Expensive)
BLOCK #13 CLARION HOTEL AND DISCOVERY PARKING RAMP
Terra Real Estate   $538
Window Washers   $519
Janitorial Service    $49

Security                  $560
Bridge Utilities        $401
MidAmerican           $447
                              $2,966

BLOCK #14 PUBLIC MUSEUM AND EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CTR.
Terra Real Estate                $658
Window Washer Service     $307
Janitorial Service                 $301
MidAmerican                       $550
                                           $1,817

BLOCK #15 MARTIN TOWER APTS.,CENTURY PLAZA, GENERAL COSTS
Terra Real Estate                 $25
Window Washers                 $209
Janitorial                               $661
MidAmerican                         $745
                                            $1,640

BLOCK #35 CONVENTION CENTER
Terra Real Estate                $455
Window Washers                $63
Janitorial                              $149
Security                               $102
MidAmerican Energy            $380
                                           $1,151

BLOCK #24 STIFEL NICOLAUS BLDG., HERITAGE PARKING RAMP
Terra Real Estate                            $6
Window Washers                          $44
Janitorial                                      $108
Security                                        $560
Terra Real Estate Bridge Utilities  $168
                                                     $888

BLOCK #10 ORPHEUM, FRANCES BLDG., MLK TRANSIT
Terra Real Estate        $57
Window Washers       $38
Janitorial                     $53
Security                     $560
MidAmerican Energy  $146
                                 $866

BLOCK #17 MIDAMERICAN ENERGY, RIVER'S LANDING RAMP
Window Washers      $20
Janitorial                    $90
Security                      $560
                                  $671

BLOCK #9 LIBRARY & US BANK
Terra Real Estate                   $31
Window Washers                  $61
Janitorial                              $120
MidAmerican Energy            $440
                                           $653

BLOCK #22 CENTRAL BANK
Window Washers                                  $192
Janitorial                                                $108
Terra Real Estate-Bridge Utilities           $135
MidAmerican                                          $103
                                                             $540

BLOCK #23 TERRA CENTRE, BADGEROW BUILDING
Terra Real Estate                                    $19
Window Washers                                    $135
Janitorial                                                  $112
                                                                $266

BLOCK #16 HOM FURNITURE, TOWN SQUARE, HATCH FURNITURE
Window Washers               $36
Janitorial                            $64
MidAmerican Energy          $87
                                          $188

BLOCK #12 MERCY MEDICAL CENTER
Window Washers                  $125
Janitorial Service                   $31
                                             $156

 *City of Sioux City

AAMA Offers Window Cleaning Tips

Click the picture for the pdf file. Don't laugh!

Window, Door, Skylight Care Brochure covers proper maintenance: Published by AAMA, "Caring for Your Windows, Doors and Skylights" provides tips for proper cleaning as well as information to help ensure fenestration products perform as intended. Publication covers glass care, frame cleaning, and hardware/component care in addition to drainage system design, condensation/moisture considerations, and finish color retention. Manufacturers can personalize this 6-panel, fold-out brochure with their logo and contact information for distribution.

Regular care and maintenance extends the lifespan and performance of windows, doors and skylights. The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) offers a newly-published, educational brochure with tips for proper cleaning and information to help ensure that products perform as intended.

"Caring for Your Windows, Doors and Skylights" presents a comprehensive overview of:

• Glass care
• Frame cleaning
• Hardware and component care
• Drainage system design
• Condensation and moisture considerations
• Finish color retention
• Plastic glazing for skylights

"Customers may have questions about how to care for the windows, doors or skylights," notes Kathy Krafka Harkema, corporate public relations manager at Pella Corporation. "AAMA is dedicated to providing helpful answers. That's why the members of AAMA have created a new consumer-friendly brochure filled with helpful tips for how to maintain fenestration products. From cleaning glass to caring for frames and more, consumers will learn more about what to do to care for their fenestration products."

Kim Flanary, director of manufacturing engineering for Milgard Manufacturing, Inc., agrees, "The advantage of this third-party approach is the homeowner or builder can be assured that there is not a single manufacturer's bias; AAMA consensus approach to standards development ensures that all opinions - from the manufacturers, suppliers, builders, etc. - are considered in the final document. This information lets the homeowner or builder knows we, as manufacturers, will stand behind this information."

Manufacturers can personalize the brochure with their logo and contact information to remind customers of these helpful hints, and of the helpful source that wants their products to perform well and have a long lifespan. Custom-imprinted brochures can be shared with end-users, sales staff, distributors and retail outlets. Some manufacturers include a copy with each shipment.

The professionally-designed, six-panel, fold-out brochure is intended to help homeowners, building owners, property managers and all who are responsible for maintaining and cleaning windows, doors and skylights. "Regardless of framing material, operator type or size, all of these projects must be cared for properly to increase their service life, performance and operation," Rich Walker, AAMA's president and CEO.

Some states also require that manufacturers provide written care and maintenance instructions. "Caring for Your Windows, Doors and Skylights" may assist with this compliance, and ultimately, in promoting better-informed customers. Walker adds, "The brochures communicate industry-wide truths without being brand specific. This neutral, third-party approach removes the potential, negative connotation that could be incorrectly made about an individual manufacturer who shares similar information under their own company name."

AAMA's "Caring for Your Windows, Doors and Skylights" addresses a wide range of products, components, applications and current industry standards. To identify products that have been certified to meet rigorous performance standards, the brochure also illustrates AAMA's gold label. The AAMA Certification Program is the most established quality assurance program available to window and door manufacturers.

A digital sample of the brochure can be downloaded from AAMA's website and printed copies may be ordered from its online publication store with product code PMB-1-11. Discounts are available for AAMA members and for non-members purchasing more than 1,000 copies.