Power Washers Network of the Carolinas

PWNC Contractors were recently afforded a unique opportunity to receive their Environmental Certifications.

The four participating companies were Instructed by Pete Marentay of Alliance Trade Services.
Alliance has been a PWNC Network Affiliate since 2008.

By completing this course, these four companies are now the only Environmentally Certified Power Washing
Companies recognized by the PWNC in both North and South Carolina.

Congratulations to John Greene of Camelot Pressure Washing, Guy Blackmon of Pressure Kleen, Roger
Gothorp of Carolina ProWash and Len Sutton of Palmetto Home & Deck!

If you are interested in how being a PWNC Network Associate Contractor can help further your education
and further separate you from the competition, contact us at info@pwnc.org!

2010 is shaping up to be an outstanding year for the PWNC and our participating contractors, vendors and affiliates!  We have:

• Great new marketing tools in place for both contractors and vendors
• More local & focused meetings are being scheduled
• A new campaign, Honoring our Fallen Heroes is being launched
• Special educational & certification programs for contractors
• RFP's in North & South Carolina

For more information on how to participate with the PWNC, visit us at www.pwnc.org.

Take your business to the next level and let the PWNC become part of your support team!  We would like to help make sure you're in business FOR yourself - not BY yourself!

During these difficult economic times many Charlotte area residents have witnessed friends and family losing jobs, losing their homes, and suffering through some tough times. Our company, while fortunate in many ways, has also seen its share of customers with a real need to have their homes cleaned of mold and mildew that is threatening their health and safety. Unfortunately, many cannot afford to have services like these as they have been hit hard by the current status of our economy.

"You get what you pay for"  is the thought that comes to mind too often these days.

Our economy seems to be dictating budget cuts everywhere, but definitely in exterior care and maintenance. Choosing the lowest priced contractor to perform work is not necessarily the most financially responsible decision to make for the long run!

When a less than qualified person is selected to do work on the exterior of your home or business, the damage that can result can be immeasurable.  Not only is a poor job costly to repair, but, will it turn away business in the meantime?

The PWNC mingled and networked with over 120 professionals relating to the pressure washing industry this past weekend in Myrtle Beach, SC.  National Cleaning Expo produced yet another power packed event over Friday, Saturday &  Sunday.

The PWNC introduced our new trade show booth and spoke with over 35 professional power washers in the North & South Carolina area, some veteran and some new to our industry.  Look for our newest participants to appear on the PWNC website as well as in this blog and on Facebook!

This was sent to Beverly Perdue, Lt. Governor of NC in late February 2008 - No response has been received as of the date of this posting.

I am writing on behalf of the PWNC (Power Washers Network of the Carolinas) to get your position on the water crisis currently affecting our state of North Carolina.

As a part of an industry whose lifeblood runs with the availability of water, we are a not only a group of professionals but also, taxpayers, homeowners and families. We as a group are concerned about conservation of water, particularly where proper management of this precious resource is concerned.

The pressure washing industry was chosen out of many to be one of the first professions to have our livelihood restricted without anyone clearly understanding exactly how much we give to our cities and towns. Pressure washing should not be regarded as a luxury but a necessity to keep our homes and property clean, safe and healthy environments in which to live and work. While car washes are allowed to continue operating and numerous other businesses who utilize hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day inside, how many of those companies actually provide vital services for the community in which they reside? Does it affect your health to have dirt on your car? Is it a matter of safety to have your hair washed at a salon? I personally, as a concerned citizen have to say NO.

From the side of my profession, does it affect your safety when buildings are tagged and unable to be cleaned? If graffiti is not removed immediately, the potential threat of gang activity increases with each day it is left unattended. Would you take your child to an outdoor café for ice cream if the sidewalks surrounding the tables had spilled food or drinks on the ground? Are you going to enter a store if the concrete at the entrance is littered with chewing gum and stepped on cigarette butts? The pressure washing industry provides our cities, towns and neighborhoods with services that are needed as much as they are desired. If people want to have a clean car, doesn’t it stand to reason that they want the rest of their world clean as well?

One last benefit to pressure washing, and possibly the most important…… Pressure washers alleviate many of the problems associated with contaminated run-off. If impervious surfaces are not cleaned regularly, atmospheric pollutants, heavy metals and a host of other environmentally unfriendly particulates are left to accumulate. When it rains, these contaminates are carried by the run-off to various places including storm drains or other water places. Two things occur afterward – US waters are more polluted than necessary or water has to be treated more aggressively in order to bring it back to an acceptable level. The industry that cleans these surfaces and prevents this “downstream contamination” should be considered one of the most important conservation efforts available……yet, we are the first disposable industry when water becomes in short supply.

I cannot begin to, nor will I even attempt to voice the arguments that other industries have. I do, however, speak for the industry known as Pressure Washing and the contractors who live in and work in the Carolinas. We are doing our part to conserve water, to protect the beauty of North Carolina and also to continue to run our businesses in this State. We are not a huge number in the grand population as an industry, but we are a part of small business in the Carolinas and we are not disposable.

Thank you for your attention,

Celeste Gothorp

PWNC

www.pwnc.org

Graham, NC