Safety is a cornerstone of the culture at Stathakis. “The rewards to adhering to rigorous safety standards pay off in healthy, happy employees, low health and insurance costs, low to no downtime on the job and now — recognition from the BSCAI,” said Chris Stathakis, “we are proud to have earn such a meaningful award and we promise we will not rest on our laurels.”

Every division of Stathakis — janitorial, painting, renovation and maintenance —  is dedicated to practicing industry-best safety procedures and adherence to federal regulations. Employees attend monthly safety training programs which cover a broad range of topics.  “We believe you don’t learn safety by accident,” said Chris Stathakis, “That’s why our training program includes MSDA, blood borne pathogens, job safety analysis, the Haz Com Program and other relevant subjects. Our commitment to safety is comprehensive, entailing education, training and teamwork.”

“TWB pulled the trigger fast – we got the go-ahead in early July and had to have the majority of the job done by August,” explained George Stathakis,  “To meet the deadline, our crew worked from 6 to 6 for the first 28 days in a row. In total, the job took six weeks to complete.”

The project included painting ceilings, walls beams, columns, cranes and color coding all pipes. We worked closely with Sherwin Williams to choose a product that would have longevity with also being friendly to the environment.  Since odors and coverage were a concern as well, we ultimately selected a water-based product.  This product allowed TWB employees towork in close proximity to our painters without breathing the normal Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by more traditional petroleum based paints.

Stathakis worked closely with TWB plant manager Gene Jolly to coordinate a rolling schedule that kept both the project and the factory running on track. Their strategy wasto work an area and then move on, often working around robots and top lines. The job required an excess of 4,000 gallons of paint, four manlifts and about $30,000 in visqueen to protect the robots and workspaces.

Jeff Keaton, TWB Purchasing Agent, explained why they choose Stathakis for the project. “Price was important, and Stathakis was competitively priced. Also, we knew them because they have done our janitorial work for four years. We knew the quality of work they do and the work ethic instilled in their people. They did an excellent job.”

“By painting the plant, there is an increase in morale. Now our employees walk into a brighter plant, it’s a difference between night and day.”

According to the ISSA (International Sanitary Supply Association) approximately 70% of floor soil is tracked in from outdoors by foot traffic. Once dirt makes its way inside, the Cleaning Management Institute estimates it costs $900.00 for each pound of dirt you remove. Add to that the issues encountered with winter weather. Snow, ice and ice melters can do heavy damage to both hard floors and carpets.

The Cleaning Management Institute recommends that you supply sufficient matting to allow a minimum of 6 steps prior to walking on building floors, regardless of floor type. A 12 to 15 foot length of matting will ensure that the majority of soil is removed from the soles of shoes.

Ideally, a combination of scraper and wiper mats will produce the best results for keeping heavy soil off of your floors. Scraper mats are textured and are used for scraping off heavy soil. Wiper mats are designed to wipe moisture and fine dust off the bottom of shoes.

The GS-42 standard from Green Seal requires 6 to 10 feet of scraper/wiper matting followed by 6 to 10 feet of wiper matting.  The total of 12 to 20 feet of matting allows a minimum of 4 steps and a maximum of 6 to 7 steps.  If the scraper/wiper matting is located in a 6 foot vestibule, there will be at least one additional step when opening the door before stepping inside to the wiper matting.CIMS-GB requires a total of 10 feet of matting at primary entrances, emergency exits are not included.

Walk-off matting is the first line of defense for maintaining a healthy, safe and clean building environment. But remember, keep your walk-off mats clean!  If a mat is loaded with dirt it will cause more soil to be tracked onto floors – the opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish!

The new Stathakis.com includes a wide breadth of industry information, including  how to get the most from your cleaning company, fair hiring practices, cleaning to reduce risks of the H1N1 virus and how to keep your exterior paint looking fresh longer.

An extensive video library includes testimonials from real customers, simple explanations of how C3 (Complete Customer Care) programs put our customers first, plus our founder George Stathakis looks back on how far we’ve come as a company.

In addition, Stathakis.com is the home of Squeaky, our new mascot. Squeaky has a knack for explaining how our processes benefit you, our customer.

“If you haven’t visited the new Stathakis.com yet, please consider this a personal invitation to do so,” said Chris Stathakis. “We developed it with the needs of the building services industry in mind.”

“I would like to thank everyone on the website development team for their hard work – John Pohl, James Baldiga, Anne Moore, Birgit Keil and Amy Wolfe. We couldn’t be prouder of the new Stathakis.com and are pleased to win such a prestigious award!”

Stathakis ISSA CIMS-GB Recognition

Stathakis was publically recognized on October 18th at the ISSA* Interclean Tradeshow for obtaining CIMS-GB Certification** with Honors.  The GB*** part of the certification demonstrates an organization’s capability to assist customers in achieving LEED-EBOMpoints and offers customers assurance that Stathakis is prepared to partner with them in the LEED process.

To become CIMS-GB-certified, an organization must submit written documentation supporting its compliance with the requirements described in the sections of the Standard. An independent, accredited assessor then conducts an on-site review of the applicant’s systems, processes, and documentation to ensure compliance. To achieve certification, an organization must meet 100 percent of the mandatory elements and 60 percent of the recommended elements, per section.

If you would like help with your Green Cleaning Program or would like to know how a CIMS Certified Building Professional can benefit you please contact us.

*International Sanitary Supply Association
**Cleaning Industry Management Standard & Certification
***Green Building

Chris Stathakis will be speaking at the upcoming BSCAI Convention on “Six Ways to Enhance your Peer Group Experience.”   The Building Service Contractors Association International is dedicated to defining the standard of professionalism for facility service providers.  This provides one more example how Stathakis is dedicated to being a leader by enhancing the overall image of the Building Service Contracting Industry.

To find out more information about Chris’ presentation please listen to Dick Ollek’s interview with Chris Stathakis. The interview is part of Tripodcast Episode 170 and can be listen to at:   http://tripodcast.com/2011/09/19/20110919.aspx?ref=rss

“The project took about 2 1/2 months,” Stathakis Master Electrician Richard Bouleware explained, “And that was with about twenty of our guys working 10 to 12 hours a day, 6 to 7 days a week.” As a part of their energy conservation efforts, AT & T hired Stathakis to replace 37,582 light ballasts and 75,000 lamps. But the job wasn’t done when the new lights went in. Each old ballast had to be sent to hazardous waste disposal and the old bulbs needed to accounted for and packaged to spec for recycling. But the effort was worth it. Bouleware said, “Switching your bulbs saves so much energy, it can pay for itself in three years. Plus, energy companies and governments are offering incentives forcompanies who make the change.”

Federal and state officials, with the support of the Obama administration, are starting to aggressively pursue companies that partake in illegal subcontracting to dodge taxes, insurance and Social Security and gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

WHAT IS ILLEGAL SUBCONTRACTING

Subcontractors are used in our industry to reduce the costs of wages, benefits and payroll taxes — a practice that is not in any way illegal. But some contractors take this practice too far — cutting corners in their compliance with applicable labor laws, and resulting in significant payroll fraud. Here are some of the types of ‘illegal subcontracting’ that hurts our industry.

Misclassifying Employees occurs when contractors intentionally classify their employees as independent contractors as a cost-saving measure, even though by law they meet the definition of employees. Employers who misclassify avoid paying Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance taxes, income taxes and other payroll taxes for those workers.

One recent federal study concluded that employers illegally passed off 3.4 million regular workers as contractors, while the Labor Department estimates that up to 30 percent of companies misclassify employees.

Federal and state officials, many facing record budget deficits, are starting to aggressively pursue companies that try to pass off regular employees as independent contractors. President Obama’s 2010 budget assumes that the federal crackdown will yield at least $7 billion over 10 years. More than two dozen states also have stepped up enforcement, often by enacting stricter penalties for misclassifying workers.

Real Consequences:

The Times reported a case in California where 300 janitors at two companies were misclassified, resulting in a $13 million judgment against the BSCs.

California’s attorney general, is seeking $4.3 million from a construction firm he accused of misclassifying employees. Last April, he won a $13 million judgment when a court ruled that two companies had misclassified 300 janitors, cheated the state out of payroll taxes and not paid minimum wage and overtime.

Last November, the Illinois Department of Labor imposed $328,500 in penalties on a home improvement company for misclassifying 18 workers, saying it had pressed them to incorporate as separate business entities.

Layering uses multiple levels of contractors and subcontractors to cover up for the lack of proper documentation and credentials by subcontractors. In this increasingly common scenario, the principal contractor is hired to perform maintenance work after providing all the necessary certifications and insurance forms for its business. The contractor then subcontracts the work to companies lacking the proper documentation and credentials, who perform the work for less than the original contract.

Real Consequences:

Wal-Mart was given a $11 million civil fine, combined with a $4 million criminal penalty against 12 janitorial contractors for employing undocumented workers

A $2 million criminal fine was awarded against an Iowa company for employing undocumented workers.

Operation Tarmac — a nationwide ICE investigation targeting companies that employ undocumented workers at airports.

Ghosting refers to the practice by some contractors of hiring an employee who possesses all the proper documentation and credentials, but who sends someone else in their place to do the work — someone who is licensed and is not paid correctly under state and federal laws.

Real Consequences:

A $22 million payment is to be paid by several supermarket chains to settle claims of overtime and minimum wage law violations.

WHO IT HURTS

Illegal subcontracting in any form harms a great many people and companies, including the honest taxpayers who must foot the bill for lost payroll tax revenues, ethical building service companies and their employees who are unable to compete effectively against cheating companies.

The consequences of even being associated with a company that practices illegal subcontracting can be severe — not only does the illegal subcontractor face criminal and civil fines, but the businesses who hire them are just as likely to face investigation and penalties.

SOURCES:

“The Dangers of Illegal Subcontracting: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You” Prepared by Building Service Contractors Association International, March 2005 (Email Info@Stathakis.com for a copy of the original article)

“IRS independent worker crackdown could cost BSCs”, AlturaSolutions Communication Monday, February 22, 2010 (Email Info@Stathakis.com for a copy of the original article)

U.S. Cracks Down on ‘Contractors’ as a Tax Dodge

By Steven Greenhouse, February 18, 2010 (Email Info@Stathakis.com for a copy of the original article)

Every Thursday at Stathakis headquarters, all employees are invited to participate in Open-Book Management meetings, where details of the state of the business are shared. The knowledge they gain from attending the meetings helps them understand how they can help the company attain success — leading to financial rewards for everyone via bonuses. Chris Stathakis said, “It’s a win/win/win for our clients, our employees and our company.”

“Open-Book Management was pioneered by John Case, who clearly and carefully explains the principles in his book, Open-Book Management. His website explains,

“In its simplest form, Open-Book Management is a way of running a company that gets everyone focused on building a better business – helping the business be more successful. It teaches all employees the goals of the company and how they can make a difference — both individually and as part of a team. Open-Book Management works because employees get a chance to act to take responsibility rather that just ‘doing their job.’ Each employee knows enough about the company to understand how their actions will affect their stake in the outcome.”

Don Simon, Sales Executive, is impressed with the impact it has on the company culture. He said, “A lot of companies try to get employees to care. In fact, I’ve worked at other companies that attempted to create programs similar to this. But they didn’t have the mental capacity to make it easy and fair.”

Learn more about Open-Book Management at openbookmanagement.org/