The Whistling Man

Tim Gentry, left, takes a photo of a truck he and others bought for window washer Ron Chappell on his birthday. Chappell is known as The Whistler for his virtually nonstop loud whistling as he washes windows and, formerly, hitchhiked and walked from job to job. Gentry is a client.

The Whistler can whistle while he drives instead of while he walks (Brunswick): The day has come when Ron Chappell’s window-washing customers will be able see him before they hear him. Known as The Whistler for his piercing whistle while he works, people could normally hear Chappell coming as he walked from job-to-job. But one of his window customers, mortgage broker Tim Gentry, staged a fund-raiser that was so successful that he changed the goal from buying a Chappell a good bicycle to a used truck.

Gentry and some of Chappell’s friends and supporters gave him the keys late Monday on his 61st birthday. “Oh, wow. Thank you,’’ Chappell said when he saw the white truck with “The Whistling Man” and his phone number on the doors. “God bless all of y’all.” As he teared up, Chappell said, “I don’t need to cry. I’m just full of joy.”

Gentry said he was inspired to help Chappell after spotting him on the western end of the St. Simons Island causeway after he had walked the entire four miles lugging his five-gallon bucket and window-washing gear. “He made it across the causeway drenched with sweat. Nobody had picked him up,’’ Gentry said.

Gentry started a fund-raiser for a bike on Facebook, but after it raised $700 in 38 minutes people suggested that he raise the goal. “Everybody said why don’t you go for $4,000 and get a truck,’’ he said.

Auto dealer Mark Covington found a good one and provided it at a wholesale price, and Gentry had it painted and paid for insurance out of the funds from 96 donors. Like Gentry and his father, R.B. Gentry, Chappell was a Marine and he always whistles the Marine Corps hymn when he washes the window at Tim Gentry’s office.

With his family standing close by, Chappell whistled the “Star Spangled Banner” for those who had sung “Happy Birthday” to him. Chappell said the truck will do more than help in his business. “I’ve got a brother in York, Pa.,’’ he said. “I’ve been wanting to go see him.”

Ron Chappell, The Whistler, whistles the National Athem for admirers who took part in a fund-raiser to buy the window-washer a truck. He had been walking or hitchhiking to his jobs. 

Window Cleaners In The News

Spot the Wagtail squeegee! Terry Koukoulis professional window cleaner with Greg Johnson

The good oil on window cleaning (Australia): Greg Johnson is the CEO of Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Catch up each week with his take on what's happening in and around the Toowoomba and Darling Downs business communities.

More admissions - I simply love cleaning windows! As usual I don't listen to advice, make up my own approach on most things. I simply spray on window cleaner, agitate it in with the reverse sponge side of the squeegee, squeegee off in many less-than- satisfactory strokes, use a wet cloth to get moisture out of the corners of the window and a dry cloth to go over the entire surface. Looks good, but when the sun hits the window the tell tale trails of the squeegee show up. Nevertheless, if the sun isn't on the window it still looks pretty good. Another approach I've heard of is to use methylated spirits and newspaper, now that doesn't make sense.

So imagine my joy when I encountered professional window cleaner Terry Koukoulis as he went about his craft on the Oxygen Café windows in Ruthven Street. Here was an expert - cool, calm, confident and calculating. I realized this was my chance to finally take professional advice on this important matter and say goodbye to blotchy windows. Terry is from Wollongong and has lived here for four years and two weeks, a fairly precise response I thought. He services the CBD, Toowoomba, Crows Nest, Oakey and Gatton and has thirty clients who use either a weekly or monthly service.

He knows a thing or two about glass and plies is craft under the very clever name, "TerryFic Solar and Window Cleaning." He charges around $20 for a small shop and around $100 for a house. Always the diversifier he's gone into solar panels too and reckons they should be cleaned annually and that dirty panels can reduce solar efficiency by around 25%. Are here are his secret ingredients - add "Morning Fresh" (now there's a plug) washing up detergent to a bucket of water, agitate the sponge side of the applicator on the window surface scrubbing off the "uglies", squeegee off in one operatic action never leaving the surface, and use a dry cloth to do the corners.

Ex-Marine stops in Fayetteville as part of cross-country walk to promote veterans issues: No stranger to Fayetteville, former Marine Mac McQuown made an unusual return to the city he once called home on Saturday. McQuown, dressed head to toe in Marine Corps camouflage, walked into the city while pulling a hand cart. The veteran is walking across the nation -- to each of the 50 state capitals -- in an effort to raise funds and awareness for veterans. On Saturday, McQuown reached mile number 864 at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum and began a six-day stay in the city, which will include at least one public appearance.

McQuown, who lived in Fayetteville as recently as three years ago and once owned Top Gun Window Cleaning, was greeted by a small crowd of onlookers, mostly museum guests attracted by McQuown and his escort -- a Fayetteville fire engine. Looking like a man with unlimited energy, McQuown declined rest and instead engaged the crowd -- shaking hands, posing for pictures and talking about his cause. McQuown said he plans to walk about 15,000 miles on his trek. He's raising money for the nonprofit Project Foot, which serves homeless veterans and military families. "Our veterans were not getting the recognition they deserve," McQuown said when asked why he was making his journey. "There's more attention on celebrities and their drug problems. This is my way of politely getting in people's faces and saying, 'You have to remember.' "

So far, McQuown has visited four state capitals, including Raleigh. He's now headed to Columbia, S.C., and has been on the road for almost five months. McQuown said he expects to walk between five or six years, covering about 10 miles a day. Harvey E. Stewart Sr., president of the Cumberland County Veterans Council, was among those at the museum to greet McQuown on Saturday. "If he's going to walk 15,000 miles, believe me, I can come over here and meet him," Stewart said. "It takes a man with a big heart to do what he's doing for the veterans that passed and the veterans still fighting."

Window cleaner, Caleb Morley (centre) with training buddies L-R Stefan Northfield and James Farmer.

'Tough guy' window cleaner raising funds for disabled childrens charity: A window cleaner is taking part in a gruelling physical challenge to raise money for a charity that works with disabled children. Caleb Morley, 26, of Lions of London, is taking part in the Tough Guy competition to raise funds for Yadapa (Young and Disabled and Positively Artistic). He will crawl through barbed wire, dart through fire and splash through freezing water, along with thousands of other competitors.

Mr Morley, who lives in New Malden but trains at a small gym in Epsom, searched online for children’s disability charities in Kingston and found Yadapa, which runs after-school events and weekend activities. He said: “I’m very hot on local issues. I was just searching the net trying to find somebody in Kingston do so something with disabled children. “I love football and rugby and it breaks my heart when people are unable to do something. “I’m excited. There’s no question of not completing the race. I’ve got to do it.”

The charity has been looking for a home, with space and a disabled loo, since the council closed the Crescent and Causeway centres in New Malden last September. The Nettle Warrior Tough Guy competition takes place on July 15 in Wolverhampton. To support Caleb go here.

Toledo Fire Department Lt. Doug Palicki hangs upside down about 40 feet in the air before landing with both feet firmly on the ground.

Firefighters turn aerialists to keep sharp in saving lives: Toledo fire Lt. Doug Palicki flipped upside down, hanging from a sturdy orange rope, about 40 feet above the ground. He slid down the rope before righting himself and landing with both feet firmly on the floor of Huntington Center. "Basic techniques," he said as he stood. The lieutenant was one of 12 firefighters from the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department who spent several hours Monday morning doing technical rope and high-angle training -- rappelling from rafters nearly 100 feet from the ground.

The members of the department's regional Technical Rope Rescue Team, from Stations 18 and 5, were out of service during the training, which allowed them to focus on technique instead of having to break for fire or medical runs, said fire Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld. The team does formal trainings about four times a year, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said, but does in-station training -- such as practicing knot tying -- every month. Although it's been about three years since the team was dispatched -- they responded to a fatal crash at an embankment off Brim Drive in North Toledo -- the team can be used in situations such as rescuing window washers or pulling a crash victim over an embankment.

James McGraw, right,owner of Fish Window Cleaning Service and his son Todd cleaned the windows at Anna's Linens in Harbison Tuesday morning.

Benedict center nurtures minority firms: When 65-year-old James McGraw lost his job at the Winnsboro Mack Truck plant nearly 10 years ago, he knew he still needed to work. So he turned to Benedict College Business Development Center — then just a startup itself — to help him start his own business. And two months ago, after years of renting low-cost space in the business incubator, McGraw was able to buy his own 15,000-square-foot building on Two Notch Road to house his Fish Window Cleaning franchise and Do Right Cleaning janitorial service. None of it would have been possible, McGraw said, had it not been for the Business Development Center, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Set in the heart of a Columbia revitalization zone, it aims to help small and minority-owned businesses from its vantage point at the corner of Read Street and Two Notch Road — across from the college’s marquee Charlie W. Johnson Stadium. “One of the great benefits of starting that (window cleaning) business was that I was able to occupy rental space at the Business Development Center,” McGraw said. Without that, the Fairfield County entrepreneur said, he doubts he would have survived. “We not only became renters no more — we actually became owners,” McGraw said. “I stayed there long enough to actually acquire my own property. After almost 10 years, I felt comfortable moving out, creating my own (free-standing) business.”

Established in 2002, the center is described as the brainchild of Benedict College’s Harvard-educated president, David H. Swinton. It's goal is to promote and encourage development among new and expanding businesses, particularly among disadvantaged businesses, school officials say. The ultimate vision is for more jobs and a stronger minority business base in the Columbia area. “I think this is more than just the sum of its parts,” said Darlene Booth-Bell, executive director of the Business Development Center. She said the center brings a certain synergy to the neighborhood, helping to spur business along the corridor. McGraw himself moved just three blocks away.

The center provides such key, but costly business services as secretarial and accounting support, computers and conference rooms, as well as marketing assistance and financial planning. It was financed by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and primarily is supported by the college, officials said. The center sometimes sees up to 30 budding entrepreneurs a quarter, Booth-Bell said. “The number of people who come here, I think at least tells me that people feel like they are helped here,” said Booth-Bell, also a Benedict College School of Business professor. “They may not know a lot about business, but if I can just establish and continue to establish the reputation that this is a place you can go to get started, and to really sort of figure out the lay of the land, then I’m happy with that.”

Some business incubators’ success is measured in terms of how many businesses “go public,” Booth-Bell said, referring to companies that sell ownership shares to the public to raise capital and become publicly traded. “We don’t look at that. We’re looking at micro-enterprises. That’s our specialty,” she said. Nearly 78 percent of all small businesses, defined as those employing 500 or fewer workers, actually have no employees in South Carolina, according to the Small Business Administration, and most have fewer than 20 employees.

Morgan, a window cleaner from the Mounts in Northampton, admits to eating cake more regularly than most.

Muffin man Morgan Punter explains his love of cakes: Morgan Punter loves cakes. Ever since he took a Saturday job in Oliver Adams when he was at school he has had a more than average enthusiasm for them and now he has written a whimsical book on the subject.  “Cakes need to be given a voice and this book intends in its own small way to do just that,” he writes in the introduction. Much Ado About Muffin is a self-published book available through Lulu.com, but it is not just about muffins and it is not a recipe book. It is a series of small essays and stories taking a fanciful and quirky look at all aspects of cake.

It includes Morgan’s assessment of the various varieties of cake, from jam tarts. “I always feel sorry for jam tarts. They’re the kind of cake people only buy if they wander into a bakery without realising they’ve only got 40p and just feel to embarrassed to walk out empty handed.” – to the vanilla slice. “The vanilla slice has always had me befuddled. How do you eat a vanilla slice without the cream spurting out everywhere and causing general distress to your trousers?... My personal favourite is to take a deep breath and try and eat it in one gargantuan mouthful.”

Morgan, a window cleaner from the Mounts in Northampton, admits to eating cake more regularly than most. He enjoys baking and has even made wedding cakes for family members. He thinks interest in cakes and baking is growing. The slim paperback is something to dip into now and then, Morgan said: “People may like it because it’s quite short and sweet, a little refreshment for five minutes.”

Shinn - The War Veteran Window Cleaner

Introducing "SHINN" Veteran of Foreign War Hero: He was born in Oklahoma and moved to California as a child when his family was forced, economically, to sell their property and livestock. They joined relatives in the southern part of the state and he attended high school in Bell, California. His full name is Jennings Hazen Shinn Jr. He is named after his father, who died one week before he was born due to a blood clot in his leg. “Shinn” became his nickname in middle school, when last names were printed on the student’s gym shorts. He’s been called “Shinn” by friends and family ever since. It is the only name you see on his C&S Window Washing business card, which I will mention again later. And the only name he uses when being introduced.

When I asked him about his parents, he shared that his mother was the best of the best. “I know a lot of people think that their mom is the best, but my mom actually wins that contest,” he said, smiling. He also described her as, “very tolerant and very kind unless you got on her bad side. You had to work at getting on her bad side, but when you did, that was it.” His mother remarried, and Shinn was raised also by his step-father, who he considers and refers to as his dad. Duane Campbell was in the Army, he told me, and “escorted the then-General Dwight Eisenhower in Paris, France. He was also awarded the Legion of Honor by French President Charles De Gaulle.”

My favorite father/son story is the one Shinn shared about his dad and the poppies: “I was about eight years old,” he told me, “and I watched my dad give this man five dollars for a poppy. Five dollars was a lot of money back then. ‘Why are you giving that man so much money?’ I asked him, and he told me, ‘because he’s a veteran.’ I said to him, ‘You’re a veteran. Why doesn’t he give you five dollars?’ And my dad told me, ‘those who can work should always help those who can’t.’ And that has stuck with me all these years.” He recalled also how his dad never talked much about World War II itself, but spoke with great affection about the beautiful women, cute children, and the magic of Paris, which he called the city of lights and love.

Shinn is one of four children. He has already said goodbye to his one and only sister who was 6 years older. She was shot and killed in 1979 by a boyfriend in Houston, Texas. The boyfriend was never convicted, but “he went missing,” Shinn explained. And then he eluded to the idea justice may have been served in some vigilante style way, because “this was Texas, after all...in the 70s.” He has two brothers, one four years older, living in Missouri, and one two years younger, living in San Bernadino County.

Shinn married at age 18, “the neighborhood girl.” Linda Gibson was 16 at the time and encouraged by her mother to marry Shinn before he went overseas. They had two children, one boy and one girl. His grown son, Ron Shinn, is married with three children and lives in Sacramento. His grown daughter, Karen Richards, is married, also has three children and lives in Pleasant Hill. Shinn and Linda were married for 10 years, separated for four and ultimately divorced.

Shinn did follow somewhat in his father’s military footsteps by joining the Marines in 1964. “After Kennedy was killed,” he explained, “a bunch of us just joined up.” He became a sergeant in under four years. It was during a tour near DaNang, Vietnam, in 1965, that he was surprise-attacked and hit with a hand grenade. His platoon, Point for “E” Company 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines, was in the process of carrying out an operation that required them to move from the north valley to the south end of a village, but before they had a chance to get into position, “I caught two men hiding. We were walking into ambush, I assaulted their position.” One threw the grenade that claimed Shinn’s left leg. “This set off the battle early before we were in place for attack,” he said, “And then all hell broke loose.”

He went on to explain how he was cut off from his platoon. “The sergeant was the first one to get to me. And Jack Bradley, my best friend, next to my riffle - he was hit too. The grenade went through me and hit him too.” The helicopter was under fire when it came in to air-lift Shinn out. “Jack wouldn’t go,” Shinn told me. He stayed behind despite his injuries and vowed to “get those son of a b**ches for you Shinn.”

Shinn was transported safely to DaNang Air Base, then spent one month in the Philippines before arriving at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. His left leg was amputated from the knee down, and his right leg had been hit with four pieces of shrapnel. “The nurse handed them to me in a plastic bag, and told me I had a souvenir for my grandchildren,” he said shaking his head in a type of disbelief. “I just threw it away.”

When it came to talks about medals and awards, Shinn said to me, with great humility, his only real interest was in receiving the good conduct medal. But you can see from his military papers and the pictures included here, he is the recipient of far more than that. Shinn has been awarded not only a Good Conduct Medal, but an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, two Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Ribbons, a National Defense Service Medal, a Purple Heart, and I learned from Dave Ham that he’s been recommended for a Silver Star, which Judge Walter and Congressman Jerry McNerney confirmed with Shinn.

 

I liked learning also, from Shinn, that while this coffee and donut social hour at the Veteran’s Hall does offer veterans a safe place to discuss war tragedies and the rare opportunity to feel understood, most of the time, these conversations don’t take place. “We’ve all been in combat. We’ve lived it. We know. We don’t necessarily need to talk about it.” Shinn explained. And that makes perfect sense to me. There is a shared silent knowing that bonds these veterans. They seem much more interested in contributing and serving today than revisiting their past.

Shinn has one grandson, Steve Lull, that has served two tours in Iraq and is currently back safe and sound on United States soil. “I didn’t catch him in time,” Shinn said, “but I would have discouraged it. This war is like another Vietnam. If you really want to help people, you should become a police officer,” he said. That advice was not lost on Chris Thompson. Chris is the son of Shinn’s former girlfriend, who considered at one time joining the military but is today a police officer here in Livermore. “I can’t take credit for what he accomplished in the academy or anything like that, but I did tell him that was the best way to help people.”

Chris, in fact, inspired the “C” on Shinn’s C&S business card. He named the business after his former girlfriend's two children, Chris and Shauna. While family conflicts prevented their relationship from succeeding, Shinn still feels great affection for Chris and Shauna. C&S Window Washing was Shinn’s primary business for some twenty years. No doubt you’ve spotted him, like I did, in his baseball cap and jeans, washing windows here or there up and down Main Street and all around Pleasanton.

And in that 20 years, he has only taken one true, one-week vacation, which he spent in Yosemite. I am happy to share in closing then that our favorite veteran of foreign war hero and Tri-Valley window washer officially retired the day before we finally, and at last, sat down together at Tully’s. The very last windows he washed was as Café Ali — one of his favorite clients. He has plans now to hop in an RV and travel throughout California and Nevada.

Kolan Hairston: Operation Window Cleaning

Kolan Hairston was at the recent International Window Cleaning Association conference, teaching how to make your unconscious mind make you incredibly powerful!

Operation: Window Cleaning: You have seen the bumper sticker, “Once a Marine, Always a Marine”. The Marine Corps experience is so strong that it leaves a lasting imprint on people. This certainly rings true for Kolan Hairston, owner of Fish Window Cleaning in San Marcos.

Fish Window Cleaning's Owner - Kolan Hairston. While serving his country as an officer flying for the Marine Corps they trained Hairston to:

• Plan out successful missions.
• Make do with the minimum.
• Lead people from the front.
• Train staff to perform well.

And after meeting him, you can see how he has retained the lessons he learned in the service. He is still in control, leading his people and soaring above his competitors today much like he did in the Corps. Although now, Hairston leverages these skills while working as the owner of the local Fish Window Cleaning service along with his wife, Lupe.  They started their franchise back in August 2004 shortly after Kolan Hairston completed his military service.

Plan out successful missions: Like a good Marine, Hairston started doing his homework about 2 years before leaving the Corps.  He began planning out his search for the next step.  With a strong desire to run his own business, Hairston looked into several business opportunities. A while later Hairston agreed to work with a business broker who presented several existing businesses.  None meet Hairston’s standards and expectations to make a successful business. The broker suggested multiple franchise opportunties for his consideration.  At first, the broker didn’t expect Hairston to jump on the chance to run a local Fish Window Cleaning business. Yet this business best fit his business criteria.

Make do with the minimum: The Hairstons opened the San Marcos location of Fish Window Cleaning.  Hairston said that they spend their time in front of customers, so he looked for a workplace not a showroom. And it is. Their office is functional, without any money wasted on mahogany desks, fancy furnishings or other luxuries probably very similar conditions to what he experienced in the Marine Corps – function first with no need for expectation of excess.

Lead people from the front: From both headquarters and the field Hairston runs the sales and service part of the business.  He guides his crews to meet his customers’ needs in an efficient and effective manner. He also leads the push to capture more business. Hairston’s interactions with happy customers generate the referrals needed to grow the business.  At the same time he has recently placed a heightened focus on marketing his business through more current methods. Meanwhile, his wife, Lupe Hairston covers the office administration duties in her effort to supports all aspects of the business.

Train staff to perform well:  As an officer in the Marines, Hairston didn’t control who they ‘hired’. Now that he dictates the hiring practice they place a greater emphasis on attitude than aptitude.  Because they provide significant training on how to perform their services, he knows they can provide quality work. Yet, Fish Window Cleaning aims to go beyond just the service. They strive to perform their service in such a manner to not disturb the tenant or homeowner.  Hairston knows that his six front line employees represent his company and that’s why he places such a high importance on the character of those on site. Just like you can spot a Marine from afar, the same is true for Hairston’s staff.  Their vehicles are marked well with their company name and information – no camouflage here.  From those vehicles his staff jump out wearing clean uniforms, looking neat and presentable,  although Hairston stops short of making a military hair cut ‘standard issue’.

What you get with Fish -  They perform many other services than just window cleaning.  For businesses they will clean awnings, remove graffiti, power wash buildings and even perform construction site clean up. Residential customer service beyond window cleaning includes cleaning rain gutters, scrubbing skylights, shining up chandeliers or clearing out air ducts. Hairston knows that these services are offered through several other providers.  He stated that many in his industry fail to operate a professional, above board business. One area worth considering is that Fish Window Cleaning carries sufficient insurance to cover their business and their clients.

Hairston said an insured provider benefits both residential and commercial clients.  He stated that owners and their tenants incur risk whenever a service company works on site.  Although the frequency of incidents may be low, the cost can be significant when an accident occurs.  When unlicensed, uninsured service providers work on your site liability may go beyond the service provider if an injury or destruction of property occurs.