By Mark Crawford

Creating a green office could help create a green byproduct for companies - more money.

Building an environmentally friendly workplace results in two winners:

• Workers, who are healthier and happier;

• The company, which sees increased profits because fewer sick days are taken and workers are more productive.

A greener, more energy efficient workspace also means money saved on reduced electricity and water consumption.

“Productivity is the biggest payoff, but because there isn’t a lot of hard data to document this, people often discount these claims as anecdotal,” said Joe Ring of Park Towne Corporation at 402 Gammon Place, Madison.

“Some businesses have reported increased productivity, fewer work days missed, and less turnover after moving into a green building. The most expensive cost for any company is salaries. If productivity is increased by just one percent, that’s a big savings for many companies.”

The rest of this article can be found on the following website: http://www.madison.com/crbj/200705/index.php?ntid=131590

By Harrell Kerkhoff
Maintenance Sales News Editor
November/December 2006

Although their company’s name is relatively new, for the past 50 years the Stevenson family and trusted employees have built a solid reputation as a janitorial/sanitary distributor and commercial cleaning service provider in and around Madison, WI.

Known as KleenMark since April 2005, for many years prior, people seeking cleaning supplies, services and advice in and around the capital city of Wisconsin looked toward Hoffman Chemical & Supply Co., Inc. However, as times changed, so did the need for a new name, logo and overall image.

Today, KleenMark’s jan/san distribution and commercial cleaning services headquarters is located in Madison, while the company also operates two commercial cleaning satellite offices, one each in the Wisconsin cities of Milwaukee and Appleton.

“Having the (commercial cleaning) services side to our business has really helped us as a jan/san distributor. It’s something we never used to leverage before until our company name change took place,” KleenMark President and CEO Scott Stevenson said. “Today, when working with customers, we look them in the eyes and say, ‘We know these products we sell work because we have 600 employees on our commercial cleaning services side who use them on a daily basis. We can’t afford to not have these products work.’”

Stevenson added that a new jan/san cleaning product doesn’t enter KleenMark’s distribution side of the business until it’s been field tested by those working in the company’s commercial cleaning services side.

“For example, if there is a new carpet extractor being introduced by one of our vendors, before we sell it to our distribution customers, we test it ourselves in the field. We can do this due to our commercial cleaning operation,” Stevenson said.

In a further effort to make sure KleenMark’s jan/san customers are offered the best in new, innovative product choices, company officials have put together a product committee.

“Some distributors do not respond properly to new product offerings available from suppliers,” KleenMark Senior Vice President Phil Durst said. “Many (suppliers) bring in new products and new opportunities. Yet, too often, only one person at a distributorship will look at these new products and into the sample closet they go, not to be seen again.”

To combat this possibility at KleenMark, the company’s product committee involves employees working in purchasing, management and sales to help provide a wide range of input.

“We let suppliers make presentations, and we (the committee) then decide if a particular new product could work for our customers. If there is a feeling it will, then we field test this product without directly impacting one of our customers per se,” Durst said. “Using our service side of the business gives our sales staff confidence to know that they are going out there with something new that we have already tested. They, therefore, have no reservations about this new product.

“They can also show that our company has been in the business for 50 years and is still growing.”

Durst added that KleenMark’s sales force also benefits from the company’s commitment toward recognized name brands that it has carried for years. Trusted lines continue to be expanded, with the distributorship enjoying the support of well-known manufacturers.

(The rest of this article can be found in the November/December 2006 issue of Maintenance Sales News magazine).

As quoted in the December 2006 issue:

Scott Stevenson, president and CEO of Kleenmark, is currently working on a plan, and though not yet in writing, he’s already involving his two young daughters in the business. His three-year-old, Emma, often comes with him to work and he’s now able to give her small tasks. Stevenson’s father started the company 50 years ago, and Scott said, “Going to work with Dad was always a treat. My daughters have been coming with me to the business since day one. For me, that’s part of my succession planning.”

MENASHA - The Greenville Affinity Medical Group clinic, W6981 Park View Drive, has achieved “certified” status through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.

It is the first health care facility in Wisconsin and only one of a few throughout the nation to earn this distinction, Affinity reported.

The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary standards and certification program created by the U.S. Green Building Council that recognizes environmentally friendly construction projects. The Affinity clinic, which opened in July 2005, incorporates environmentally friendly, sustainable concepts.

The clinic was built by Oscar J. Boldt Construction. The company has been awarded a dozen LEED registered projects and gained Silver LEED certification on its regional office in Stevens Point.