An All Mercedes-Benz Operation

With its versatility and adaptability, the new Mercedes-Benz Citan provides answers to a huge and diverse range of requirements of an urban delivery van.

Mercedes-Benz Vans have all the right moves for Chequers: Award-winning Chequers Contract Services is benefiting from much-improved fuel-efficiency and reliability after switching to Mercedes-Benz. The South London-based cleaning and building services specialist runs a fleet of 85 vans, the majority of them car-derived models. Following a spate of problems with its previous supplier’s vehicles, Chequers has replaced comfortably more than a third of its vans over the last 18 months, and plans to become an all-Mercedes-Benz operation within the next three or four years.

Most of the vans supplied to date by Dealer Sparshatts of Kent have been Long and Extra-long Citan 109 CDIs – introduced in 2013, the Citan is the smallest van ever to wear a three-pointed star. Chequers is also running half a dozen mid-sized Vito 113 CDI Longs and a pair of larger Sprinters.

Chequers Contract Services was founded in 1987 by brothers Gary and Paul Jeal, and operates from headquarters in Croydon. Its clients include local authorities, housing associations, schools and colleges, as well as commercial enterprises. The company has won a string of prestigious accolades, the most recent including ‘Best Business for Apprenticeships and Employment of Young People’ at the London Business Awards 2014, ‘Business of the Year’ at the Croydon Business Awards 2014, and the ‘Carbon Smart Gold Award for the Environment 2014’.

Most of its Citans have been allocated to mobile cleaners – Chequers employs more than 40 who, between them, clean 2,000 staircases in blocks of flats every week. The bigger Vito vans, meanwhile, are used by window cleaning teams who use water fed pole systems, while the Sprinters are assigned to the company’s Drainage division. Future upgrades to Mercedes-Benz vehicles will benefit staff working for the firm’s School Cleaning, Office & Commercial, and Grounds Maintenance departments.

Chairman Gary Jeal recalled: “At the time we bought our first Sprinter Mercedes-Benz did not offer a small van, but that all changed with the launch of the Citan. Sparshatts’ sales executive Peter Corry left one with us so we tried it on four or five different rounds and it really did the business, particularly in terms of fuel consumption – the returns were up to a third better than we’d been getting from our previous car-derived vans, which was a revelation.

“As we’ve added more Citans to the fleet, so our running costs have come down, with the result that we cut our annual fuel bill by 25% last year. Given that most of our mobile cleaners are filling up twice a week, this represents a considerable cost saving.” He continued: “Those who drive the Citan can’t believe how much better it is than their previous vehicle; they just love the Mercedes-Benz. This explains why our cleaners are practically queuing up when it it’s their turn to upgrade.”

Chequers’ Mercedes-Benz Vans are the subject of a Service Care agreement, under which all labour, parts and lubricants required in routine servicing by Croydon-based Mercedes-Benz agent SG Smith are covered by a single, fixed monthly payment. “The maintenance package is competitively priced and allows us to budget with confidence,” added Gary Jeal. “So as far as we’re concerned, everything with Mercedes-Benz is ‘spot on’.”

Packed with clever features, the Mercedes-Benz Citan achieves up to 65.7 mpg and produces CO2 emissions as low as 112 g/km. Panel van versions are available in three lengths – Compact, Long and Extra-long – and offer volume carrying capacities of up to 3.8 m³ and a maximum payload potential of 735 kg.

Mercedes-Benz Citan Combi

Cleaning and building services specialist Chequers Contract Services says it is seeing much-improved fuel-efficiency and reliability since switching to Mercedes-Benz vans. The South London-based firm – which runs a fleet of 85 vans, most car-derived models – says it had been having problems with its unnamed previous supplier, and now plans to become an all-Mercedes-Benz operation.

Window Washing Is A Dirty Business

Window washers clean glass on the 23-story One South Market building under construction in downtown San Jose on Feb. 3, 2015.

Window washing is a dirty business, but somebody's got to do it (by Bruce Newman): As a design feature for large public buildings, the window has experienced a long, humbling decline. Preening architects transformed the urban skyline into a high-rise hall of mirrors, while windows that once breathed light became rare as gargoyles. But through all the changes, window cleaners - who now scour entire glass buildings armed with only squeegees and buckets of soapy water have remained indispensable.

The dangers inherent in a job that sometimes requires working hundreds of feet off the ground for hours at a time became painfully apparent during a 10-day stretch in November. First, a pair of window cleaners working 69 stories above the street outside New York's new World Trade Center found themselves suspended for an hour from a scaffold that had tilted to nearly vertical, before firefighters cut through the glass and reeled the men in.

The following week in San Francisco, a workman who had not yet begun cleaning windows at the Sterling Bank and Trust Building plummeted from the roof, screaming as he fell 11 stories, before landing on a moving car. That saved his life, although the still unnamed window cleaner has endured numerous surgeries since the accident.

Thirty years ago, when Andy Shavalia, owner of Superior Window Cleaning in Santa Clara, was learning the business, the sort of safety equipment that almost surely saved the lives of the window cleaners in New York was rarely used. Instead of the motorized scaffold-like devices that are used today, called a "swing stage," window washers were lowered from the tops of skyscrapers on a small chair tied to pipes or air conditioning units. "That's like rappelling down the side of a building," Shavalia says. "I would say rope work is probably the hairiest situation you can be in when you first learn the trade."

Shavalia has cleaned the 40-story McKesson tower in San Francisco and the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose - jobs that can take a month or more. The work is slow and methodical, and often the only thing that breaks the tedium is the occasional surprise encounter. Shavalia has come across couples in the full flower of connubiality. "Especially on hotels," he says, "we've had a couple of incidents where maybe the management forgot to tell their guests that if they want privacy to close the curtains. They tried to cover up. You just turn away and continue with your job."

Most window cleaning companies do a mixture of commercial and residential work, although not all of them ascend to great heights. Tim Zickuhr's R12 Window Cleaning in San Jose is only insured to go three stories high, after which the cost of his coverage would quadruple. "How they figure that there's more danger at four stories than three stories is beyond me," says Zickuhr, who uses an 85-foot articulating boom to reach the glass at the top of triple-decker office buildings.

Unlike most homeowners, who tend to use spray products such as Windex to clean their glass, the pros typically use Dawn dishwashing soap and water, which they slop on with a mop, then remove in a long coiling motion with a squeegee. This is known as "snaking" the window, and Shavalia says the technique can take as much as a month to learn to do without leaving any streaks. Zickuhr uses a 45-foot telescoping pole that hooks to a water de-ionizer that filters out San Jose's notoriously hard water. Windows dry spot free.

Zickuhr has "window washer" among his Google search terms, but he disdains the term. "When you've been doing windows as long as we have, there's an art to it," he says. "It's not just a matter of washing a window. You wash your clothes, you wash your car, you don't wash windows. You clean them. If I come in and clean your house, and I miss some dust, chances are you're not going to notice it. But if I miss a spot on the picture window that you sit next to every morning to have your coffee, you're going to say I didn't do a very good job. The art of window cleaning is having an eye for detail and being very meticulous."

The window cleaning industry used to be quiet, or would switch to gutter cleaning during winter months. But when taggers began etching graffiti onto the windows of ground floor stores and restaurants about three years ago, polishing out the etched messages created a booming new business. Billy Berk's bar and restaurant, on the corner of First and San Fernando Streets in downtown San Jose, has suffered vandalized picture windows several times. Nick Ramezani, who has owned the place for two years, estimates he has gone through seven replacements, costing a total of $1,600. "It's really expensive," says Ramezani, looking at several panels of defaced glass. "To be honest with you, I've just given up. As soon as you put on a new one, they start writing on it."

Along a block of mostly abandoned storefronts on the east side of Second Street between Santa Clara and San Fernando streets, at least 48 separate panes of glass have been defaced with gang glyphs and other etchings. The supplies for a three-step polishing process that can remove the disfiguring marks costs Zickuhr $3,500 to repair 600 square feet. "It's a good business to be in," he says. "Silicon Valley has a lot of people in tech, and they don't have enough blue-collar people who are willing to come out, get dirty and make everything real shiny for them."

Dangerous Signs For Window Cleaner

Entrepreneur Luke Rayner teams up with lawyer ‘Mr Loophole’ for road sign washing business.

Entrepreneur teams up with lawyer ‘Mr Loophole’ for road sign washing business: Luke Rayner, from Bournemouth, who has set up Clean Road Signs, said he was amazed that many signs go uncleaned, leaving some unreadable. He has enlisted the support of celebrity lawyer Nick Freeman, who says unreadable signs can lead to speeding tickets being quashed.

Mr Rayner, who also owns Harvard Window Cleaning, based in Sandbanks, said that while councils tended to keep signs free of bushes and trees, they rarely cleaned them. He said: “It struck me that no one was cleaning these signs and yet it is important that they are easily readable. “It is in the interests of local authorities and the police to keep them clean – and that is why I launched Clean Road Signs.

“We have already had lots of interest and I am in advanced stages of negotiation with one council. “We want to work across the country. “The difference between a dirty and a clean sign is staggering.”

Nick Freeman (pictured) runs Freeman & Co and is Britain’s most famous legal figure for defending motorists in court, having successfully defended Sir Alex Ferguson, Jamie Redknapp, Jeremy Clarkson and Andrew Flintoff. He said: “An obscured road sign can be a great defence when charged with speeding. “Motorists should be aware when a road has a 30mph limit because it will have street lights. “But with higher speeds the signs are the only way a motorist knows what the limit is.

“Signs must be unobscured and maintained in good order. “If one is filthy and can’t be read there isn’t a clear indication as required by law. Potentially it is a serious problem for the Crown Prosecution Service. “If someone says the sign was too dirty to read then it is the prosecution that has to prove otherwise.” He added: “In my view safety needs to be prioritised. “Many councils are now switching street lights off overnight in order to save money, and that is likely to increase the number of accidents.”

Window Cleaning News

The latest in these types of technologies are smart windows that tint themselves to block out the sun and keep the building cooler.

Smart window tints to block sunlight, generates energy: We've been seeing a lot of transparent or even white solar panels lately that act as windows and parts of a building's facade while they generate energy. The idea of using energy-generating and energy saving technologies as part of the building itself is becoming more popular and for good reason. These technologies not only save energy, but are also aesthetically pleasing.

The latest in these types of technologies are smart windows that tint themselves to block out the sun and keep the building cooler. Earlier versions of these types of windows have needed an external power source to work, but a new version from researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore generates its own energy and even makes a surplus that goes back to the building.

The window consists of two glass panes that are filled with an oxygen-carrying liquid electrolyte. The two panes are each wrapped in a conductive coating and an electrical wire links the panes together to create a circuit. One of the panes is coated in a pigment known as Prussian Blue that gives the glass its blue tint when it is fully charged.

The window can turn the cool-blue tint in bright daylight to block out as much as 50% of the light to keep the building cool, while during the evening and night, reverts back to glass and it has a pretty neat way of achieving this tint.

The window can turn the cool-blue tint in bright daylight to block out as much as 50% of the light to keep the building cool, while during the evening and night, reverts back to glass and it has a pretty neat way of achieving this tint.

"Our new smart electrochromic window is bi-functional; it is also a transparent battery,” Professor Sun Xiaowei explained. “It charges up and turns blue when there is oxygen present in the electrolyte – in other words, it breathes.” When the electrical circuit between them is broken, a chemical reaction starts between Prussian Blue and the dissolved oxygen in the electrolyte which turns the glass blue. When the electrical circuit is closed, it discharges the battery and turns the glass into a colorless white. The color changes happen within seconds. In a real-world application, the window would be controlled by a switch. The research team also used a small section of their device to power a red LED, proving that the window could also find use as a transparent, self-rechargeable battery for low-power electronics.

Scottish Window Cleaning Licensing fees double: Usually attracting a lot of public attention particularly when community groups or charities are asked to pay what might be considered high fees. The list of fees has been revised in an effort to alleviate the burden on such bodies and that list will be approved today. Although the Fringe Society has made suggestions to the council for a different fee structure the council has already decided it cannot accept this as it would reduce income by over half and is not viable.

The Council has undertaken some customer research before proposing these changes and is confident that they will be able to balance the income and expenditure in this area. For some categories these changes will mean that their licence fees increase by 100%. For a window cleaner in the last financial year the annual fee was only £50 whereas it will be £100 in the coming year. This cost can be mitigated by applying for a three year permit but will nevertheless be an increase that some will no doubt complain about. The fees proposed will become part of the Fees and Charges documentation which will be considered within the Budget next week.

Football's offenders can never be fully removed from disgrace: There is no scale of sexual depravity but when Thomson was convicted in Edinburgh in 2011, he was instantly labelled a paedophile or “perv footballer”. Like Evans, he made public statements that appeared to lack contrition. Hearts’ sponsors were uneasy and one pulled out. The club was condemned by its own fans but still attempted to hold the line for a footballer worth about £500,000, even when it was pointed out that its stadium backed on to a school.

Thomson was managed by Jim Jefferies, who had supported and played for Heart of Midlothian and was in his second stint managing the club. “He cannot have any complaints,” Jefferies said when dropping him. “What he did was a bad, bad thing, the ultimate taboo. You don’t want your club to be associated with anything like this. We cannot allow the club to become a sideshow.” A sideshow is, of course, what Oldham’s remaining fixtures will become; for many, the only question will be whether the rapist will play and whether the rapist will score.

Thomson now works as a window cleaner and plays for Newtongrange, a club that produced two greats of Scottish football in Dave Mackay and Alex Young. To more “perv footballer” headlines, he was recently investigated for cleaning windows without a licence. However hard Thomson and Evans try to erase the black mark against their names, the erasure will always show.

They Do Windows - Window washers remove bird waste from the splattered windows of the Hawaii State Capitol on Thursday as legislators conducted their business inside.

HOW TO APPRECIATE LIFE, FROM A HIGH-RISE WINDOW WASHER - “Fifteen years ago, the first time I went over a skyscraper’s rooftop ledge, it was a really, really eerie feeling. Your body reacts the first few times. It’s not normal. You’re not supposed to be stepping over a ledge. When you go down the side of the building, though, you realize that everybody’s sitting inside at a computer, at a little cubicle. In an office building, there are so many windows—and how many people actually stop for a moment and look at the window and go, ‘Oh my God.’ That’s the only thing I could say to someone who worked in an office: don’t sit down and just have a coffee with your coworkers. Look outside, because you’re on top of the world, if you really think about it.” —Serge Alves, a veteran window cleaner who squeegees the glass at places like the TD Centre and Scotia Plaza for Solar Window Cleaning.

Will tights for men be a snug fit for the high street? Those in the know claim the majority of tights are bought – not by Premiership footballers, which would have been my personal bet, or cross-dressers (too obvious) – but by manly men doing manly jobs; like policemen, builders and mechanics. Now I can see how this might promote warmth. Every woman knows how lovely it is in winter to slip on a pair of black opaques. But let’s be honest, tights aren’t even particularly good looking on women. The whole top part is a bit too reminiscent of a haggis, or an up-scaled Cumberland to really look sexy. But on women, well, that’s OK because they’re practical and cosy and they belong to us and were made for us. I’m pretty sure whoever came up with the concept of tights didn’t have our window cleaner in mind.

The 1 Percent gets 1 Percentier - Inequality in the U.S. is glaring--but no one in Washington will do anything about it. John D'Amanda, another worker profiled by the Times, used to make $30,000 a year running a window-washing business. But when the economy tanked, he lost clients. In 2009, D'Amanda was forced to get a job at McDonald's, where he makes just $9.25 an hour, barely above minimum wage. He could no longer afford his own apartment and car. Today, he pays $350 a month to share a small apartment with a roommate. "I'm barely able to afford that," he told the Times.

Craig, left, and Damian Phillips outside the Ground Swell Hotel in D’Escousse. Craig gave up window cleaning & purchased the 170-year-old building on Isle Madame in August and is converting it into a bed and breakfast geared toward outdoor enthusiasts.

British brothers opening a bed and breakfast catering to surfers, outdoor enthusiasts in C.B. - As if economic opportunity isn’t an endangered species in rural Nova Scotia. But Damian came to rural Nova Scotia without the typical fears about how to make a living here. “The way I look at it, whether the business works or doesn’t, I have bought a place to live,” said Damian.

Eight years ago, he didn’t know anything about high-angle window cleaning, either. But he had run out of money while travelling in Canada, bought a van in Calgary and started a business cleaning windows at ground level. Over eight years, he built the business to point where it had eight employees, made friends, had a lot of fun and learned to lower himself off the roofs of the oil town skyscrapers. “The mountains were a lot of fun, but I knew it was going to be the ocean for me,” said Damian.

So he sold his business and came east. It was while waiting for the ferry to Newfoundland that Damian walked into Ollie Around surf and skateboard shop in Sydney this summer and was told about the great surf around Isle Madame. He came to the island off southern Cape Breton to surf for two days, saw the old house for sale, made an offer and quickly ended up owning it. So began the Groundswell Hotel & Surf Lodge. “If you wanted to get a property anywhere near a surf break in the U.K., you’d need to spend a half million pounds,” said Craig, a computer programmer who flew to Nova Scotia to help his brother.

A Yorkshire-based shop locally campaign has become a worldwide movement thanks to its community-led caring and sharing approach. Chris Sands cannot be described as rich. He lives in a modest two-up, two-down and his preferred mode of transport is a bicycle. But he’s a nice chap and if you ask: “Where did being nice get you?” he can honestly say that it’s helped him make millions. His “Be nice. It gets things done. Being nasty stops things happening” ethos is also the first rule of a retail phenomenon that has revived hundreds of independent shops and businesses.

Totally Locally, a shop local campaign dreamed up by marketing and branding expert Chris, has been adopted by traders in 60 towns across Britain, with more set to follow this year. Word has spread via the internet and it’s now in Australia and New Zealand, with launches planned in America, Canada and France.

One of its most successful messages is that if residents spend a fiver a week in their area’s independent shops, it will generate £40m for the local economy. “There’s no point just saying ‘shop locally’ to people. It has no impact. You have to set a target and tell people how they can make a difference and then they’ll do it,” says Sands.

“I don’t understand complex economics and community asset transfer myself but I know that if you spend a fiver in a supermarket, most of that money will go out of town. If you spend it in a local shop, it’s likely to be redistributed within the local economy. That’s what the campaign is all about.”

Traders are also encouraged to practise what they preach and buy from each other. “If you own a clothes shop but you buy your books from Amazon instead of the bookshop down the road, then you can’t expect them to support you,” says Chris, who launched the first Totally Locally campaign in Calderdale in 2009.

He tendered for a one-year council contract to devise and implement a scheme to encourage people to shop local in six towns – and it worked. He and former business partner Nigel Goddard were paid £12,000 for the campaign and when funding ran out they made the momentous decision to “give it away for free”.

Since then they have put 7,000 hours of unpaid work into what has become a social enterprise, fuelled only by feelgood factor. Their endeavours included building a Totally Locally website with a town revitalisation kit that can be downloaded for free. It has all the branding and marketing material needed: flyers, posters, a powerfully-worded manifesto and the Declaration of Independents, which shopkeepers and businesses can pin to their wall.

Among other things, the declaration states: “We put our money where our mouth is. We choose to spend our money locally with other local businesses in our town – from shops to suppliers, window cleaners to accountants and all things in between. Because supporting each other makes a thriving local economy and makes our town a better place to live, work and visit.”

A disabled Clydebank pensioner has hit out at supermarket bosses after struggling with piles of slippery ice — only yards from the store’s entrance. Stuart Alexander said he will have to think twice about using the Asda store at Clyde Shopping Centre if there is a repeat of last week’s icy conditions.

The 71-year-old, who uses two walking sticks, struggled to walk from his parked vehicle despite making use of disabled spaces which lie near the front of the supermarket. He claimed ice had been shifted from parking bays and piled up in the spaces. Mr Alexander, of Green Street, told the Post: “They had cleared the bays but left three feet of snow and ice in between them. My feet were slipping all over the place. “I reported it to the management in the store. They were very complacent and said the responsibility was down to the shopping centre. I didn’t like their attitude.”

Mr Alexander, who suffers from osteoarthritis and hip problems, was accompanied by his grand daughter, Sarah, who regularly helps him carry out basic household duties. The 29-year-old commented: “It was disgraceful. Even if you’re not disabled, you would still struggle. I was nearly falling too. “The staff seemed pretty relaxed about it all.”

Mr Alexander, who used to work in the window cleaning business, said he had a blue badge for his car but felt it was not much use to him during last week’s bad weather. He added: “Everyone who came in around that time had to suffer the same thing. Someone could have really hurt themselves. It’s a haphazard effort to clear it away. “I spend a lot of money in there but I’ll need to think again.”

A spokeswoman for Asda said: “The car park for our Clydebank store is managed by the shopping centre who look after all maintenance of the parking facilities including gritting in icy conditions.

“We take the safety and security of all our customers and colleagues very seriously and colleagues ensure that entrances and pathways leading to store are cleared are much as possible.”

A window cleaner who sketches celebrities in his spare time has set his sights on selling portraits on the high street.

Gravesend window cleaner Jay Pritchard hopes to sell sketches after impressing pantomime star: A window cleaner who sketches celebrities in his spare time has set his sights on selling portraits on the high street. Jay Pritchard, of Marling Way, Gravesend, has captured the likeness of more than 100 famous people, including Robert de Niro, Robin Williams, Mother Theresa, and One Direction. The 36-year-old, a self-employed window cleaner, worked in a number of jobs after studying art and design at North West Kent College, but realised in July last year that his passion for drawing should not be held back.

“I spent a load of money buying the best pencils and started watching YouTube videos to improve my skills,” he said. “I wanted to do this properly if I was going to do it at all. It was Morgan Freeman who said, ‘when you’ve got a gift you shouldn’t lose it’.” It is a gift that clearly runs through the Pritchard genes. His grandfather, Stephen Owen Pritchard, designed tanks in the Second World War, and was an art editor at The Practical Householder, a popular decorating magazine in the 1950s and 1960s.

“Every time I used to do sketches, my granddad would say ‘that’s really good’ and it spurred me on to do more,” he said. “It was as if he was still there and I was looking for his approval. “I want to try to get them as realistic as I possibly can,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to capture eyes and the expressions of the face. “There’s a buzz when it comes out how it’s meant to look like.” Mr Pritchard has begun taking paid commissions, which take around six to seven hours to complete. He recently sold £180 worth of drawings to one person, who took home portraits of Johnny Depp, Bruce Lee, and a chimpanzee.

Older Adult Wellness — winter workouts: As the temperatures start to drop and the wind begins to blow, you may think it is the time of year to store away the tennis shoes and slow down for the season. However, winter is the exact right time of year to stay active and work to maintain physical function levels.

Getting active during the colder months can be challenging as we are used to walking outdoors and doing yard work to stay active and we are suddenly wondering what to do when the snow falls. The blustery temperatures tempt us to snuggle up on the couch and relax. On days the weather advises against travel or you don’t have access to an indoor exercise facility, there are plenty of ways to stay active in your home. General house work will not only keep you off the couch but also keep your house clean.

Vacuuming can burn up to 250 calories an hour for an average 160 pound adult. Window washing not only burns a few calories, but also increases upper body mobility which is vital to maintaining independence.

Bookafy Launches Online Booking and Staff Scheduling Software for Small Businesses (Seattle) - Bookafy.com, a software start-up in Seattle is launching its online appointment booking and staff scheduling software for small businesses. According to Casey Sullivan, Founder and CEO of Bookafy, “Small service businesses carry a huge burden in having to balance customer appointment booking and staff scheduling with the customers need for efficiency and convenience. Customers want to book appointments with ease, and they should be able to… and Bookafy can help!”

Bookafy has been working privately with beta customers for the last 6 months, and is now opening its platform to other small business owners in the US. “Almost half of our beta customers are what we call Solo Entrepreneurs… they run the business and do the work… they answer the phone to book appointments and then they give the massage or personal training session” said Sullivan. “We want to free business owners from the hassle of scheduling and let them focus on what they love… working with their customers and growing their business, not playing phone tag and never ending email strings trying to find mutually available appointment times.”

The other half of Bookafy’s Beta Customers included Salons and Spas, Stylist and Designers, Carpet Cleaners and Window Washers as well as other serviced based small businesses that benefit from streamlined appointment booking. “Small businesses are our focus,” said marketing manager Sarah Duprie, “Larger businesses tend to have resources for legacy systems and staff to solve these problems. But for small business owners… Bookafy solves a big customer service problem and frankly… we are really excited about that!”

Bookafy has seen great success with its Beta Customers in time saved with scheduling appointments, elimination of no-shows and the elimination of missed opportunities when customers book elsewhere. Bookafy’s automated appointment reminders have almost completely eliminated no-shows for its Beta Customers… which is only a small part of the software, but this alone makes the software a must have for small business owners. Studies have shown, eliminating No-Shows alone could increase revenue by 20%! Bookafy is excited to give small business owners a great tool to help their businesses flourish!

Karcher UK’s new Banbury headquarters has been unveiled. The three-storey building will be adjacent to junction 11 of the M40 and will almost double the size of the company’s current base on Beaumont Road. Work is expected to commence on the 84,500 sq ft complex in the late spring or early summer, to be completed at the end of 2015. Simon Keeping, managing director of Karcher UK, said: “While Karcher is renowned for our commercial and domestic pressure washers, other products are increasingly coming to the fore - among them our window vacs, steam cleaners and professional floor care solutions.

“These are exciting times and this opportunity, afforded by the company;s expansion, is testament to the quality inherent in Karcher - not only of our products but of our team and its ethos too. “In order to maintain continunity admidst our growth and retain key Karcher knowhow, remaining near to our Banbury roots was crucial.”

The German company first announced the news of their move late last year, and the new building will feature offices, an academy, a retail centre and training facilities along with a warehouse and workshop section to allow for expansion. The development will also include Banbury’s first Karcher Centre - a one-stop shop for both domestic and commercial customers, offering sales, service and advice for the entire Karcher range.

New era beckons: A meticulously planned operation has begun as the Strand Group starts to move into its impressive new home. The Group, now in its 26th year, is undertaking one of the biggest projects in the company’s history. The business has taken possession of a new purpose built headquarters at Tromode Estate just outside of Douglas. Local builders JCK, of Ballasalla, who handled the project from start to finish, completed the building ahead of the agreed schedule. Comprising of five units each covering 3,000 square feet and with a mezzanine level office in the first unit, the building was handed over at the end of September.

Managing director of Clucas Plc, Alex Thomson, said: ‘This is an important development which reflects the progressive ambitions of both Strand Group and ourselves. ‘It has been a pleasure working with John Hellowell (chairman of Strand Group) and his colleagues on this project which provides an impressive gateway to the Tromode Estate, arguably the most attractive and high quality commercial business location in the island.’

A dedicated team is handling the move so that day-to-day operations can continue with minimum disruption. Storall’s shredding plant was the first piece of equipment to be moved and that was successfully installed within days of the handover. Work took place over a weekend so that secure document shredding could be back on line first thing the following Monday morning. This was quickly followed by a move of operations and equipment for Clean A Way, Strand Group’s commercial refuse business. The Group’s water purification plant also had to be moved as this provides deionised water (made from tap water) that is used for window cleaning. The building is to be named Sailmaker House – a nod to the history of the original site.

TCA Falcon Spider FS420 at the Lotte World Tower, South Korea.

TCA Lift has delivered a Falcon Spider FS420 to the Lotte World Tower in South Korea, for maintenance work. The 42 m working height model will be used for window cleaning in the 123 floor, 556 m high rise complex which is still under construction in Seoul. It is the tallest building in South Korea and is situated next to the existing Lotte World complex completed in 1989. The new building incorporates a curved glass façade which creates challenges when cleaning it, and is suited to the unique jib and low ground pressure of the FS420, said TCA.

A Carbon County industry is expanding into the Valmont Industrial Park, and the City of Hazleton is getting a new industry which will create about 10 jobs. Members of the CAN DO board of directors learned Tuesday afternoon that CTC Industries, a firm that provides job training and employment for adults with disabilities, is moving into two spaces in Valmont. Established in 1970 as the Carbon Training Center Inc., CTC employs an integrated workforce of handicapped and non-handicapped workers who perform various packaging work, as well as embroider and sew apparel, including T-shirts, hats, jackets, aprons and tote bags.

CTC President and CEO Steve Peterson said the firm will keep its 22,000-square-foot facility at Hazle and Rose streets in Beaver Meadows, along with the new 24,000-square-foot and 9,117-square-foot spaces in CAN DO’s multi-tenant 7B and 7C buildings along Rotary Drive, giving the firm a total of almost 56,000 square feet. Peterson said the main reason for the location is the business CTC does with Henkel Products, which produces various Dial soap products at its facility in Valmont.

CTC employees install a light cardboard sleeve on Dial hand soap bottles explaining the soap’s anti-bacterial properties. “We are in the process of becoming a designated co-packer by Henkel,” Peterson said. “It will open up other job opportunities with Henkel, not necessarily from the Hazleton plant.”

Peterson said he anticipates Henkel’s work doubling in 2015. “We did 10 million sleeves last year, and we’ll be doing 20 million this year,” Peterson said. Initially, 30 to 35 employees will staff the new space in Valmont. “We will add some employees now, and then more later,” Peterson said. “We currently have 84 employees.”

The firm also does janitorial work, including floor strip and wax, carpet shampooing, window cleaning and general office cleaning. But CTC does very little janitorial work now, Peterson said. “About 58 percent of our work now is packaging,” Peterson said.

Entrepreneur magazine ranked Fish Window Cleaning® number 154 on its annual Franchise 500 list. This is the fifteenth year Fish Window Cleaning has made the list. Commenting on this recognition, Randy Cross, President of Fish Window Cleaning, said, “We are honored to be ranked on the prestigious Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list year after year. We are committed to supporting our franchisees while growing our brand across the country.”

The process for inclusion began in July 2014, when franchisors participated in a survey. Submissions were vetted before data analysis, with 927 companies making the first cut. From there, the top 500 companies made the Franchise 500 ranking based on financial and statistical data from July 2012 through July 2014. To be eligible for the Franchise 500 ranking, a franchisor must have a minimum of 10 units, with at least one located in the U.S., and be seeking new franchisees.

Window Genie was ranked 190, 195 and 196 in the last three years respectively. Founder and CEO Rik Nonelle said of the accomplishment, "We're extremely proud to make Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 list year after year. We've been ranked in the top 200 for three years now. As a system we've experienced consistent growth and improvement together, and our consistent rankings reflect that team effort."

Entrepreneur's annual Franchise 500 list is compiled every year with an objective process described on entrepreneur.com as, "The process began in July 2014, when we asked franchisors to participate in our survey. Each submission was vetted before being entered for data analysis; 927 companies made the first cut. Of those, the top 500 made the Franchise 500® ranking, based on financial and statistical data from July 2012 through July 2014."

Former NFL superstar and recent Geico commercial personality Ickey Woods attends Cincinnati-based Window Genie's annual convention as guest speaker to talk about the Jovante Woods Foundation and community service. To speak about The Jovante Woods Foundation and on the importance of local businesses giving back to their communities, former Cincinnati Bengals fullback Ickey Woods attended the Window Genie Annual Convention from January 21-23 in New Orleans as a guest speaker.

For 20 years, Window Genie Founder and CEO, Rik Nonelle has encouraged all Window Genie franchise partners to connect to their communities through giving back to local causes they and their team feel a personal connection to; the Window Genie corporate team in Cincinnati feels leading by example is the best policy. In February of 2014 Rik Nonelle met Ickey Woods while Woods was raising money for the Jovante Woods Foundation; he started the foundation after losing his son Jovante to a fatal Asthma attack in 2010. Unbeknownst at the time to Jovante’s parents, Ickey and Chandra, Jovante had checked the organ donor box on his driver’s permit and subsequently saved 5 lives and impacted dozens more through tissue donation.

City Wide Maintenance of South Florida: Many corporate workers dream of the day they can toss in the towel and become their own boss. Luckily for Hub Spooner, 40, and Bob Rotenburger, 56, refugees from the corporate banking world, the two decided sooner rather than later to leave corporate America and start their own business.

Co-workers at a large international bank, Spooner remembers, "We were frustrated with the direction of the company. The company was making decisions were didn't agree with, so we decided to branch out on our own."The two shopped around for a small business opportunity and settled on City Wide Maintenance of South Florida, a Boynton Beach-based management company for the building maintenance industry. They found a broker who introduced them to City Wide in 2009, and thought it was a good fit. "We love it," Spooner said. "We're self-employed and made the right decision. It's been a lifelong dream for both of us and we're ecstatic over our choice." "We manage contractors that provide facility services to buildings," he said. "We are a one-stop shop. Our customers come to us. We provide one point of contact for building maintenance such as cleaning, janitorial, carpet cleaning or window washing. "Our job is to provide the skilled contractors with an expertise in what they do," Spooner said.

Their company works with many large institutions in the tri-county area, including Holy Cross Hospital and First United Bank (now Valley National Bank) in Broward and Palm Beach counties. As members of the community, both Spooner and Rotenburger are involved with local charities, such as Hospice of Palm Beach County, and believe in giving back. Last year they had a fishing tournament for Hospice of Palm Beach County and collectively raised $43,000.

Tributes have been paid following the death of legendary former Keighley and Great Britain international rugby league player Terry Hollindrake. The hugely popular winger, who suffered a stroke a number of years ago and had been in a nursing home ever since, passed away last week, aged 80. A phenomenally talented player and noted goal-kicker, Hollindrake will be remembered fondly by many supporters and players at Lawkholme Lane following his long association with the club and the town.

Hollindrake was a product of Keighley Albion who went on to become Keighley RLFC’s only home-grown international rugby league player after featuring for Great Britain in the Third Test at Headingley against New Zealand in 1955. He played 221 games in his first spell for his home-town club, scoring 104 tries and kicking 320 goals before a transfer to Hull FC in October 1960 was followed by a spell at Bramley. He returned to Keighley in 1968 and played 26 more games with nine tries and four goals. After he finished playing, Hollindrake worked as a window cleaner in the town and he was also a prominent member of Keighley’s ex-players’ association.

Father-of-two Luke Smith fulfilled his dying wish when he married childhood sweetheart Claire. Window cleaner Luke (30) was diagnosed with leukaemia in July 2013. He had a bone marrow transplant in January this year but was given the news in October that there was no further treatment for him and he died on November 27th in Pendleside Hospice. But not before he fulfilled his two wishes – to see his younger daughter Lilah (2) baptised and to marry Claire (27), who he met when she was 14, through friends. “He fulfilled both his wishes,” said Claire, who also has daughter Mia (6) and lived with Luke in Rosegrove. “We had Lilah baptised in October and we had originally planned to get married in January 2015, although we had been engaged since I was 18. “However, they told us the news in October that it was terminal and so we organised it in a few days and got married at All Saints and St John the Baptist Church, Habergham. It was a lovely day.”

Luke’s mum Collette Alexander said: “Luke told me all he wanted was to see Claire walk down the aisle in her wedding dress and have a ring on her finger and his two girls as bridesmaids. “He was in a wheelchair at this stage and was struggling to talk but his vows were loud and clear. He fulfilled his last wishes and we are so proud of him.” Luke, who was brought up in Padiham and was a former pupil at Padiham Green and St Theodore’s Schools, was described by his mum as “an immensely fit lad who had never been ill”, but began to feel breathless and tired and struggled to carry Lilah up the stairs.

He was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was 29. “He was so brave,” said his mum, who is separated from Luke’s dad Stewart Smith. “It was such a shock for us but he sailed through the chemotherapy, never complained and, when he had the bone marrow transplant, we thought he had got through it. “However, it came back and we were stunned when we were told there was no cure.”

“He was so proud of his girls, he was an amazing dad and he was heartbroken he was leaving them and wouldn’t see them grow up,” said his mum, who has two other sons, Charles and Scott. “He was always more worried about everyone else and how they would cope, especially Claire. He was so strong and is our hero.”

Memories from Paul Eggett, passed on from his late father John, who was secretary of the league from 1966 to 1982 when he died. One of a referee.. who was a self-employed window cleaner and called in most unhappy on a Thursday night when he was told he could not take his van inside Norwich prison due to the fact that his ladders were still on the roof rack. Apparently he was told by the officer on the gate that within five minutes they would be gone and used to “go over the wall”.

Artist Gary Winter credits the old Kolln Hardware building on Main Street and Division for the idea that brought him fame in Pleasanton: creating miniature wooden replicas of its historic buildings. About 10 years ago, Winter began making stick figures out of two-by-fours, Gorilla glue and wood screws for Richert Lumber on Sunol Boulevard, where they highlight displays in each department. He created a life-sized stick figure of a window washer that he attached to a second-story window of Kolln Hardware while it was under construction, a touch of whimsy that helped people smile as they waited sometimes impatiently for the renovation to be completed.

Salt Lake City police released new information surrounding a shooting in Sugar House Saturday night that left one man dead and another in critical condition. The shooting happened near Highland Drive and Parkway Avenue. Police have identified the victim as Christian McDonald, 24, of West Valley City. According to Salt Lake City police, there was another man, and acquaintance of McDonald’s, also shot Saturday night. He was in the hospital in critical condition. “We actually had two people that were shot that we didn’t know at first because the second male actually transported himself to the hospital,” said robin Heiden, spokeswoman for Salt Lake City police.

McDonald was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital. Darger said she learned of her brother’s death from a hysterical call from her sister that night. “It was probably the fourth or fifth time coming out of her mouth that it registered what she was saying. All I could understand was, ‘he’s been shot, he’s dead, you need to come over here,’” Darger said. Darger said police haven’t told her family much.

Darger said she is close with all of her siblings and no one knows what McDonald was doing in Sugar House the night he was killed. McDonald was a window washer with no criminal record or drug habits, according to his family. “He was my little brother. Probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever known. I can’t remember a time that if I ever asked him for help that he wasn’t here within half an hour to help me,” Darger said.

Michael Albano Clayton, accused in the death of a window cleaner less than a year ago, had a charge of second-degree murder replaced with a manslaughter charge, a Guelph court heard Tuesday. Defence attorney John Kieffer told justice of the peace Arthur Child in Ontario Court of Justice bail court the change followed recent discussions with the Crown. Clayton, held in custody, had been scheduled to appear Tuesday in another court for continuation of a judicial pretrial hearing when the case was abruptly transferred to bail court. The 29-year-old man is also charged with breach of probation.

Both charges were put over to Feb. 3 to set a date for a preliminary inquiry. With the laying of the manslaughter charge, the murder charge was withdrawn. Guelph police were called to an Elizabeth Street residence (pictured) near Guelph's downtown on the morning of April 4, a Friday, where the body of Joseph Brillinger, 42, of Acton was found. Police said at the time the two men knew each other and were involved in a dispute the evening before. In subsequent public statements, Brillinger's family described the deceased as a placid man who loved nature. In fact, one called him "Gentle Joe." He had been self-employed, working at times as a window cleaner.

Officers used Tasers three times to subdue a man who walked away from a work detail outside the Clark County Detention Center early Wednesday, according to court documents. Robert A. O'Hair, 31, of 137 Boone Ave. Apt. C, is a state prisoner housed at the jail who was part of a crew washing windows outside the jail when he walked away around 3 a.m. Wednesday.

According to the arrest citation filed by Winchester Police Patrolman Matthew Reed, the department was notified of the escape and learned he may be at his residence on Boone Avenue. When officers arrived at the apartment, Michelle Preston, identified in the citation as O'Hair's "significant other," said he was in the apartment and told officers to "get him out of here."

When officers entered the apartment, O'Hair refused to leave the kitchen and said "I'm gonna shoot you. I've got a gun." At one point, Reed said O'Hair came around the corner and pointed a silver item at officers. Reed said he fired a shot, but did not strike O'Hair, who then barricaded himself in the kitchen. When O'Hair continued threatening officers and refused to come out, officers entered the kitchen. O'Hair tried to escape through the kitchen window, but was Tasered once by officers when he refused to show his hands to officers.

Kirkdale drug dealer told police cannabis with a street value of up to £16,000 was for ‘personal use’ - Anthony Lewis, 27, of Sandheys Close, jailed for three years for possession with intent to supply a Class B drug. However, when the 27-year-old was interviewed by police, he denied being a drug dealer. Mr Blasbery said: “He said he was a heavy cannabis user and all the cannabis was for personal use.”

The defendant also argued the money in the safe was from a previous window cleaning round. Lewis pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class B drug. He has numerous previous convictions for supplying Class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin, dating back to when he was 15. Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said it was “a very bad record”, with the most recent prison sentence handed out to Lewis in 2008.

David Watson, defending, said his client had long-standing issues with the use of cannabis. He said: “He was working hard on his release from prison. He has a child and he was assisting in providing for that child. “Things were going well but the work ran out and he fell into his old ways.”

Unknown window washer allegedly takes office workers wallet: A woman's wallet containing her identification, credit cards and her children's Social Security cards was taken out of her purse while she was working in the 24500 block of Ford Road. The woman stepped out of the room for a minute and when she returned the company's window washer was going through her purse. The worker left immediately after being caught. The business owner was unable to provide police with the name of the window washer.

Blizzard Means Business

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Blizzard means business: It has closed businesses, stranded commuters and shut or significantly slowed down transportation networks for commerce. But a few businesses are seeing a silver lining to the snow clouds. “From a business point of view, it’s a good thing,” said Michael Barbuzzi, of Barbuzzi Landscaping in Swampscott and Snow Removal Unlimited in Lynn. “It’s just that I would have rather had that 25-inch storm spread out over three storms, not all at once.” Two snowstorms in a week have dumped a record breaking 40.2-inches of snow on Boston between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, the most snowfall to fall in a similar time period in the 100 years of records kept by the National Weather Service. The storms have also delivered more snow within a week than falls in Boston in a typical winter.

A 2014 study by research firm IHS Global Insight put a $265-million price tag on a one-day snowstorm in Massachusetts, calculating factors such as lost wages for workers, lost retail sales and lost taxes. Then there are snow-removal costs borne by local governments, residents and businesses.

These costs are highly variable. But Barbuzzi said they have provided another source of income for local landscapers. “When I was a young guy, most of us just enjoyed the winters off,” Barbuzzi said. “But most people make money on a weekly basis and to hire good people, you need to keep them employed. For landscapers, snow plowing and snow removal is how you do it in the winter.”

He said his company has about 30 4-wheel drive plow trucks, six shoveling crews of 2-3 people, and big equipment such as front-end loaders and hauling trucks to remove snow from primarily commercial businesses in Lynn and Swampscott. For the recent storm, the crews worked in three 8-10-hour shifts, Barbuzzi said. “It makes for a lot of long hours,” Barbuzzi said. And lots of expense.

Barbuzzi said his employees earn between $20 to $30 per hour for shoveling. Snow plow and equipment drivers earn between $20 and $35 an hour. “It’s expensive to get guys to come in these crazy hours,” Barbuzzi said. “In the snow business you usually have a 6- to 8-hour window to get things done; with these monster storms maybe 24 hours.” He said the snow currently on the ground, plus snow forecast for Thursday, will require the company work “round-the-clock” this week with 8-10 hour shifts.

Snow helps some businesses - Tim Tenney and his snow shovel display at True Value Hardware in Wyoma Square in Lynn.

But there are many residents who want to — or must — remove the snow themselves. “It’s a great January, last January was terrible,” said Wyoma Square True Value owner Tim Tenney. “Last January was so cold, so freezing and no snow. This one is warmer and there’s a lot of snow.”

Tenney said snow shovels, ice melters, roof rakes and parts for snow blowers (he sold out of snow blowers weeks ago as many callers to the store have been disappointed to learn) have been in high demand at his store. “I’ve been selling a lot of sleds, too,” Tenney said. “They’re all sledding up at Gannon. So I guess the kids are enjoying their time off.”

John Ciccone, owner of Beden Hardware on Munroe Street, said snow shovels, ice choppers and ice melt were recent top-sellers. But unlike in Wyoma Square, sales of these items did not make up for business lost for other projects, many of which required travel to-and-from the downtown location. “It kind of just turns business over to something else,” Ciccone said of the snowstorm. “It takes everybody’s eyes off of other things — other business you would be doing besides winter products.”

Leslie Gould, president and chief executive officer of the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce, said that snow storms can be difficult for businesses that depend on foot traffic from other local businesses, such as retailers in a downtown or shopping plaza, restaurants and coffee shops and businesses dependent on weather-related tasks, such as construction. As for employees, part-time, hourly and those workers who cannot work remotely are also negatively impacted by snowstorms, Gould said.

But Gould said other businesses adjust to the winter — a cleaning company offers a special for carpet cleaning due to all the sand and salt tracked into a home, for instance; or a towing company is suddenly in high demand to remove cars from snowbanks. But whether busy because of 90-hour weeks or hoping for roads to be cleared to resume commerce, several business people echoed Ciccone as he recalled the storms. “We were closed with the first storm — that was last week, right?” Ciccone said. “It just seems like it hasn’t ended.”