Scaffold Malfunctions In New York & Philadelphia

The FDNY said the two workers are window washers and their scaffold experienced a mechanical malfunction. The scaffolding is on the 17th floor and was tilting down. Rescue workers lowered down ropes and the two workers were secured.

First Responders Rescue Window Washers From Stuck Rig in Lower Manhattan: Two window washers who were stuck inside a scaffold dangling 15 stories above Lower Manhattan were rescued Tuesday morning by firefighters including one who rappelled down to them.

There were no indications of any injuries. The workers were wearing harnesses and additional gear was lowered to them by firefighters responding to the scene. The scaffold was hanging about 15 stories above the ground for approximately 20 minutes when the workers were brought in through a window at 33 Maiden Lane and Nassau Street. 

Broken glass fell from 1818 Market Street around lunchtime on Monday after a snapped wire broke windows in the building.

Snapped cable shatters glass in Center City high rise, closes Market Street sidewalk: Two blocks of sidewalk along Market Street were closed to foot traffic around noon on Monday after a cable on a window washer's scaffold broke and shattered windows in a Center City high rise building.

Glass fell to the ground in Center City Philadelphia after a cable broke on a high-rise scaffolding. It happened around 11 a.m. Monday at the Beneficial Bank building at 19th and Market streets. Officials tell us a gust of wind caught a power cord locking device and flung it into a 12th floor window. The glass shattered, sending most of the debris into an unoccupied office area. But a chunk of that glass did fall onto the roadway below.

Firefighters and police quickly converged on the scene and closed off that stretch of Market Street until the locking device was secured and the shattered glass was removed from the roadway. Of course, this is not the first time we've reported on debris falling from buildings in Philadelphia. Back in 2014, a 25 foot column came crashing down from the side of a parking garage at 19th and JFK Boulevard. And in 2009, debris tumbled from a building at 16th and Chestnut. No one was injured in either case, and fortunately the same can be said regarding Monday's incident.

Dangling Off A Skyscraper - An Expert's View

Marty Tuzman on the roof of Mellon Bank Center with Comcast Center in the background.

Dangling off a skyscraper: An expert's view on what happened at World Trade Center - As two window cleaners dangled from the 69th floor at 1 World Trade Center in New York last week, Marty Tuzman and his colleagues were watching the harrowing events unfold through the eyes of an expert.

Tuzman owns Jenkintown Building Services, which is the dominant window cleaning company in the Philadelphia area. His team has worked on most of the skyscrapers in Center City including Comcast Center, One and Two Liberty Place, Cira Centre and Centre Square as well as low-rise buildings throughout the suburbs and other commercial developments in the region.

The job of a highrise window cleaner involves risks but those risks are mitigated through a series of safety measures that helped to save the two workers in New York, such as a routine and oft repeated round of security checks.

Tuzman shared his thoughts on the New York episode, how accidents like that are handled and whether Philadelphia is prepared to execute its own rescue if a similar event would take place here. The Building Owners and Managers Association of Philadelphia and Tuzman engaged this past spring in a similar mock scenario as a training exercise. Those involved included fire, police and other emergency personnel, building engineers and managers, contractors and the mayor's office of communications. Those participating walked through every foreseeable aspect of a situation experienced last week in New York.

"It was enlightening," Tuzman said.

It wasn't long after the two New York window cleaners were lowered down the facade of 1 World Trade Center that something went wrong. The rig that was transporting them failed and it was hanging lopsided. At that point, it's important for the workers to stay level headed, Tuzman said.

"It's so hard under that pressure to remain calm and follow protocol and procedure but you have to," he said. "You have to make sure everyone is communicating properly...the building management, company management, fire and rescue."

While an event like this is unfolding high above, it's also imperative to ensure the streets and sidewalks below are completely barricaded so the public can be kept safe if "God forbid any further failure in equipment happens," Tuzman said.

Most rig equipment has technology that would allow the scaffolding and stage to level out in these situations, Tuzman said. An override would permit the window washers, who work in tandem to lower the rig, to reset and adjust the sophisticated, computerized equipment and balance a rig. Contact is made with the building engineer and even the manufacturer of the equipment to troubleshoot and resolve the situation if that override isn't working.

Equipment failure that couldn't be fixed appears to have caused the situation in New York. The head of Upgrade Service, the firm that employed the men working at 1 World Trade Center, told the New York Times the accident was apparently caused by "equipment failure of the traction hoist brake mechanism that supports one side of the rig."

The rig couldn't be balanced, and at that point a rescue initiated.

"Once you have exhausted those possibilities, then you go into rescue mode," he said.

All the while, there's constant contact with the men on rig, making sure they are calm and no other issues have cropped up to put them in further danger.

Different rescue approaches can be taken. In some cases, another rig can be lowered safely down from the roof and the workers can transfer onto it. However, many commercial building roof tops aren't designed to accommodate that. A flat roof can handle something like that but many peak and their angular design not conducive for such a rescue. Some towers have built in mechanical arms used for washing that can be tapped for a rescue but they are expensive and uncommon.

When a roof-top rescue isn't an option, then slicing a window and pulling the workers in is the best way to save them, Tuzman said. That is what happened in New York. Rescue personnel cut out a large hole in a window closest to the two stranded workers and they were pulled safely into the building.

Tuzman said Jenkintown's workers have had some precarious moments while window washing high in the sky. "We have had equipment issues but not as severe as that," he said.

The safety of high-rise window cleaners is getting attention after the frightening incident at One World Trade Center in New York City on November 12. Two window washers were rescued nearly 70 stories above the ground after the cable on their scaffolding gave way. Both workers suffered hypothermia, but are otherwise okay. The situation could have been much worse. WCVB TV Channel 5 did a report on the incident and spoke with Matt Pierce, Owner of Pierce Property Services of Woburn, MA.

Three Cleaners For Friday

Todd Kelley, Founder & President of Graffiti Removal Experts cleans a sign on the corner of 3rd and Walnut streets in Philadelphia.

He goes out each day to try to make the city more beautiful: Todd Kelley, 39, of Society Hill, is owner and president of Graffiti Removal Experts, a business that removes graffiti from all kinds of surfaces. Kelley, a Wynnewood native who formerly was a real-estate agent and owned a painting business, is passionate about eradicating what he considers urban blight.

How did you come up with the idea for the business? I volunteered with the Society Hill Civic Association (SHCA) two years ago to remove graffiti. Then I started covering a larger area. I got some money from SHCA in mid-2012.

How did you grow the biz? One day I was cleaning up on 8th Street and said, "I can do this in other neighborhoods." I incorporated and got a business license. I went to other civic associations - Washington Square West, Headhouse Square/South Street - and pitched them on it.

How's the biz model work? I walk a grid twice a week, street by street. At the beginning it takes longer, but once it's cleaned up, then it's just maintenance. Basically, I remove graffiti in the business district - street signs, poles, lampposts, mailboxes and storefronts.

How big a problem is this? It's so pervasive, people think it's just part of urban living. I also do acid-etch repair. Vandals use it to burn glass. It's all over the city, and it's a shame.

Who are your customers? Three civic associations, Pennsylvania Hospital, Review Publishing and an area of 70 square blocks in the southeast quadrant of Center City.

What do services cost? $400 to $2,200 a month, depending on difficulty, how clean they want it and the size of the area. I dedicate six hours per week to South Street/Headhouse, about five to Society Hill and four to Washington Square West.

And acid-etch repair? $200 to $400 per window, two to three hours, very labor-intensive. I do this about eight to 10 hours a week.

Anything else you do? Removing spray paint from brick surfaces or masonry. Pennsylvania Hospital and Philadelphia Community College have had problems with this. I have a pressure washer, and this part of the business comprises another six to eight hours per week.

How many employees? Just me, but when I have a lot of clients at once, I bring on independent contractors.

How big a business is this? About $3,000 to $6,000 a month.

What's next? I want to expand the business to other neighborhoods, like Queen Village and South Passyunk. The city is the only competition, and they do graffiti removal to homes and businesses. My clients want it done right away, and so I fill in the gap. I'd just love to see Philadelphia cleaned up.

Window washer Alan tells all...

 

Can you describe yourself in a few words? Outgoing, laid back, occasionally a bit loud.
 

How long have you been a window cleaner? Probably 12 months now.
 

What led you down this path? 18 months ago I moved from Crieff to Ayr. I got a job in a big garage here as I had worked in my dad’s garage, a small family business, as a mechanic. I probably lasted five weeks, I wasn’t used to that environment. I basically got sacked. I went out helping window cleaners. I set up my own round and that was that.
 

Do you enjoy your job? I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t like it. I like the freedom, flexibility and being your own boss. You can earn more working for yourself but you need to work for it.
 

What do you like least about it? Collecting. It’s just time consuming. You can go out two or three hours and come back with 20 quid. Other nights you can come back with £120.
 

Have you seen anything through the curtains you shouldn’t have? Not yet! Nothing at all. Mates of mine have. One lad put his ladder up to the bedroom window and a lady walked into the room starkers. He didn’t think she had realised so he went back down the ladder and made some noise before going back up.
 

Why did you move to Ayr? We’ve got family and friends down here and when we had our first boy it was a game changer. None of our friends in Crieff were in that position. My wife fancied a change and I came round to it. We’re enjoying it so far.
 

What’s your favourite film? Have you ever seen The Notebook? It’s brilliant. Me and Amy were greetin’ at the end! It’s a great love story - you need to watch it. I just need to blink and that’s it, I’m crying. Towards the end, the room was dark and the misses was already crying by that point, but she turned round and saw me, we were crying together! It’s a brilliant movie though.

Chris Warner - his business, a rope-access cleaning and maintenance company, is set up so he can be away for months.

Chris Warner and the fatal attraction of K2, the Savage Mountain - Chris Warner has a house in Canberra with a big back yard - big enough that at the end of the garden he's built a simple but elegant shed-apartment. He lives in the shed and rents out the house. He's a guy who has no need for possessions, unless they're practical. The apartment has just two rooms: one contains a bed, a desk, a couple of chairs and a pile of books stacked high against a wall; the other has a kitchen and a climbing gym. In his teens, this son of a public servant decided he wanted to lead a life collecting experiences - scaling cliffs, cycling across continents, traversing deserts and climbing mountains. He's organised his life around adventure. There's no wife and kids - his girlfriend is a ski instructor and a climber - and his business, a rope-access cleaning and maintenance company, is set up so he can be away for months. 

It's not often you meet someone who is doing exactly as they want with their time on earth. Chris Warner is one of them. From an early age he spent long periods alone, or in small groups, in challenging situations - rock climbing, trekking, mountaineering. As a teenager, his father would drop him and his mates out in the bush on a Friday afternoon where they'd hike for the weekend and be collected on the Sunday night. Warner learned to weigh up options, to work things through.

He learned to think for himself. At the age of 21 he cycled alone from Perth to Sydney - spending 10 hours a day in the saddle over the 4000km journey - with only a credit card, a mat, a sleeping bag, a raincoat and the cycling clothes on his back. He has no idea if he set some sort of record for a solo, unassisted ride across the continent - he's not interested in records and self-promotion. There's no website extolling his feats and he's never courted Red Bull, or Dick Smith, for sponsorship. His motivation was for the experience of solitude and severe endurance, to test himself at the extremities. "It is only when you are by yourself that you find out how far you can push yourself, where your weak points are," he tells me. 

And then, on the morning of July 26 this year, he made the most important decision of his life. He was snuggled in a sleeping bag in a tent with two other men, 6700m above sea level, with the summit of K2, the world's second highest mountain, within his grasp. Everest may be higher, but K2 - an 8611m giant that straddles the border of Pakistan and China in the Karakoram range - is the "mountaineer's mountain", the pinnacle of achievement among serious climbers. Warner was exceedingly fit, he was feeling strong, he was acclimatised to the extreme altitude - everything on the expedition, up until this point, had been running smoothly. And then he decided it was not worth the risk. His climbing mates, father and son Marty and Denali Schmidt, decided it was. He's alive and they are dead.

"I'm not fixated on summits," Warner, 35, says when we meet in his Canberra shed. He's 194cm tall and broad-shouldered, and, after his expedition, exceedingly lean. "I am not one of those guys who wants to tick off the seven summits," he says, referring to the highest mountains on each continent. "I am into the technical aspect of climbing, finding new and more difficult routes." Life on the mountain becomes about simple decisions. Are we going up or down? What's the weather doing? Who's brewing the tea? What are the chances of an avalanche? "I love the fact that climbing doesn't have any rules; it has ethics and etiquette, but you can do whatever you want."

Window Washer Survives 50 Foot Fall In Philadelphia

Window Washer Survives 50-foot Fall In Philadelphia.

Window Washer Survives 7-Floor Fall From Rittenhouse Building: Police said the man was awake and talking as paramedics loaded him into an ambulance - A window washer has survived a seven-floor fall from a Rittenhouse Square high-rise. Witnesses tell NBC10 three men were washing windows at the Rittenhouse Claridge apartment building at 201 S. 18th Street when one fell from the face of the building around 2 p.m. Thursday.

Philadelphia Police at the scene said the man was hanging from a suspension cable when he fell from outside the building's eighth floor. "I looked up and saw something coming down and I thought it was a big bag of trash or something and it hit the thing, hit the bottom," said Tracey Downey, witness. "I ran over there and the guy said call 911, it was a human."

The window washer landed on a second floor roof, which is over the apartment building's lobby. Firefighters could be seen putting the man onto a stretcher as they took him into the building through a window. Police said the man was awake and talking as paramedics loaded him into an ambulance. He's currently hospitalized in stable condition at Hahnemann University Hospital.

Philadelphia Fire Department officials said the city's Department of Licenses & Inspections were dispatched to inspect the window washing equipment. The Rittenhouse Claridge is across the street from Philadelphia's swanky Rittenhouse Square. The building stands 26 stories tall and has a TD Bank branch and the popular restaurant Rouge taking up residence on street level.

Window washer falls from Rittenhouse Square apartment building: A window washer was rushed to the hospital after falling five stories at an apartment complex in Rittenhouse Square. The incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. Thursday at 18th and Walnut streets. The fire department says a 30-year-old male window washer fell from the seventh floor to the second floor roof of the Rittenhouse Claridge.

A co-worker said the man's harness rope broke. Witness Brian Height said he was playing chess when the worker fell. "I just heard a noise, then I saw someone sort of rappel down the side of the building and telling someone to call 911," said witness Brian Height. He watched as firefighters used ladders to get to the injured worker. The man was then rushed Hahnemann Hospital where he was last reported to be in stable condition. "Someone did say they saw him wave his hand or move his hand while he was in the gurney, so that's a good sign," Height said. L&I has been called to the scene to inspect the window washing equipment.

Hanging High With Philadelphia Window Washers

James Nicholson cleans the windows at the Kimmel Center facing S. Broad Street.

Hanging high with Philadelphia window washers: Five years ago, Pedro Smith worked in the retail business with his two feet firmly on the ground. Now his job takes him to higher ground, sometimes 945 feet in the air cleaning windows on the outside of a skyscraper in Philadelphia called One Liberty Place.

Window washers clean the glass covering the entrance and lobby at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel on N. 17th Street.

"There are the ground guys and the guys that work with a chair and ropes. They are called 'hangers,'" said the 30-year-old, who is a lead man for Jenkintown Building Services, the largest window-cleaning firm in the tri-state region. At first he worked on the ground for a while and then started cleaning the glass at Lincoln Financial Field. But he says his first major window cleaning job was at the top of the 46-story Independence Blue Cross Building on Market Street. He speaks with confidence and conviction when he says he feels comfortable no matter what building he works on always making sure harnesses and rigging are secure. He mentions having trust in the people that are working with you.

The subway entrance across from City Hall is cleaned of bird droppings.

"If eyes are the windows of the soul, then, as I see it, windows are the soul of the city . . . over time I have felt that windows, reflection, cleanliness and care for the city, makes a great statement about who we are, and the pride we take in our spaces. I see Philly transforming. That is our job to help with transforming an old image of Philthy-delphia." — Marty Tuzman

The design on top of Commerce Square frames a worker as he lowers himself down to complete work in the afternoon.

As he finished working on a 15-story building called The Arch across from the Comcast Center, the conversation turned to the heat wave that has blanketed most of the country for the last week. "When we are up there we watch out for each other. We make sure we start early, stay hydrated and work as much as possible around the sun."

Arce Lisber (right) and Jose Mendoza (left ) hang from the top of PNCBuilding at 16th and Market Streets as cleaning gets underway.

Smith said he is thankful for the opportunity to work for the Jenkintown company, which is owned by Marty Tuzman, whose father started the business in 1960. Tuzman started cleaning windows at 10 years old and eventually took over the business from his father in 1981 when it was a two-man company. Today, Tuzman employs 60 full-time window cleaners and services the majority of Philadelphia's skyscrapers, hospitals, hotels, universities and entertainment venues celebrating 80 years of quality and integrity in the region.

The back of 777 S. Broad Street is reflected in a vehicle in the residents parking lot as windows are cleaned.

"Our guys love being visible and scaling the architecture. Sort of modern day King Kong's wiping the grime off and tackling these monster building . . . wrestling the architecture, really," says Tuzman.

Mike Mroz prepares a line for a drop.

Tuzman's philosophy is this: "If eyes are the windows of the soul, then, as I see it, windows are the soul of the city." He continues by saying, "Over time I have felt that windows, reflection, cleanliness and care for the city, makes a great statement about who we are, and the pride we take in our spaces. I see Philly transforming. That is our job to help with transforming an old image of Philthy-delphia."

Late afternoon sun reflects off of the PNC Building at 16th and Market Streets as workers finish their last drop for the day.

Smith reflects on the time he literally found himself in character as he dressed up as Spiderman and repelled down the side of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia stopping in front of windows mimicking hand moves and gestures of "Spidey" as children gathered with parents and relatives to watch their hero. "It gave them a reason to take their minds off why they were there," said Smith. "It was good to see them smile."

Philly Window Washers Predict Fall - UK Window Cleaner In Explosion

Steve Cramer, who has been working as a window washer across the street, said the demolition crew left 30 feet of a dividing wall up with no braces and it compromised the integrity of the building. “We’ve been calling it for the past week — it’s going to fall, it’s going to fall,” his co-worker Dan Gillis said.

Rescue workers were digging through rubble Thursday for any additional victims who may have been trapped when a building under demolition collapsed onto a neighboring thrift store, killing six people and injuring 14, including one who was pulled from the debris nearly 13 hours later. Philadelphia workers were using buckets and their bare hands to move bricks and rubble in a search-and-rescue operation with no end immediately in sight. “We’re going to keep searching until we’re absolutely sure no one else is there,” battalion fire chief Charles Lupre said shortly before dawn. He said there were no reports of anyone missing, but there was always the chance that someone was inside who wasn’t reported missing.

It was unclear what role the demolition work might have played in the collapse, but the accident raised questions about how closely the highly visible spot on Market Street, one of Philadelphia’s signature boulevards, was being monitored, particularly amid word of the demolition contractor’s many legal and financial troubles. For weeks, people working nearby had watched with growing concern as a crew took down the vacant four-story building next to a Salvation Army thrift store at the edge of downtown.

A roofer atop another building didn’t think the operation looked safe. A pair of window washers across the street spotted an unbraced, 30-foot section of wall and predicted among themselves the whole building would simply fall down. Steve Cramer, who has been working as a window washer across the street, said the demolition crew left 30 feet of a dividing wall up with no braces and it compromised the integrity of the building. “We’ve been calling it for the past week — it’s going to fall, it’s going to fall,” his co-worker Dan Gillis said.

Mr Jesus' terraced house in Tinsley was completely destroyed by the explosion and subsequent fire. was thrown across the street and burnt when his Sheffield house was destroyed by a suspected gas explosion last week.

‘I was burning alive’: Window cleaner, 36, who lost everything in a gas blast says an angel rescued him from the rubble.

• Agostinho Jesus, 36, was thrown across his Sheffield street in the explosion
• Father-of-one suffered burns to his hands and head but says his survival is 'a miracle'
• Firefighters believe the blast that destroyed his £60,000 home was caused by a gas leak

A window cleaner has told how he was thrown across the street after his house exploded as he left for work. Agostinho Jesus, 36, was injured when a gas explosion ripped through the terraced property, throwing him and the entire front of his house across the street last Wednesday morning. The Portuguese father of one suffered burns to his head and hands, and his entire house in the Sheffield suburb of Tinsley was destroyed.

Mr Jesus said his house exploded when he switched off the lights as he prepared to leave for work.

Mr Jesus, who moved to the UK 16 years ago, said that after he flicked the light switch there was 'a massive bang' and he was thrown six feet away from his house. He said: 'I was basically thrown away from my house along with the front wall. 'I was on the ground surrounded by fire and the first thing I thought I was burning alive.'

Father-of-one Jesus Agostinho suffered burns to his hands and head in the blast that destroyed his home.

He added: 'Obviously I was burning alive but then I felt someone grab me by my arms and they pulled me into the other side of the road and sat me down. 'As I was being lifted all I could see were white clothes but and then when I looked around I couldn't see a soul on the street. 'To me it was angel, he saved me.  I do believe in God and am a very strong Catholic myself - to me I do believe it was someone sent from God to save me, it wasn't my time.'

Mr Jesus' £60,000 mid-terrace house was left a pile of burning rubble after the explosion which left a woman and two children in nearby properties suffering from smoke inhalation.  Residents were evacuated and firefighters set up a 500ft cordon around the scene after the 9am blast. He said: 'Basically the explosion burnt all my face, it burnt all my hair off my head, and my ears and neck are burnt.'

Mr Jesus' £60,000 terraced house, which he owned outright and had lived in for a year, was not insured.

The biggest problem the self-employed window-cleaner faces is the fact that his house, which he owned outright, was not insured. Mr Jesus' work van which was parked outside the house was also destroyed. 'I lost everything, all my belongings, apart from the clothes I was wearing and they were cut off me at the hospital,' he said.

Mr Jesus, left with fiancee Monica Zywicka, 40, has been living with her since his house was blown apart.

'I am really hoping that somebody might come forward and try to help, I'm not the kind of person that like to ask for anything but my whole life was in that house.' He is now living with his fiancee, Miss Zywicka, and she has bought him clothes. The mid-terrace property in Sheffield was destroyed in the blast and the two adjoining houses badly damaged. Police say they have not yet ruled out criminal activity.

Window Cleaning MIK In Boston

Christopher Murphy and his mother Judy Briggs opened the first Men in Kilts Window Washing franchise in the Boston area.

Men in Kilts: Coming to a Boston window near you: Starting next week, a stiff Boston breeze could mean disaster in more than one way. Men in Kilts, a Vancouver-based window washing company whose technicians wear kilts while they work, will open its Boston franchise on April 2. “When people book jobs, we always remind them – no peeking,” said Men in Kilts CEO Tressa Wood. “They always burst out laughing.” In addition to spit shining windows, the kilted technicians also clear gutters and pressure wash buildings, storefronts, homes and condos.

Boston franchise owner Judy Briggs said the unique brand could not set up shop in a better city, considering the depth of its residents’ Celtic pride. “I think it will be very well received in Boston, particularly because so many people here have Irish and Scottish roots,” Briggs said. She is one of the few females within the company to don the kilt,  she said, for the simple reason that “customers prefer to see men in kilts versus women in kilts.” Judy co-ordinated her nails & kilt for the grand opening.

Meet Judy, the first female Men In Kilts franchise owner! She'll be running her Boston Window Cleaning business with her two sons as Operations Managers.

Her son, Chris Murphy, is the company’s local operations manager, and the city’s first official kilted window washer. “We’ve had a chance to practice in the kilts. You get used to it pretty quickly. It’s actually nice not wearing pants,” said Murphy, adding that he’s already gotten his share of spectators. “We definitely get a lot of people staring at us, and comments. You can’t be shy. We tell them they’d have to hire us to find out what’s under our kilts,” he said.

The service is year-round, which means next year, Boston washers must brave the winter weather sans pants. “They wear leggings underneath when it’s cold, and big wool socks. Kilts are actually pretty warm,” said Wood. “We’re excited to start doing this in Boston. It’s a fun take on a mundane job, and it makes people smile.”

Judy Briggs, owner of the Boston-area franchise for the Men in Kilts window-washing chain, with son Christopher Murphy.

The company's newest franchise is opening in the Boston area. Other U.S. locations include markets north of Philadelphia and on the Jersey Shore. Wood hopes to open another 10 to 15 locations this year. She says entrepreneurs can sign up for a franchise with less than $50,000 for an initial investment. Wood doesn’t see the kilts as a gimmick, though the unusual uniform does help narrow down the job applicants to people who are a little more outgoing and personable. “The great thing is nobody applies for the job unless they’re comfortable with the kilt,” she says. New franchisee Judy Briggs, a Medway resident who also runs a 1-800-GOT-JUNK? franchise out of a Holliston office, says she jumped at the chance to work with Wood again.

Briggs says she has her first clients lined up for the Boston-area Men In Kilts franchise when she starts next week, and she expects some potential clients among the property owners who use her firm for trash removal. Briggs’ son, Christopher Murphy, will be the general manager, and she says she has hired an employee of Scottish descent who is apparently psyched to be paid to wear a kilt around town. Like most other Men In Kilts franchises, Briggs’ cleaning work will be limited to buildings that are no more than four stories in height. So we won’t be seeing guys in kilts swinging from the sides of the Hancock Tower anytime soon. Briggs says another one of her sons, Patrick, is also training to clean windows, although he’s busy with the debris-cleaning side of the business. “He does have a kilt, just in case,” Briggs says.

“We’ll be doing lots of fun promotions and meet-and-greets to get to know even more people.”

Tartan Window Cleaners Arrive in Philadelphia: Local owners, Herb and Kate Madara live in the Abington suburb, fifteen minutes outside of Philadelphia. Before exploring the world of franchising, Herb Madara worked as a high voltage power lineman. After injuring his knee as a lineman, he decided it was time for a change. His research led him to many business opportunities, and he and his wife ultimately decided on a Men In Kilts window and exterior cleaning franchise. “I wanted to be in business for myself, but not by myself. 

The team at the Men In Kilts corporate office and all their franchise owners were so supportive during our research. The further I looked into it, the more I realized the huge opportunity in the window cleaning industry and the whole concept of wearing the kilt is just awesome. Everywhere you go, people approach you with a smile on their face.

Everyone wants to know what the kilt is all about, and some even want to take pictures with you,” says Madara. When asked if the crews will still be wearing kilts in the frosty Philly winters, Madara replies, “Of course! We’ll make sure the guys have something warm under their kilts!”

With over 25 years experience serving customers in a wide array of businesses, the Madara’s were confident they wanted to work in the service industry within Philadelphia. “We’ve lived in this area for a long time and we know what kind of service our locals expect,” says Kate Madara. “We’ll be doing lots of fun promotions and meet-and-greets to get to know even more people.” With the Bucks and Montgomery Counties population continuing to grow and prosper, the Madara’s see tremendous potential for Men In Kilts in their area. “We’re determined and committed to delivering a fantastic experience and putting smiles in to the world… one Kilt at a time. Just remember… No Peeking!”

says Herb.

With the goal of having a, "kilt and technician in every major centre in North America by 2017," Men In Kilts could grow into an even bigger success story.

Men In Kilts Edmonton Underdressed For Biggest Snow Storm Of The Year: It was no weather for shorts, let alone skirts, as a violent spring blizzard struck Alberta's capital region and stranded hundreds along Alberta highways. With up to 20 centimetres of snow falling, and wind gusting at 40 kilometres an hour, washing windows in kilts would not sound appealing to most. Launching their Edmonton operations on Monday; Men In Kilts, braved the snow, and cold, in order to get down to business. They work, "in all conditions," and no amount of snow could prevent them from donning their kilts to clean homes, and businesses. Although they worked under the snowy weather, the co-owner of the Alberta operations is feeling a little lucky, after hearing about the huge accident on the QE-2 highway in Alberta. "I would have been in that pileup possibly, because I would have been leaving around 1-1:30," said Chris Carrier in a phone interview, as he drove past the scene of the 100 vehicle mash up on his way back to Calgary.

With up to 20 centimetres of snow falling, and wind gusting at 40 kilometres an hour, washing windows in kilts would not sound appealing to most.

Carrier was in Edmonton to help launch operations and was set to talk with media, but the interview was pushed back. He says he feels fortunate to have avoided the pileup. Although the conditions in Edmonton were bad, it was not the worst weather Men in Kilts have faced. "In Calgary there was a snowstorm on St. Patrick's Day four to five years ago... there was almost two feet of snow," Carrier said, "We closed operations that day." That was at a time when Men In Kilts did not do snow removal; now they shovel, plow, clean gutters, as well as clean windows. Carrier co-owns the Alberta operations with his wife Robyn. They joined up with the company, "because of the brand." Carrier says he doesn't know of, "any other brand that can bring a smile to the face of a customer... or anyone around us."

More blogs on Men in Kilts here.

Window Cleaners Gift "Giving Tuesday"

More than 2,000 recognized #GivingTuesday™ partners have come from all 50 states of the United States.

A Different Kind of Day, GIVING TUESDAY: We all recognize Black Friday and Cyber Monday as days to shop for bargains, and flood the malls and online shopping sites. Jenkintown Building Services is joining a new national initiative called "GivingTuesday", a day to give back to the community in varied and creative ways and develop giving opportunities.

Jenkintown will perform a window cleaning service today (Tuesday, Nov. 27th), for the Connelly House, rappelling the 8 story building and gifting free window cleaning.  Connelly House, a 79-unit residence, is the first LEED certified affordable housing facility in Philadelphia.  It is a partnership between Project H.O.M.E. and Bethesda Project and provides services and housing to formerly homeless men and women in Center City Philadelphia.

Ray Graber an employee of Jenkintown Window Cleaning works downtown in Philadelphia.

Marty Tuzman, CEO of Jenkintown, states, “I recently heard about #GivingTuesday and its call to service.  I immediately thought it was a perfect counter balance to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  GivingTuesday is the opposite of shopping.  It asks people and organizations to find a way they can give back. It is a reminder for us to pay attention during this holiday season to the meaningful and unique ways we can each uniquely help others and the world we live in.” Jenkintown Building Services is an 80 year old company that has provided varied building services over the years, including window cleaning, power washing, facade services and post construction cleaning.

A new tradition started on Tuesday to counter the spending frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s called “Giving Tuesday,” and businesses large and small were jumping onboard. It started with big charities like United Way and the Red Cross, but small businesses can also contribute charitably. The goal behind “Giving Tuesday” is to focus on charities, instead of retail. For many organizations, it’s a way to increase fund-raising in the race to the end of the year. “We will not write $100,000 checks, we won’t come close in digits,” says Marty Tuzman, owner of Jenkintown Building Services, a small window cleaning business, “but what we can do is give some of our time and give the talent that we have and be involved in the community in the unique ways that we as small businesses can.”

GivingTuesday is a new national initiative that has become increasingly popular since it was launched by the 92nd St Y, in New York, less than a year ago.  It encourages gifting, volunteering and other ways to give back to the community. Over 1600 partners have joined. Its supporters, also called "partners" are from all around the country and from all three sectors -- private industry, charitable sector and the government."

Jenkintown building services has a long-standing tradition of giving back to the community that has supported it for over six decades. They are the official window cleaner for all Habitat For Humanity homes in the Philadelphia area, and have cleaned over a dozen arts and cultural institutions through Hearts For The Arts program, which allowed deserving organizations with either limited or no budget for window cleaning to receive these services for free. In 2001, they asked customers to recommend organizations in need of window cleaning services, and through the Gift Of Service program, they are cleaning the windows of organizations that serve the public so well throughout the year.

Their goals are to put out a call to other area businesses to support deserving institutions with in-kind services, and to get the public to rally around area institutions. "I'd rather see these treasured organizations use their donations to buy what they need to help the community," says Jenkintown owner Marty Tuzman. "By offering a service donation in-kind, we're helping free up money for more important purposes." "We hope our free cleaning services will help these institutions shine outside as well as inside. I'd also like to see other businesses take our lead."

Today in History: Two window washers fell 47 stories from a Manhattan skyscraper when their scaffolding failed; Edgar Moreno was killed, but his brother, Alcides, miraculously survived.