Society of Cleaning and Restoration Technicians (SCRT)
Submitted by Debbie Glenn

Happy New Year from the Society of Cleaning and Restoration Technicians (SCRT).

It has been an exciting year for the SCRT with the administration change and moving the office hundreds of miles away from southern Georgia to the great state of Texas. The other exciting news is the formation of the new International Trade Association named the Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Association (ICRA). The SCRT is involved and excited about the idea of bringing cohesiveness to our industry. The official kick-off for ICRA was January 1st 2012.

The associations that are involved are the SCRT, MCRA, CRA, MSPCA, NEIRC, PACR and NYRCI. It will be exciting to the membership in regards to benefits that will available to each member.

The Professional Association of Cleaning & Restoration (PACR)
Submitted by Jillian Olson

Join Professional Association of Cleaning & Restoration (PACR) on February 16 for the first PACR Power Meeting of 2012 with "Hands-On Water Damage" at A Cleaner Carpet & Flood Masters of Colorado in Denver.

This PACR Power Meeting will be from 2-4:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, with refreshments and networking time to follow and… PACR members are only $15. Non-members are $30.

This year, PACR is also bringing a Meth Lab Clean-up Class, an AMRT class and more to the Denver area. If you are in the Denver, Salt Lake City or Omaha area and are looking for a class to come to you, please contact the PACR office. Look for more details on these and other upcoming events at www.ProfessionalAssociationOfCleaningAndRestoration.org or by contacting Jillian in the PACR office at JOlson@MeetingsAndEvents.com.

Carpet & FabriCare Institute(CFI)
Submitted by Norma McCormick

Since 1954, the Carpet & FabriCare Institute (CFI) has grown to include Arizona, California and Nevada. We are one of the largest regional non-profit inspection, cleaning, remediation and restoration associations in the country.

Call (800) Carpet9 today, e-mail us at Admin@Carpet9.org and visit our website at www.Carpet9.org to learn more.

Upcoming events

January 31: Our Inland Empire CFI meeting will be held at Paul's Carpet Care, 24371 Citrushill Road Wildomar, CA 92595. During the meeting, Brian Pruitt from Basic Coatings will demonstrate wood cleaning, using the Dirt Dragon. Plus, Terry Jones, our Inland Empire director, will be giving a demo on carpet repairs. The meeting begins at 5 p.m.

February 18: Give back to your local community by helping us with the Loma Linda, CA, Ronald McDonald house cleaning at 9 a.m. Please call (800) Carpet9 if you are able to help.

February 21: Arizona director Norma McCormick encourages everyone to attend our meeting at 5 p.m. to learn more about Oriental rug cleaning. For further information, please contact Norma at (480) 821-1481 or by e-mail: Norma@CleanNFreshCleaning.com.

March 10: Hands-on upholstery cleaning at Clean Center, 8550 North 91st Avenue D 37, Peoria, AZ. Bring us your dirtiest, most challenging piece of upholstery, and we will clean it on site.

Visit www.Carpet9.org for the latest updates on classes and chapter meetings.

Cleaning and Restoration Association (CRA)
Submitted by Jennifer Germond

Join us — members and non-members alike — for the Cleaning and Restoration Association (CRA) Southern California Regional Meeting. Cory Chalmers, featured expert on A&E's hit series Hoarders, will present "Hoarding and Biohazards."

Topics of discussion will include suicides, decomposition, miscellaneous trauma, the psychology behind hoarding, types of hoarders, working with hoarders and hidden dangers within hoarded homes. Please visit the CRA website at www.CRAssociation.org for course details and registration.

Also in the month of February, CRA will be conducting the following courses:

  • Asbestos Building Inspector course in Sacramento, instructed by Mark Ayers
  • AMRT course in our new Phoenix training location
  • Trauma Scene Cleanup course in Santa Fe Springs, CA, instructed by Kent Berg (immediately followed by a Methamphe tamine Residue Cleanup course on May 1-2.)
For training inquiries, visit www.CRAssociation.org/Training-And-Events.

For information on CRA membership, call (916) 736-1100 ext. 302, e-mail JGermond@CRAssociation.org, or visit www.CRAssociation.org.

Low Moisture Carpet Cleaners Association (LMCCA)
Submitted by Rick Davies

Lonnie McDonald, the Low Moisture Carpet Cleaners Association (LMCCA) co-founder has been elected to The Clean Trust (formerly The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification) 2011-2012 board of directors. The LMCCA is also a shareholder of The Clean Trust.

The LMCCA will be at the 2012 Connections Conference and Exhibition, returning to the Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort on May 3-5.

New York Rug Cleaners Institute (NYRCI)
Submitted by Barry Golomb

The New York Rug Cleaners Institute's (NYRCI) March meeting on "Customer Service" with Ed Abel is our first meeting of the year. Our May meeting features "Upselling to Increase Profits" with Dennis Klager. September is "Social Media" with Dave Tesser. October is "Upholstery Cleaning Techniques" with Doug Heiferman.

All dates and times for these meetings can be found on www.NYRCI.org along with our member listings, or e-mail us at Info@NYRCI.org. For membership applications or questions, contact Barry Golomb at (914) 632-4414 or Bill Long at (631) 698-9751.

The Carpet and Rug Cleaning Institute of Illinois (CRCII)
Submitted by Don Quick

The Carpet and Rug Cleaning Institute of Illinois (CRCII) has announced its meeting schedule for 2012. This year, we will have monthly meetings, with meetings on January 25, March 22, May 23, July 25, September 26 and November 28 being webinars.

The subject for the January 25 meeting will be on stone floor care maintenance.

Meetings are also scheduled for (locations and speakers to be determined):

  • February 22: Spotting demonstration/spotting contest
  • April 25: Dave Vebeten, Action Coach
  • June 27: Tour of in-plant carpet cleaning operation
  • August 22: Water damage restoration
  • October 24: Carpet repair demonstration
  • December 19: Holiday party
For more information, or to register for any of these meetings, please contact Tammy at the CRCII office at (847) 579-1884. Visit us at www.CRCII.org.

Association of Rug Care Specialists (ARCS)
Submitted by Bill Brown

The Association of Rug Care Specialists (ARCS) will hold its second annual tour of a state-of-the-art rug washing facility April 26-28 in Denver.

The evening of Thursday, April 26, will be devoted to touring MasterBlend, a leading supplier of cleaning products and equipment to the rug care industry. On Friday, April 27, the event will move to Robert Mann Oriental Rugs, which specializes in cleaning and restoring Oriental and Southwestern rugs and textiles. The day will include hands-on learning opportunities, with instruction provided by rug care experts who earn their livings cleaning rugs.

Saturday, April 28, will feature an array of speakers. In addition, the ACRS annual board meeting will be held, including electing officers. Further information can be found at www.RugCareSpecialists.org.

Mid-South Professional Cleaners Association (MSPCA)
Submitted by Meredith Silliman

Big things are happening in the Mid-South Professional Cleaners Association (MSPCA) world...

First, our new website is up and running. Visit My-MSPCA.com today to check it out.

Second, our next regional meeting is being held at Sun-Belt USA's facility in Raleigh, NC, March 2-3. E-mail MeredithFRS@Yahoo.com or call (828) 877-2589 to get more information or register to attend.

Carpet CleanersInstitute of the Northwest (CCINW)
Submitted by Jane O'Haleck

We have a full year of meetings and conventions on the docket in 2012, so stay tuned to the "CCINW Channel" for schedules and other news with the Carpet Cleaners Institute of the Northwest. Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

February was our meeting with Gary Benton, where we honed our customer service skills and found our emotional IQs.

March will feature Ann Bedwell of Chemspec on the chemistry of carpet cleaning. April's meeting will feature Tony Macaluso of Bridgepoint.

May is CCINW night at either the Rangers versus Mariners or the Angels versus Mariners game. Vote at www.CCINW.org.

2011 was a year of gaining ground and strengthening foundations. As you know, the IICRC has embraced a more descriptive marketing name, choosing "The Clean Trust" as one that will mean something to consumers. Shareholders (like the CCINW) are working on the ground level moving the organization forward.

Professional Cleaning and Restoration Alliance (PCRA)
Submitted by Patrick Paluga

The Professional Cleaning and Restoration Alliance (PCRA) continues to grow and move forward as we move into 2012.

Cleaning colleges are planned in San Antonio and Austin, to be held at Cleaning Supply Network's new facilities and at Cobb Carpet Supply in Dallas. These will be one day events that will include; Basic Carpet Care, Expanding Your Flood Work, Problems of Mold Remediation and Crime Scene Cleaning — Is It For Me?

This program is offered to PCRA members free of charge and $30 for each non-member.

The PCRA continues to develop programs and benefits that will include our members in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. New programs require that we update member's information, which will be done within two weeks.

Questions and comments can be directed to the association office at the following address and number:

Professional Cleaning and Restoration Alliance P.O. Box 2476 Red Oak, Texas 75154 (972) 217-1773