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  1. The PWNA is excited to announce special guest Linda Ruth Tosetti to the upcoming convention. Linda is the granddaughter of the baseball legend Babe Ruth. She will present recognition plaques to various people who have gone above and beyond in the Power Washing Industry.

    She lectures about her grandfather,George Herman "Babe" Ruth,at numerous universities and schools. She has been honored by being inducted into the Latino American International Sports Hall Of Fame,in 2009 in Laredo Texas.

    She has been a guest speaker at places such as The Society of America Baseball Research, the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown NY, the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore Maryland,and more. "Linda has been a presenter of the Babe Ruth Post Season MVP Award that is given annually at the NY Sports Writers Dinner, held in New York City. Linda Ruth Tosetti has also been a Contributor to Fox Channel News,ESPN, the Chicago Sun-Times, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Times and has been an honored guest at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park and various important sporting venues and events throughout America. She is considered a leading authority on the life and times of her fabled grandfather from an intimate family point of view."


  2. For more information or to schedule an interview:

    Contact: Robert Hinderliter

    Environmental Chairman PWNA & *****

    817-529-6601; Cell: 817-366-3041

    robert.hinderliter@powerwash.com

    August 15, 2011

    Mobile Power Washing Associations Unite to Develop A Best Management Practices Model, Workshop and Ordinance

    For Immediate Release – The Power Washers of North America (www.pwna.org) and United Association of Mobile Contract Cleaners (www.*****.org ) have joined together to develop a model cosmetic mobile power washing best management practices (BMPs), workshop, and ordinance based on the EPA’s model ordinance. PWNA is making this information available free to regulation authorities for use in developing their own models to comply with their MS4 NPDES permits for Phase I and Phase II.

    “The BMPs and model workshop are based on over 15 years of enforcement history, working with regulators around the country,” said Robert Hinderliter, Environmental Chairman for the PWNA and *****. “We have placed emphasis on being reasonable, rational, and logical, which has proven to result in the highest level of compliance – meaning minimum contaminates in the storm drains – and with almost no cost or enforcement effort, a very important element in this time of limited budgets.”

    A CD/DVD is now available from Power Washers of North America. The ordinance can be downloaded from www.pwna.org, www.*****.org, or by email request to robert.hinderliter@powerwash.com.

    To learn more, visit the PWNA website at www.pwna.org, email at info@pwna.org, or call at 1-800-393-7962.


  3. All went well in Houston. I was onsite with Robert and Michael Hinderliter, and the PWNA videotaped the entire event again (PWNA has videotaped every Houston Workshop). I was told by other participants, as well by Michael and Robert, that it was a much smaller turnout then the most recent past meeting. There were some very good specific questions asked from the audience and a majority of those questions were answered with specifics from the city officials. The overall feeling from the audience that I spoke to felt that the city was much more open to working with contractors to ensure everyone is on the same page and in compliance with discharge concerns on customer’s property and city owned property than in past meetings. I feel that the overall outcome of the meeting was very positive and I am happy to see that Houston is more receptive to work with and educate the power wash contractors to ensure that everything is in compliance and not forcing needs of additional equipment and permits to be in compliance, as was the direction we felt it was heading from past City of Houston meetings. Thank You Houston.

    I’m very happy to be a part of creating environmental awareness and education for all fellow contractors to be learning from and working with today, and tomorrow.

    Eric Clark

    PWNA President


  4. The PWNA would like to thank Olympic Power Wash Services for their donation of time and equipment for the April 30, 2011 cleaning of the Shriner's Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. Shriner's Hospital survives off donations for revenue and upkeep by people such as Drew and Jennifer Anderson of Olympic Power Wash Services. To learn more about them go to www.olympicpowerwashservices.c​om


  5. The PWNA Convention will be here before you know it. We have an exciting schedule of events along with a skid giveaway. The skid is donated from Hydro Tek with components donated from Kohler Motors, Wayne Burners, and Cat Pumps.

    Hydro Tek

    SC 35006KG SKID

    List Price $9,995

    Check out additional details on the convention at 2011 Annual Convention in Nashville, TN | The PWNA.

    Also, register for the PWNA Convention before September 1, 2011 and receive an early bird special of $50.00 off your registration fee.

    Please contact Jackie at PWNA Headquarters at 1-800-393-7962 or by email to info@pwna.org with any questions.


  6. Stay on top of what is happening with the PWNA using the following methods:

    • Our Water Works Newsletter

    • Frequent posts on the Grime Scene bulletin board PWNA News, Events, and Information

    • Our daily blog on the PWNA website

    • Our posting of the monthly agenda for the Board of Directors’ meeting on our website

    • Our posting of the Minutes of the monthly Board of Directors’ meeting

    • Constant Contact

    • Facebook and Twitter

    • New members receive a welcome phone call from a board member

    • New members receive emails regarding their membership 3, 6, and 9 months after their membership begins

    • Cleaner Times monthly article which includes a featured PWNA member

    You can also contact headquarters at 1-800-393-7962. If Jackie is unable to assist you, she will direct you to the person who can.


  7. Scott, there will be 2 Power Point presentations developed. The first one will be the training demonstration presentation used for classroom training. The second one will be available to members to bring back to their city so they can educate their local Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) people. That presentation will also be used to educate regulators like the Houston regulators. Again, there are no plans to shop these BMPs. However, we want to be ready when called upon.

    Tony it would be great if someday everyone will have to be certified in water reclamation through the PWNA. I want the members of our organization to write the standards, not some well intentioned bureaucrat.


  8. The Board of Directors are pleased to announce that the Environmental BMPs have been unanimously approved. A 21 day comment period for PWNA members and non-members resulted in one person submitting changes to the document. Those comments were reviewed by the Environmental Committee and changes were made to the BMPs. During the comment period we received emails, phone calls and text messages supporting the BMPs. The Board of Directors also approved Fort Worth as the Model Ordinance of the PWNA.

    The next step for the committee is to create a training curriculum around the BMPs and Model Ordinance. The curriculum will include a training guide, a Power Point presentation and certification test. The first Environmental class available to PWNA members and non-members will be taught on Saturday, October 22nd at the PWNA convention.

    The following is from a previous post regarding the purpose of the Environmental BMPs:

    What the BMPs are:

    · An educational tool - to be used as part of an Environmental Certification course. For me personally, I have spent all of my time on residential services like wood restoration, roof cleaning and house washing. I recently began commercial exterior cleaning and fleet washing and I had no idea where to begin as it relates to the Clean Water Act (CWA from this point). I found the current PWNA BMPs difficult to understand and they left me with many questions. However, I didn't know where to begin without them. The PWNA is leading this important topic.

    · A resource for your employees - we wanted to have a document that could be part of every members operation, if they chose. Take these BMPs and use them as they are or use them to start developing your own company BMPs based on the services you provide and the geography you serve. They are a living and open document that can be modified and applied by anyone that wants them.

    · Protection - having BMPs and being Water Reclaimer Certified can be used to demonstrate to local regulators and municipalities that you are a trained professional. They will know that you are doing what you can to protect our lakes, rivers, streams and oceans. The PWNA is here to protect our members and help them to be more profitable. You may not agree, and that's fine, but that is what the BOD believe.

    · Helping keep our waters clean - Some cities have not developed their own BMPs, others have. Part of phase 2 of the EPA (as I understand it) requires cities to develop their own BMPs. If all of us can do the work for them by writing or at least influencing the writing of their BMPs, better for your city, better for you the contractor and better for the environment. The services each of us as contractors perform is to keep things clean and to protect the health and safety of our customers. No one is more interested in protecting the environment than those of us in the power washing industry.

    What the BMPs are not:

    · The PWNA is not going to bring, or shop, the BMPs to municipalities, city leaders or roll them out across the country. That was never mentioned as our plan and I don't know where that came from. Second, we don't have the money or resources for such an undertaking.

    · These BMPs aren't designed to be the answer for every power washer, in every part of the country, for every possible cleaning situation or challenge. They are a guide. They are a resource to develop BMPs specific to your operation.

    · They will not solve the Houston problem. These BMPs are written to comply with the CWA. What is happening in Houston is not about the CWA. As you can read toward the beginning of the BMP document "If your discharge does not reach the waters of the United States, then there are no requirements under the Clean Water Act."

    · The BMPs are not applicable to residential services such as house washing, roof cleaning or deck cleaning unless wash water will reach a storm drain. If the water doesn't hit the storm drain, these BMPs do not apply.

    · The BMPs are not about enriching anyone. To be on the BOD, 50% or more of your revenue must come from contract cleaning. Michael Hinderliter had to leave the Board when he bought Delux from Robert and the new bylaws were passed. Although Robert Hinderliter is the Environmental Chairman, he is not one of the Board of Directors. The BMPs are about education and guidance. We aren't suggesting anyone buy a particular type of equipment or to buy any equipment at all. It is up to the individual contractor as to how he or she will meet the requirements of the CWA.

    · We are not submitting these BMPs to the EPA on April 15th or any other date. We are not submitting these BMPs to any government authority. They will be available on the PWNA website to anyone who wants to read them. We are asking for member comments to be returned by April 15th to keep the process moving.

    · The BMPs don't suggest that we are polluters.


  9. This letter has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Power Washers of North America.

    For the foreseeable future the PWNA will only be posting on The Grime Scene's PWNA section. It is the opinion of the board of directors that it is important that our industry behave in a way that is professional, uplifting, and encouraging. Healthy disagreement and debate is the foundation of finding the best way forward and making our industry all it can be. However, when respectful disagreement and debate collapses into personal attacks, name calling and worse, it reflects poorly on all of us. Negative comments stifle creative thinking and prevents new and alternative ideas from being shared. When someone is not willing to post their ideas because of the response they may receive, the system is no longer working. Our industry is moving into a political landscape that will put all of our businesses at risk. We must meet this challenge with a healthy and positive Clear Voice for Our Industry.

    The following are the rules of the game if the PWNA is to post on The Grime Scene:

    · Disagreement is fine. However, when you disagree it is to be respectful while encouraging the person you disagree with. If this is violated the person making the post will have an opportunity to rewrite the post or the post will be purged.

    · Negative responses with no other purpose than to be negative will be purged. Do not post unless you have a helpful alternative or input.

    · Any name calling, personal attacks, accusations or lying will be purged.

    · If the same person continues to violate the rules, they will be prevented from posting in the future.

    The PWNA follows a code of ethics:

    CODE OF ETHICS

    As a member of PWNA, I believe in fair and honorable practices and pledge to maintain the highest ethical standards in my business, and I obligate myself and my employees to work by the following Code of Ethics:

    • I will, at all times, conduct my business in a fair and honorable manner. I pledge to represent our products and services as they actually are, to do what I promise and to promise only what I reasonably can do, to compete fairly with others on the basis of the merit of my products and services, and to refrain from making false or misleading statements about my competitors or their products or services.
    • I commit to help any and all fellow PWNA members in the furtherance of industry knowledge.
    • I promise to comply, both in spirit and letter, with all rules and regulations prescribed by law and by government agencies for the health, safety and well-being of my employees, the public, and the environment.
    • I further pledge to perform all services within any Standards and through the use of any Best Management Practices adopted by PWNA

    This letter will be reposted from time to time as necessary. Thank you.

    Mike Hilborn

    PWNA Executive Director

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