Correct Knowledge

[tony szabo 14]

My list is just some ideas to help kick start other thoughts.

And 10 years is a place to start

[squirtgun 122]

My list is just some ideas to help kick start other thoughts.

And 10 years is a place to start

10yrs huh?Who says Ev or Henry?

[seymore 90]

This is a pretty good thread!:lglolly:

[tony szabo 14]

Thanks Carlos a nice comment,

I guess some are not looking at this like I thought.

Like I said why can't we start a list instead, of who and what is qualified to educate.

I currently have no ties with any org. and have not for the last two years besides memberships.

[newlook 265]

Hey Shane....jump right in here buddy!!! Got a seat right next to me LOL :lgwave:

[Scott Stone 604]

And then there are the contractors that have been in business that are self proclaimed industry leaders that I would not give two cents for their company or any work they perform and there are others that have far less time in the industry that I think truly have the knowledge that I would want to tap.Sometimes they have a specialized knowledge that I can find no where else.

For what it is worth, my opinion is well known on the PWNA. I feel that their original goals, and intentions have been so subverted and misdirected that they are more about training classes and making money for the organization that "bid" on the training programs that they are a shell of the former organization, and since I am being so blasted open and honest, I think that the organization no longer cares about the whole industry but it only cares about wood care. In my neck of the woods, that would be a waste of time. We don't even have wood fences.

[Celeste 341]

Wow, 10 years certainly disqualify some folks.....including Beth & Rod - gee, I could have sworn that at one point Rod was qualified to teach a wood cert class......

Let's have a show of hands to see who all was approached by Alliance to teach a class of some sort - but only if you've been in business for 10 years!!!

Time frame is about a stupid way to look at qualification....again, if it is okay for my children to be taught vitally important things like reading and writing and their teachers are only required what 4 years of school (which by the way is learning through lectures - not practical experience for the most part) then WHY does someone who may be ahead of the power curve in an area of this industry need to have 10 years in business? There are a few success stories in here that aren't even OLD enough to have been in business for 10 years.

Celeste

[Scott Stone 604]

And this is amazing, in the time to type my last post, there were four more posts. You created a bit of excitement Tony.

[seymore 90]

Hey Shane....jump right in here buddy!!! Got a seat right next to me LOL :lgwave:

Howdy Carlos :lgwave: Happy New YEAR buddy!!

I've been cleaning and staining wood for 10 yrs so i'll teach a class any day! :cool:

[tony szabo 14]

I was not trying for the drama, but its go me on the edge of my seat know.

OK with the 10 year thing already it was just a example.

Lets do this list and answer Barry's Question about 35 post back.

[Celeste 341]

Honestly, I think a square footage of the substrate cleaned - physical hands on doing it properly, not supervising employees would be a better baseline for knowledge. Folks can be in business for years and do stuff Wrong wrong wrong.....of course that would mean those substrates have been cleaned just as wrong. Years in business would definitely be a plus in some cases so long as you could show that you'd been successful at it.....and not just muddled through. Who wants to learn from a muddler? I'll be the first to admit my bookkeeping skills SUCK! LOL I could use a good Quick Books course with motivational teacher.

[tony szabo 14]

Ok

Positive input

This is my point ! Someone with lesser square footage, lesser years in business, and a proven track record not a Muddler. Does not Qualify them in you books Celeste to be a educator.

[newlook 265]

Quote from Scott Stone ~ "I think that the organization no longer cares about the whole industry but it only cares about wood care."

Scott,

Interesting you say that because I made pretty much the same comment to a PWNA board member last week!

[JFife 14]

Quote from Scott Stone ~ "I think that the organization no longer cares about the whole industry but it only cares about wood care."

Scott,

Interesting you say that because I made pretty much the same comment to a PWNA board member last week!

Carlos,

This is because the new group (IAWCC whatever) is going to absorb all of the main Pwashing industry, especially commercial. KEC has their own thing going......so the PWNA got left with the red-headed stepchild (wood). That's why they are desperately trying to attach to NADRA---to solidify their stature in the wood community. Be interested in hearing any suggestions that I am wrong about this.

[Celeste 341]

MMM.....no not exactly. I think people's work and action speak for themselves. Perfect example if I can dig up the documents. Roger has been cleaning brick for right at 3 years now. At far less than 2 years in business, we had the opportunity to write a standard of cleaning new construction brick that the PWNA BoD approved as their method. Where was the time in business then? Somehow, the fact that he had cleaned hundreds of thousands of square footage of brick and at the time, no one at PWNA had either the time, interest or same experience and were perfectly willing to accept a newbies document. I need to find that. I believe you were on the BoD at that time so you should either remember the submission or we got lied to. Point is, if we can provide a document that was endorsed by the "AHJ" on how to do something at less than 2 years in business, by what standards are things being done by, period? Jon Fife was correct......if someone can teach someone to do something properly and effectively, who's to say they can't teach?

Besides, I'm sure there's more than one Doogie Howser of pressure washing out there. None of it is rocket science.

Celeste

[Barry M 73]

Barry,

That is a great question. This is where the industry is unsettled, Who's Qualified? Instead of people trying to drag me down because I have not been on the board for a year or so lets do this.

Time for everyone to go to work here, Instead of the drama lets ALL awnser Barry's Question and get something done here, its apperant that people are interested in this issue.

Who is Qualified to educate the Pressure Washing Profession?

1. Vendors of their products

2. Proven Marketing experts by there peers or industry.

3. Successful pressure washing companies of more than 10yrs by their peers or industry.

Now keep this list going and ad to it

Okay I agree that vendors would be qualified to educate us about their products. Proven marketing experts by their peers, well you could get into what is considered "proven" but lets not. I think most people here would consider a Ken F a proven marketing expert for example (sorry to keep dragging you into this Ken). :) Successful pressure washing companies of more than 10 yrs. This one I would personally drop the 10 year or any amount of years thing. To me an x amount of time in business is a poor choice to qualify somebody. The only thing I measure success with in business is PROFITS. So a successful PWing company to me would be a company that's bottom line has been x amount for three or more years in a row. But again it doesn't mean they are also good teachers or even want to share their knowledge.

This whole thing just seems weird to me. To point a finger at one person or several people fitting all the specific requirements is just silly. It's like you want us all to wander around looking for a leader we can all worship. :lgbow: I personally don't like rules and guidlines, I am more of a freelancer and I like the freedom of choosing who I think is a successful person. I pick their brain and move on, some I become friends with. If I surround myself with successful people there is a good chance I will succeed and that is really all I care about.

Tony, I know you are hoping to hear from a person "qualified" in marketing roof cleaning at the RT, because it's a venture you want to endure and that's great. We tried to get another board member from FL up hear to do it but because of some other issues, he has disappeared (which I'm still upset about). He is considered by a lot of people a qualified roof cleaning person and would of been a big plus to have at the RT. I hope whomever we find fits your qualifications and you learn something.

[Celeste 341]

Okay I agree that vendors would be qualified to educate us about their products. Proven marketing experts by their peers, well you could get into what is considered "proven" but lets not. I think most people here would consider a Ken F a proven marketing expert for example (sorry to keep dragging you into this Ken). :) Successful pressure washing companies of more than 10 yrs. This one I would personally drop the 10 year or any amount of years thing. To me an x amount of time in business is a poor choice to qualify somebody. The only thing I measure success with in business is PROFITS. So a successful PWing company to me would be a company that's bottom line has been x amount for three or more years in a row. But again it doesn't mean they are also good teachers or even want to share their knowledge.

This whole thing just seems weird to me. To point a finger at one person or several people fitting all the specific requirements is just silly. It's like you want us all to wander around looking for a leader we can all worship. :lgbow: I personally don't like rules and guidlines, I am more of a freelancer and I like the freedom of choosing who I think is a successful person. I pick their brain and move on, some I become friends with. If I surround myself with successful people there is a good chance I will succeed and that is really all I care about.

Thus separating lots of us from the lemmings :) Excellent post Barry! You sure are more tactful than me.

Celeste

[John T 744]

This is a good post but don't make it into my org is better then your org. The GRE this and the PWNA that yada yada yada. Its all old news. I don't think Tony is here to bring up that forever broken record.

I think I just told someone here that what makes one qualified can be debated forever. I mean forever. Its like Certifications. Many think there a waste of time and they can debate that forever. I'm looking at this commercial contract and they want to know all about your business such as how many years have you been in business, What type of Insurances do you have, What experience and training does your company have with this type work etc. So with that even though some doesnt think it means squat to say you have an XXXXXXXXXXXX certification that can be verified do you think then that a certification may matter?? Skip the "Well I can make up a certification certificate myself on the net" because thats not the answer that the serious ones in this business or at least me want to hear.

Tony would like to see someone with at least 10 yrs experience on there resume to teach. OK can't argue with that because that would be nice. Me I would like to see that the person teaching has at least 5 yrs in this industry(Mainly because most businesses fail in the first 5 yrs) and they are or were fulltime in this industry. I dont want a cop like myself who is pretty successful in this industry to be teaching any fulltimers anything because to me thats disrespectfull to them because this is there livelyhood. I would only teach for free if they wanted it..thats it. Like at a roundtable which I held in the past.PS-I hate public speaking.

Celeste wants someone that has large accounts or tons of square footage that they clean to be a teacher. OK I can't argue that. If someone is cleaning multiple stadiums for example and only have a few years under there belt..yea I would love to go that class.

I guess it depends on your company and what there needs are. If your a company that employes about 40 people do you want them to be trained at a cost by a start-up company..maybe not. If your a one man operation that started yesterday you may want anyone who is willing and able to teach you anything no matter what there experience is then thats fine.

It all depends on what you want but hopefully whatever it is in the end your satisfied:)

One quick note..everyone I mean everyone I ever talked to love Roundtables...I think all here can agree to that...right???? Right.

[Celeste 341]

Which was what started this whole topic anyway.....someone was not nice about a contractor who was participating in a ROUND TABLE, compained about him not being qualified to teach. I believe my early post was that most Round Tables aren't for lectures/certification courses unless it was a mfg rep or something. MY round table and others that I have attended are for contractors to network, share experience, brainstorm as a group.

As to a certification, well here's a good example: Matthew, (sorry for using your name in vain) is a PWNA wood certified person. Does he use that certification....doubt it. He also uses the Wolman certification....do his customers recognize it - you bet. And these big companies, ie commercial builders - John, really, how many are asking for your PWNA brick cleaning certification....hope none do, since the PWNA wants to lump brick cleaning in with regular washing - which is isn't. Trex, Walmart, the Post Office & Kohls.....everybody got those invitations to bid for jobs and NONE of them asked for your org's certificates. And let's not forget who was asking what cleaner to use on a big job not too long ago....didn't you take the building course?

Frankly John, if I washed stadiums, then you better believe that someone who washes lots of stadiums regularly would be the contractor I chose to learn from. And account size has NOTHING to do with it. Don't put words in my mouth or written posts please. Personally I was thinking more along the lines of flatwork, wood or new construction brick or roof cleaning (not dissing you housewasher guys at all) Areas that you can count and that aren't all the same for pete's sake.

I'm starting to feel sorry for the people that have been in business for sooo long and appear threatened again by the new breed of power washers - we have NEVER had our longevity in business questioned by any commercial job we've bid or by any homeowner. Our work speaks for itself. Our business practices (outside of my bookkeeping) are above reproach. If we can give back to an industry in a positive way, we're going to do it without expecting anything in return. Of all people, you as a cop should understand doing what is right just because it's right, not because you're gonna make a buck.

Since we want to oversimplify things, maybe we need to start with some definitions like network, SHARE, lead a group discussion - all activities that will serve this industry well.

Celeste

[John T 744]

Celeste,

I dont have whatever that thing your talking about "brick Certification" never even heard of it. No I did not take a building cleaning course..Don't know where you got that from. What Matt does..Matt does. As for what your thinking when you say sq. footage I have no idea what your thinking.

Give back to the industry no one is telling you not to. I've been doing it for years. I don't know what your so angry about that causes it to spill into this post. No check that I know what your mad about but it should not spill over to this post.

This is not an us vs them post. This is a TGS post thats it. If one guy feels that he wants someone with at least 10 yrs teaching why are you so mad at that. Tony has at least 15 yrs in this business so if this is what he wants..so what.

You see Celeste this is the problem. Your mad about some past history and its spilling right into this post. Can we talk about this post or any post for that matter without the other stuff always being and underlining thing??

I can do it and will continuously do so..can you??

[John T 744]

Celeste,

Before you answer this read my private message to you please

[Jeff 232]

Man we got some posting going on, I'm staying out of this one

BUT,

I am offerin some new classes -

Wood class - How to blast a finish off with 3400 psi in less than an hour. Free upselling course ...Free no slip surface after cleaning

Book Keeping class - How to keep all records in a book.How to strategically place that book on top off all the s--t on your desk and find it within 24 minutes

Computer Class - The type writer of the 21st century. How to type with 4 fingers within a month or less

Internet Class - canceled due to lack of interest, no one uses the internet anymore

Roof Cleaning class - How to remove those ulgy black stains and all those annoying granulars that clog up your gutters. Class one will be on removing all granules so you never have to clean them from you gutters again

More classes to be announced at my next roundtable - Forget the roundtable, all I have are rectangular tables

For above classes send check or money order to me. All classes are $199.99 As seen on TV. All classes will be taught over the phone, but dont call me I'll call you

Qualified instructor is me!!!!!! Because I am the KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave O 15]

Jeff I better get a free shirt with that class

[Jeff 232]

Jeff I better get a free shirt with that class

Of course you get a free shirt. You just have to pay Shipping & Handling ........$17.99 in South Carolina and $36.99 out of state. You get a pen too. Sign up NOW

[Beth n Rod 1,279]

I understand what Tony is getting at. How do you determine who is experienced? There has to be some criteria established. The question is, what is a fair method of determining that?

We don't have 10 years, but several years ago we were considered as wood care instructors. Didn't get it, but that's okay too.

Boy did this grow last night.

Beth