Industry is applauding the creation of ISSA Canada, a merger between ISSA and the Canadian Sanitation Supply Association (CSSA), which was formed earlier this month to better serve the Canadian cleaning and janitorial community.

Going forward, the CSSA will now be known as ISSA Canada. All CSSA members will see their dues automatically transferred to the new ISSA Canada membership category, and will have all the access and benefits of current ISSA members. Membership kits are being prepared for ISSA Canada members and will be shipped as soon as completed. For now, here are some highlights of the merger and what industry can expect.

Stronger Resources

Under the ISSA umbrella, members can expect greater access to many more educational programs, services, networking opportunities, market exposure, benefits, business tools and data offered by ISSA, along with privileges and programs CSSA already offers, such as Canpar Freight, Petro Canada Points and national car programs. The merger also enhances the ability for cleaning industry professionals to promote the value of clean on a global level.

During its first month of operation, ISSA Canada Director Mike Nosko, formally known as executive director of the CSSA, says ISSA Canada staff have been in meetings with ISSA staff headquartered in Chicago to begin the process of understanding each other’s programs and operations in order to build a blueprint for Canada.

“We will move at a methodical pace as there is much to learn about the products and services that will be available to us in Canada, and we want to make sure this is done in a correct manner,” says Nosko.

Canadian Identity

After a year-long process to form an integration plan, Nosko says that maintaining a Canadian identity was their most important element in reaching an agreement between the two parties. He says ISSA Canada will heavily invest in its operations and infrastructure “to help ‘Canadianize’ these programs and services.”

“In this the 60th year of being in existence, it was felt that it was very important to continue to serve Canadians as we have in the past,” he says. “The difference is we will now have the resources and tools to offer our members more value than ever before.”

Since Canada has two official languages, ISSA Canada feels it is important to help initiate and deliver education programs and services to the French speaking population, something Nosko says will take time to fully develop, but will be an ongoing priority.

Future of ISSA Canada

Over the next several years, the vision of ISSA Canada will be to increase not only its membership base, but also its market outreach.

“By expanding our footprint in Canada through partnerships with overlapping industries, we hope to share knowledge through education, programs, services and certifications to continue to deliver the message of changing the way the world views cleaning,” Nosko emphasizes.

ISSA Canada Council and Leadership

The CSSA executive board of directors will become the ISSA Canada Council and continue to offer direction and oversight of Canadian programs and benefits.

The Canadian council, headed by Nosko, has been assembled to help with the transition and to make recommendations on growing the ISSA brand in Canada. Council members include Al McCabe, partner at Riches & Associates, Ken Hilder, president of Coldstream Marketing, Brad Fraser, district sales manager at SCA Tissue, Central Canada, and Peter Farrell, president and chief executive officer at Citron Hygiene and ISSA Director Canada.

The former structure of CSSA has been changed, and there will be no executive board or chapter chairs moving forward. ISSA Canada will develop a network of communication with volunteers from each province to help share opportunities, such as webinars, educational symposiums and social networking.

Provinces wishing to hold ISSA Canada meetings and social events, such golf tournaments, are encouraged to continue doing so. Chapter members can reach out to the ISSA Canada office for assistance. The ISSA Canada office will also develop a network of trainers and instructors to help with the demand for programs and certifications.

ISSA

To date, ISSA has merged with the National Cleaning Suppliers Association of Australia and the Association of Residential Cleaners International, and will be announcing other mergers and acquisitions in the near future.

“ISSA’s continued vision is to change the way the world views cleaning,” noted ISSA Executive Director John Barrett in a previous press release. “The creation of ISSA Canada allows ISSA to increase its membership and expand the association’s geographical footprint in North America, while spreading our message that cleaning is an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line.”

In the same press release, ISSA underlined more key benefits ISSA Canada members can look forward to, such as access to member registration and networking during ISSA/INTERCLEAN shows in North America, Amsterdam, Mexico and Turkey. During the North American show, ISSA Canada will continue to host the popular Canada Night.

Other tools include, access to all ISSA member complimentary webinars and discounts at events, access to promotional items such as the member logo and Power of Clean video, discounts on all educational programs in the ISSA Professional Development Center and access to ISSA Clean Standards for measuring the effectiveness of cleaning.

An array of industry publications will also be available, such as the bimonthly online magazine ISSA Today, monthly ISSA Times e-newsletter and customer-focused information from ISSA’s Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine and website.

For further information contact the ISSA Canada office at (905) 665-8001.