TOLEDO, Ohio, Oct. 11, 2011 — 1-800-SWEEPER, a new service network of independently owned power sweeping companies across the United States, has been launched. The organization brings sweeping companies from coast to coast under a unified marketing and service structure. Offering parking lot sweeping, street sweeping and a variety of construction-related sweeping services under a common brand, 1-800-SWEEPER benefits nationwide and regional facility management customers with the ability to contract with self-performing local service providers through a single point of purchase. Customers at all levels benefit from the strength, experience and leverage gained through this combined initiative. 

Coordinator Mike Lucht says: “We’re combining resources to provide innovative sweeping solutions, meeting diverse environmental responsibilities and challenges that are inconsistent across the country due to varying effects of climate and regulations at the local level.” Lucht is president of member company Progressive Sweeping in Toledo, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan and is the spokesman for 1-800-SWEEPER.

1-800-SWEEPER provides power sweeping services in the private and public sector to commercial properties, businesses, contractors, municipalities and state governments throughout the United States. From one-time, on-call hourly power sweeping or establishing ongoing routine service to a municipality to sweeping multiple commercial locations on a contract basis, 1-800-SWEEPER offers reliable, value-oriented sweeping services.

Addressing Changes in the Market
In recent years, large national big box retail stores such as Target, Lowe’s, Rite Aid and Best Buy have centralized purchasing, reducing their number of vendors in the interest of reducing their costs for exterior maintenance services. This practice has introduced several “generalist” facility management companies such as US Maintenance (USM acting as a middle man between the buyers and the performers of service). “As a result, many local, qualified sweeping service providers can’t pursue business on a national or regional scale. Sweeping companies find themselves disconnected from their end customer, working for a third party facility maintenance broker,” says Lucht.

1-800-SWEEPER offers facilities managers an alternative to third party maintenance brokers without giving up the economies of scale inherent to a single vendor. “Through our organization, we provide single point billing, single point of contract administration, along with responsibility and built-in quality control for keeping parking lots clean using a dedicated, professional, drug-free workforce,” Lucht noted.

Property managers, municipalities, homeowners’ associations and construction managers recognize power sweeping as a best management practice, or BMP, that shows immediate returns with residents and customers alike. Sweeping directly affects asset management, risk management, environmental management and the upkeep of your property.

Creating Competitive Advantage
Membership started with 21 companies and is poised to grow to 75 companies and beyond with one sweeping service contractor member per market area. The individual members of 1-800-SWEEPER all share in the combined cooperative marketing of the organization through a unified phone number – 1-800-793-3737 (SWEEPER, of course!) – that appears on all members’ vehicles, “rolling billboards” Lucht calls them. The national website, , lets a prospective customer select a local sweeping service company or contact the main office to arrange for regional or national sweeping services. In addition, members of 1-800-SWEEPER share valuable benefits beyond marketing. The organization combines purchasing power with strategic vendor partners to create competitive advantage pricing for members in each of their respective local markets, also creating growth opportunities for vendors. Discounted pricing for parts, supplies, equipment, and even fuel are perks of leveraging the power of the buying group co-op model. “Bringing buyers and sellers together to achieve mutual benefit is our mission,” says Lucht. “Leveraging our combined buying power ultimately keeps the prices down for our customers and allows 1-800-SWEEPER to be a truly sustainable solution.”

Supporters of the National Educational Organization
All contractor companies involved in 1-800-SWEEPER are current members of the North American Power Sweeping Association (NAPSA). NAPSA is a national nonprofit trade association committed to promoting and educating the power sweeping community while enhancing the environment. Several 1-800-SWEEPER partner company executives are current or former NAPSA board members.

Mark Carter of Bill’s Sweeping Service in Orange County, California and a former NAPSA board president says: “NAPSA membership tells your clients that your business is knowledgeable, experienced, and professional.”