The PWNA - approved by the Board

[PWNA HQ 14]

This letter was written by Mike Hilborn, PWNA Executive Director. It was reviewed and commented on by the PWNA Board of Directors. This letter has been approved for distribution by the PWNA Board of Directors.

The Problem Facing Us All

Houston could be the tip of the iceberg. I have yet to read a BMP that is as contractor friendly as the BMP/Guide/Paper submitted for review by the PWNA (changes are being made to improve it). Read any of the following already published BMPs and you will learn how potentially dark the future of our industry could be.

· http://www.saws.org/conservation/ordinance/PowerWash/Power_Washing_Guide.pdf

· http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/esd/bmp%20powerwashbook.pdf

· http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/41/sb/publications/powerwash.pdf

· http://phoenix.gov/streets/bmps.html

· http://ci.st-helena.ca.us/images/city/Docs/SurfaceCleaner%20Guide12.04.pdf

· Untitled Document

· http://www.cabmphandbooks.com/documents/industrial/mobilecleaning_surfacecleaning.pdf

BMPs will be written and enforced by municipalities across the country. We the contractors need to be involved in that conversation (please see previous letter for what the BMPs are and what they are not). We more than anyone know how to protect our waters. If we do not lead, well intended politicians and bureaucrats will write the policies and rules which will have unintended consequences therefore increasing the pollutants in our waters. An example:

· A recent bulletin board post described (as I understand it) a customer that has suspended all fleet washing because of the liability associated with the Clean Water Act. The customer was having their fleet washed by a PWNA contractor that was preventing waste water from entering the storm drain using their reclaim system. The customer is now going to have their vehicles washed on a much less frequent basis by their drivers. The result will be dirty trucks driving down the road with rain water washing contaminants into storm drains. The exact opposite of the intent of the Clean Water Act.

If Others are to Respect Us, We Must Respect Ourselves

If we want to protect and grow our industry we have to have the best ideas of everyone. Right now if someone makes a post on a bulletin board that is not to the liking of a select group, that person is insulted, intimidated or bullied. Ewelyn Beatrice Hall once said "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it." I talk to some of the sharpest people in our industry that do not post their thoughts and ideas on the bulletin boards because they choose not be mocked and disrespected. Or worse yet, they fear they will be made a target of intimidation and bullying. An example:

· I think it is safe to say that the Board of Directors leadership on the BMPs has been controversial. I would humbly submit that as Executive Director of the PWNA, I am the primary face and voice of the PWNA. During the past two weeks I received a quick flurry of annoying texts before I had that number blocked. The Board of Directors received an unprofessional and vulgar email letter referencing me (Jackie reads these emails). In addition a You Tube video posted on 2 bulletin boards was addressed specifically and only to me. I would suggest a phone call would have allowed for a conversation and given me the opportunity to explain my position. If a phone call didn't seem comfortable, then emailing me the You Tube link would have been an appropriate choice. However, I don't believe that was really the purpose of the video being posted on a bulletin board for all to see. It is my opinion (and the opinion of others) that the purpose of the video was to send a message to everyone that if you disagree with this person that he might make you a target.

Bullying and intimidating me is one thing:

1. The Executive Director is an unpaid, volunteer position - I don't lose any money if I'm fired or resign

2. I don't have a store or sell anything on the internet

3. I discontinued my franchise program

4. I don't feel like I have a lot to lose in this matter

5. I kind of like the attention

However, it will upset me greatly if I see this being done to someone else. I will stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone where this is happening to them. With that said, a recent post compared a letter I wrote last week to have been written by Carlos. I received that as a great compliment. I was always impressed with how well Carlos could write. My writing compared to Carlos; again, I appreciate the compliment.

I'm not suggesting we sit around a camp fire singing Kumbaya. I am suggesting that we allow people to express their ideas without fear. If you disagree with me all the time, I would guess you will be right at least 50% of the time. Allow for the opportunity to have a conversation, don't make it personal. The exchanges we have between each other should be positive and build each other up, even when we disagree.

It is Time for All of Us to Stand Together

It is my opinion that there has never been a more urgent time than now where we all stand together as contractors to defend our industry. I can guarantee that we will not all agree on every issue. However, we can take the best ideas from everyone to form our decisions. John Dickinson said "United We Stand, Divided We Fall". The BMP issue has not yet been decided, you may not see value in our Certification Program, you may not agree with our Water Reclaimer Program, you may not like the history of the PWNA, and I can understand it if you don't like me. Do not let any of those things get in the way of protecting your family, the life you have created, and the business you have built.

SIMA Snow and Ice Management Association 1,500 members

ICPI Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute 1,000 members

NCMA National Concrete Masonry Association 8,400 members

LMCCA Low Moisture Carpet Cleaners Association 2,500 members

ACCA Air Conditioning Contractors of America 4,000 members

PDCA Painting and Decorating Contractors of America 2,000 members

*****/PWNA 300 members

How can it be that an industry as large and diverse as ours has only 300 members between the two organizations? I was recently at a meeting with the Twin City Sewer Department (Metropolitan Council) with another PWNA member when the director asked how many members our organization had. When I told him that we had 250 members, he asked if our organization was brand new. All of us as members is what will make us strong. With a large membership comes a loud, powerful, clear voice.

One Last Thing

It would be my privilege to work together with the leadership of the *****. I'm quite confident that we can accomplish much more together than apart. The past is behind us, let's work together to build the future of our great industry.

If anyone would like to talk to me about this post, please call me directly at 612-868-7312 or email me at mike.hilborn@pwna.org. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Mike Hilborn and the Board of Directors of the PWNA