News & Events

The cleaning and restoration industry is a constantly changing industry and facing it alone can be daunting. So why not join a trade association? Age old excuses include time, money, competition, and fear of the ‘’Old Boys Club”. But any good business owner knows that they want to see a return on the investment of their time and money, and there is no better investment, professionally and personally, than joining a trade association

SCRIA, as a trade association, offers many opportunities for business owners and those employed in the cleaning and restoration industry. They represent you in your industry and on government legislation. They can provide invaluable advice when setting up a new business, dealing with common problems on the job, meeting fellow industry professionals, and both personal and professional development.

Bring part of a trade association will give you:

1. Access to a network of likeminded businesses ready to help out fellow members

2. The ability to help shape the industry and drive it forward

3. Being at the cutting edge of industry news and one step ahead of your competitor

Instead of following the industry, you are part of the forefront of industry that can shape future changes. SCRIA will keep its members up to date on the changing landscape of cleaning and restoration and provide information on the latest trends and research.

Networking is often considered one of the largest advantages of being part of a trade association. Not only will you have the opportunity to make life-long friends but you will grow your business reputation, and will push your business boundaries by opening up possibilities for referrals and additional resources. SCRIA’s active community on Facebook provides its members with an excellent online platform for networking, but also a bank of knowledge where members share tips of the trade and advice on how to combat on-the-job problems.

Also don’t forget, that being a member of SCRIA provides your business, with an invaluable marketing tool. SCRIA provides a free online referral system: your company information is uploaded onto the SCRIA website, including your logo and a direct web link to your website. SCRIA frequently receives website traffic and phone calls from customers looking for a cleaner and restorer and can direct them to your company. If you are on a limited budget this is a fantastic way to boost your business marketing.

As a SCRIA member, you instantly reinforce your credibility to prospective customers. Carrying a recognisable industry brand reassures customers of your qualifications and quality of your work.

Being a part of a trade association will help you grow personally and professionally but remember, to reap the benefits you must also make an investment of time and effort in association activities and become involved!

Not yet a member or want to refer a friend? Don’t forget our easy pay monthly option. At just $44.00 per month, why not join the thriving industry association to help build your business and knowledge? Contact the office on 0294318678 or [email protected] to set up your membership.

SCRIA was invited to present at Australasian Charters Loss Adjusters (AICLA) Seminar in Melbourne, 19 February 2014. As part of SCRIA’s ongoing efforts to promote SCRIA in the industry, we were delighted to accept. The event was aimed at Loss Adjusters and included a range of speakers on different insurance matters. SCRIA chose not to invite a restorer to present to avoid providing only one member with a competitive advantage, and instead chose independent speaker, Jenny Boymal, to represent all SCRIA our members. Jenny discussed Key Concepts in Restoration, which included topics on categories of water, classes of water and solutions for specialised drying situations. SCRIA was represented on a professional level and received some fantastic positive feedback. We are looking to promote SCRIA at further industry events in the upcoming future.

Please contact the SCRIA office on [email protected] if you would like to receive a copy of the presentation.

20 March: Victoria Meeting, First Aid Training, Dandenong RSL, 6.00pm

29 May: Jena Dyco Mould & Restoration Conference – SCRIA Welcome Drinks, Phamish Bar and Restaurant, Melbourne, 7pm

30-31 May: Exhibitor at Jena Dyco Mould & Restoration Conference, Novotel St.Kilda, Melbourne

31 May: SCRIA Member Panel Discussion, Q+A with our Secretary Mark Carey

SCRIA is happy to announce that it will be sponsoring the Jena Dyco Mould and Restoration Conference from 30th to 31st May 2014.

We have organised to run a few events around the conference in order to get the most exposure for SCRIA as well as giving benefits to our members.

SCRIA Events:

SCRIA Welcome Drinks – Thursday the 29th of May 2014 – 8pm

Exhibitor – SCRIA will have an exhibit at the event – 30th – 31st of May 2014

SCRIA Member Panel Discussion – Exclusive event for SCRIA Members- 31st of May 2014

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on the Jena Dyco Mould Restoration Conference please visit http://restorationtraining.com.au/conference/.

Thank you to all who attended our Annual General Meeting held at Rosehill Racecourse in October. A couple of key areas were outlined at the AGM and I’ve included a short summary of the key topics below for those that couldn’t make it.

SCRIA Board Election

We extend our sincere thanks an appreciation to our retiring Board members Gary Bourke (President) and Rod See (Vice President) for all their tireless support and work help run SCRIA. As an organisation run by volunteers, the sacrifice of time and effort that contribution has been enormous and their support has been appreciated.

The CEO role that was held by Juleen McTaggart is now vacant again after her reconsideration of the role and being located in Sydney.

I extend a warm welcome to the new board members and appreciate their voluntary contribution to the Association and helping to promote our industry and provide support to our members. You will find in this newsletter a brief introduction of the new members.

RIA / SCRIA

The motion was accepted to hold off until after 6th January 2014 on any movement on the naming issue raised by RIA or until further correspondence has been received.

Other News

In other news SCRIA is now a member of the IICRCA. The IICRCA is the Trade Association arm of the IICRCA and by being a member of this association, we will be able to access the IICRCA member benefits when they have concluded development.

Priority Project List

The Board held a lengthy teleconference and have identified some key areas for development of SCRIA, which we have allocated to project teams for further development. The project teams will be reporting back the Board on a scope document within three weeks with regular progress updates scheduled.

The initial Project Teams consist of board members are as follows:

• Membership Structure – Clare, Jenny, Garry and Scott
• Membership Benefits – Michelle, Kenan
• Business Partner Program – Mark, Matt and Michelle

These are the immediate priority projects identified and we will be reaching out the members in the coming months seeking feedback and their input. If you have any direct feedback or wish to be involved in a project team, please do not hesitate to contact Annie at the SCRIA office on [email protected] or a member of the board.

Scholarship Program

We are opening up the SCRIA Scholarship Program again. The scholarship program is open to all members or their nominated employees and offers two different specialities. The attendee will be offered training to gain IICRC Certification and we follow the outcomes of training and the positive impact that it has on the employee and member organisation. The application process is simple and further details will be emailed to all members from the SCRIA office in the near future.

The Carpet Cleaning Scholarship consists of:

• IICRC Carpet Cleaning Certification
• IICRC Upholstery & Fabric Clean
• Advanced Stain Removal
• IICRC Health & Safety

The Restoration Scholarship consists of:

• Water damage
• IICRC Fire
• IICRC Mould Remediation
• Safety

This is a great opportunity to provide training and recognition to one of your employees (or yourself) and is open to SCRIA members only. It is by continuous training and up skilling we present the carpet cleaning and restoration as a ‘trade’ and improve and raise the profile of our industry.

SCRIA Website and Facebook Pages

We are currently undergoing some improvements and updating our website and changes will be ongoing to improve the look and feel of the SCRIA website.

Did you know that SCRIA has two Facebook pages? One Facebook page is open to the public and provides consumers with information about what is happening in SCRIA and what is happening in local state chapters. This Facebook page is open to everyone.

The SCRIA Members Facebook page is only open to currently financial members and provides members the opportunity to network and make contact with each other and to reach out and seek input on problems or new techniques that they have found work on the job and to share successes. As the members Facebook page is a member benefit, non financial members will be removed shortly, however if you wish to still remain on the page contact Annie and get your membership finances up to date.

The Facebook pages provide a great opportunity to reach and wide audience and when using the Facebook site both Facebook pages are to be used in a professional capacity and is governed by the SCRIA code of conduct. Any posts that are not of a professional nature and are considered to be agreeable in normal business context will be removed.

Newsletter & Meetings

To build consistency across the country, our state meetings will be organised at least every 2 months and the release of the SCRIA newsletter will fall in line with a bi monthly release for 2014.

Monthly Membership Option

As the annual membership renewals sent out earlier this year, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind those that haven’t renewed their membership, that the option of pay by the month is available. This works out to be $44 per month billed monthly.

2014 Annual Mould Conference

SCRIA will again be the Association sponsor of what is our industry’s key restoration conference to be held in Melbourne in May 2014.

There will be two SCRIA events one will be the drinks on arrival for conference attendees (SCRIA members receive complimentary drinks) and the Industry Panel Discussion (members only) on the 2nd morning of the conference.

The industry panel will be made up of industry experts and Scott McFadzen will be the moderator.

Even the best-run businesses go through slow periods. Whether it’s due to a sluggish economic period or just a particular time of year – such as school holidays or the Christmas holiday period – most businesses will go through a lull every now and then.

It’s important you don’t just twiddle your thumbs and wait for things to pick up again. Instead, use the time constructively to do things that you don’t usually have time for. Here’s a list of things to consider doing when business is running a little slow:

• Focus on the bigger picture
• Have a sale
• Improve your relationships with your clients
• In-house client visits
• Analyse your marketing strategy
• Plan for the next 12 months
• Take some time off

Focus on the bigger picture

Running a small business means spending a lot of time doing the hard day-to-day tasks. Subsequently, it can be difficult to find time to sit back and analyse how things are going and where the business is heading. If time is always in short supply, a bit of a lull can provide you with the opportunity to focus on the bigger picture. Take the chance to analyse your recent performance as this can help you refine your business strategy and stay on course. The age old adage of “working on your business rather than in your business” fits well when things are going slow.

Have a sale

Everybody loves a sale – it’s a tried and tested way of improving business. Of course don’t go clearing out all your stock at rock-bottom prices if you’re just experiencing a bit of quiet period. Look closely at your cash flow to assess what impact the slow down is having on your ability to pay suppliers and creditors. Once you’ve established your cash flow requirements you are in a good position to determine how much you want to markdown your stock for the sale.

Improve your relationships with your clients

When things are humming along nicely, small things can often get overlooked. Undertaking actions to strengthen your relationship with key clients is often one of them. This can be easily fixed in a number of ways. Consider offering your most important clients special discounts or simply make a greater effort to keep in contact with them by sending them newsletters, brochures or emails. Staying in contact with clients is a relatively easy exercise that can really help improve your business.

In house client visits

From personal experience one of the key programs I ran with clients was to have VIP nights. We invited the local real estate agents to a VIP night and had an info session on mould and the impact of mould in rental properties. The night provided them the opportunity to be able to have a hands on look at the equipment and had a better understanding why mould cant just be “wiped off”. It created an informal atmosphere and I was able to give them a better understanding of the processes involved in remediation – even better they now could understand our invoicing! Try this with your real estate agents or builders, strata managers or large commercial clients.

Analyse your marketing strategy

Time analysing your marketing strategy is time well spent. Take the opportunity to ask yourself whether you can improve your marketing and consider if there are any areas that are letting you down. Your advertising could possibly do with an update or maybe you could work at creating a stronger brand for your business?

Other marketing strategies to consider include direct mail, email and text. You might also consider looking at your online and social media presence. The sight of Facebook and twitter links on seemingly every webpage suggests that many businesses have them just because they can; however, while this may be true in a lot of cases, it doesn’t mean you should dismiss them out of hand. When used properly, they can provide a valuable means of staying in contact with clients.

Also, look at your website – is there room to enhance your client’s experience when they visit it? As the buying process typically begins online you need to make sure that your website portrays a professional image and draws client’s attention. Keep your website simple and focus on what your customer wants to see – they don’t want 20 pages of information all about “you”. They want to see a solution to their needs – what solution can you offer them?

There is a vast amount of channels you can use to improve your marketing but before venturing down one path at the cost of others, it is best to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each so you arrive at a strategy that is best going to get your message across to your target market.

Plan for your next 12 months

As the year draws to a close, start giving some thought about strategic planning for 2014. What will you do differently? What will you do more of? Less of? What are the key elements that will grow your business to the next level? An easy exercise to do is to have a vision in mind of where you want to be – then work backwards. If your vision is to be the largest / best / most responsive carpet cleaner or restorer in your area – what do you need to do to make that happen.

One of our key challenges that we do every year is to cut costs by 10%. It’s a challenge but one we are able to do – sometimes its as simple as renegotiating your mobile phone and internet provider. Try looking for off shore printing suppliers. One of the best things we did was move to an off shore printer – the same product we brought in Australia for $2.68, we ended up paying 84c. This was a substantial saving over a 12-month period.

Take some time off

Small business owners rarely take time off simply because if they do there is no one else to keep the business running. This is the tough reality of operating a small venture. However, everyone needs a break at some stage – especially those that have been working long days over many months. If you know that business is going to drop off for a short while and you really need a break it’s best to take the opportunity then and come back refreshed and energized to get back into the swing of things.
Most businesses go through lulls from time to time. However, by making the most of this quiet time you may just strengthen your business going forward.

Attached is an Annual Action Plan Template – look at this and see where you can make best use of the quiet times for a more productive 2014.

Download Annual Action Plan Template

I was brought up on carpet cleaning from when I was a baby. My parents used to clean nightclubs and put me in a crib on the carpet while they cleaned around me. So you could say the industry is in my blood.

My wife and I brought an established carpet cleaning business 19 years ago that was struggling to make money. I remember seeing the past owner’s chemical shelf and he carried a 5lt container of petrol in it. When I asked him what he used that for, I was quickly told that it was the best way to remove chewing gum from clients carpets. Wow! What was I purchasing I thought?

Since then, we have made Mackay Carpetcare & Restoration Services North Queensland’s largest restoration company outside of Brisbane. Our company also has the largest rug cleaning facility outside of Brisbane.

We employ a great team of people and have 4 truck-mounted vans plus 4 service vehicles. We have started a Restoration service company solely for remediation works and for travelling distances.This is for meth labs, crime scene cleaning, mould remediation and water and fire. With over 500 pieces of restoration equipment ready for CAT events, we have certainly grown.

I am now a IICRC Master Water Damage Technician and Master Fire and Smoke Restoration Technician, trained extensively by American trainers and Australian in commercial and structural drying.

Recently I was elected to be the Vice President of SCRIA. This was a real buzz for me personally because of being involved in the industry and seeing it mature for so long. I believe it is important to be part of an association as well as being trained in every way because this is the only way you can get ahead in both your learning and customer-facing professionalism. Some people think that our industry is small, but in reality our industry, as a whole, is quite large when you combine all the other industry experts we envelope daily.

I look forward to the next year, watching SCRIA grow with strength and seeing the industry change with new ideas.

Mark Carey is Managing Director of Emergency Property Solutions and is SCRIA’s new National Secretary.

Mark has over 25 years’ experience in Management both in the Government and Private Sectors. He holds qualifications at Diploma level in Business, Project Management and Horticulture he has also completed post graduate management studies. He is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

The former company trading as Emergency Cleaning Services was established in 2000. Mark purchased the company from the founder in 2008 and since then has grown the business by diversifying its range of services, eventually leading to the rebranding of the business as Emergency Property Solutions, which better describes the range of services offered.

As Adelaide’s cleanup specialists, Emergency Property Solutions provides an extensive range of property maintenance and restoration services. These services range from broken windows, insurance makes safes (storm damage, break & enters, car vs house), fire and flood restorations through to trauma scene, methlab clean-ups, graffiti and undiscovered bodies. The company also undertakes building maintenance & repair works for its clients, using a range of specialist trades and skilled employees, many who are trained to IICRC or equivalent standard for various tasks.

Previous to purchasing the company, Mark spent 20 years working in various roles managing Local Government parks, reserves and peri urban areas. In the private sector, Mark worked for a number of international and national organisations, leading to him being responsible for over 340 people working in 6 different industry sectors (hospitality – manufacturing).

Mark has served on a number of Professional Association Executives including serving on the SA Regional Council of Parks & Leisure Australia for 19 years, and 3 years as Regional President.

Garry Carroll, who is based in Brisbane, is the owner of All Aces Services and has been elected as an Executive Committee Member. He has been in the industry for many years, having used to work for his Dad, who ran a carpet cleaning business.

Garry is passionate about professionalism in the industry and is committed to the continued training of his staff. He has travelled numerous times to the US for advanced courses, including:

• Master Rug Cleaner
• Applied Structural Drying
• Chuck Dewald’s Drying Class

He has also attended numerous exhibitions.

Garry has extensive knowledge about specialised drying, such as structural drying, timber drying and facing various challenges in drying situations. He is a valuable asset to the Association.

I am the owner of Aim Home Services, a family business run alongside with my wife and four children who are all actively involved in the business.

I started out in the industry six years ago, and have grown from a one man and one “wow” man operation with Kristy on the phones and running out hoses while “have a chat Matt” spoke to the customers.

In our time in the industry, we have come full circle, from worrying if there will be enough jobs and money to feed the kids this week, to not having enough technicians to do the work.

We currently specialise in all aspects of getting a home in tip top condition ready to be rented out and also emergency restoration for both tenants and real estate agents alike.

We have a call centre in Mount Gravatt, Brisbane’s South, with a team of approximately 10 carpet cleaners and the same in general cleaners.

We joined SCRIA to be a part of the trade association in order to be a part of the lifting of the reputation of our industry. We are more than just cleaners – we are solution orientated cleaning experts.