Over 600 Exhibitors, 12,000 Attendees Participate In 2024 ISSA Show North America

New ISSA President Laurie Sewell (Photo by Harrell Kerkhoff, Maintenance Sales News)

Three tradeshow days, numerous educational and networking opportunities, panel discussions and guest speakers highlighted the 2024 ISSA Show North America, which recently took place for the second year in a row at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, in Las Vegas, NV.

According to ISSA, this year’s event included 600-plus exhibiting companies (of which 137 were first-time exhibitors) that connected with distributors, building service contractors, facility service professionals and residential cleaning firms. The ISSA Show North America, hosted alongside the Building Service Contractors Association International’s (BSCAI) Contracting Success conference, also included more than 12,000 registered industry professionals, from 75 countries, who discovered new products, technology, services and materials that enhance the standards of clean.

Specialized areas on the tradeshow floor this year involved the Sustainability & Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Hub; the Business Solutions Theater; and the CleanMeet Zone. Panel and roundtable discussions, networking meetups, and educational presentations were part of the mix.

In addition to its show floor, this year’s ISSA Show North America delivered 165 hours of conference programming across four days, including training, management, and global trend courses and presentations. Educational topics included employee engagement strategies, artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, ways to build customer trust, and how to leverage partnerships.

Barrett Outlines ISSA’s Future Leadership Plan

A highlight at each ISSA Show North America is the General Business Meeting, which traditionally includes the introduction of new, and recognition of outgoing, members of the ISSA Board of Directors. A general update of the past year’s activities for the association and cleaning industry, along with a look ahead, are also traditionally presented.

During his annual address at the meeting, ISSA Executive Director John Barrett announced that an ISSA leadership progression will take place in 2025 with the help of the ISSA Executive Committee. A choice between two current ISSA Executive Vice Presidents — Kim Althoff and Jon Adkins — is expected to be made late next year (2025) with one of them to take over the ISSA Executive Director’s role. Barrett will then move into an emeritus role, expected to take place around his 67^th birthday in October.

Barrett said work on the leadership progression started two years ago, and that both Althoff and Adkins have been in executive development for some time. The selection will take place by the ISSA Board, with one of the candidates becoming the next ISSA Executive Director while the other will be promoted to another position within the association.

Barrett, who became ISSA Executive Director in 2015, said his emeritus position will allow him to continue serving the association in a supporting role.

“I wish to emphasize that ISSA has not gone outside of our organization while searching for the next Executive Director. That was done by design, due to the abundancy of current ISSA management talent,” Barrett said. “There is also something to be said about maintaining continuity within the association.

“Finally, I would like to state that serving as the ISSA Executive Director has been the greatest privilege of my professional career. I am honored to have had my turn at the helm with this association.”

Sewell Introduced As ISSA President

Laurie Sewell, president and CEO at Servicon, was introduced as the next ISSA President during the General Business Meeting. The president’s post is a one-year term. She succeeds

Matt Schenk, president and CEO of Midlab, who will now serve on the board as Immediate Past President/International Director.

“It’s an incredible honor to stand before you today as the incoming president of ISSA. Thank you for entrusting me with this position and responsibility over the next year. Let’s make it count,” Sewell said. “I’d like to thank some incredible people who’ve been instrumental in my journey. That includes my dear friend, mentor and a past ISSA President Linda Silverman (who is current executive chair at Maintex). Linda has been a guiding light for me in this industry.”

Sewell kiddingly warned those new to the cleaning industry that it’s been referred to as the “Hotel California” industry, in reference to the famous song by the Eagles which ends with the lyric, “You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”

“I believe this is true because of the people involved within this industry, who are truly special. People tend to stay in this industry for a long time, and with good reason,” Sewell said. “Although there is always a spirit of competition within the industry, what stands out is how much we genuinely care about each other and the work that we all do. There is a sense of connection and shared purpose. It’s what makes this industry so remarkable. It’s also a place where people can build incredible careers.

“I strongly believe that we need to do more to attract young people to this industry. We cannot afford, as an industry, to remain ‘the best kept secret.’ It’s important to highlight all the essential work that we do, and the incredible career opportunities that this industry provides.”

Outgoing ISSA President Matt Schenk also addressed attendees during the General Business Meeting.

“I would like to thank everyone here for their continued dedication to the association. I stood in front of you a year ago filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for the year to come, and it went by very quicky,” Schenk said. “One year later, I’m still filled with enthusiasm and anticipation for the future of ISSA. During my term as president, we embarked on an important journey that involves the formation of a strategic plan, and the ISSA staff has made great progress toward that plan. I look forward to its finalization and execution over the coming years.”

He noted ISSA continues to help its members, and the entire industry, in various ways. That includes government advocacy efforts, training programs, networking events, and commerce-building endeavors.

ISSA Charities Report

ISSA Charites Board Co-Chair Ted Stark highlighted the yearly progress of three signature charitable programs of the association: ISSA Scholars, The Hygieia Network, and Cleaning For A Reason.

He noted ISSA Scholars supports students with scholarships for higher education. Since 1988, it has provided nearly $4 million in scholarship funds to 1,500-plus students. In 2024, 42 high school graduates and continuing students collectively received over $144,000 in scholarships.

Also discussed was the ISSA Hygieia Network, which is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in 2024. It is dedicated to the advancement and retention of women in the global cleaning industry by fostering diversity and inclusion, and involves a variety of education, mentoring, networking, and support programs.

The third ISSA Charities signature program that Stark spoke about is Cleaning For A Reason, which provides free home cleaning services for cancer patients.

“Cleaning For A Reason celebrated substantial growth and impact in 2024. By the end of this year, the organization is projected to serve 6,600 patients, a remarkable 22 percent increase from last year and even surpassing pre-Covid service levels,” Stark said. “Partnerships have expanded to 1,440 cleaning businesses, which is a 11 percent boost, with 90 of those companies now upgraded to premium partner status. That fosters even deeper collaboration and community impact. Fundraising efforts also reached $580,000, reflecting an 8 percent increase over the previous year.

“Since its founding in 2006, Cleaning For A Reason has supported over 58,000 cancer patients with cleaning services valued at more than $20 million. The nonprofit program also maintains a robust directory of 3,500 patient navigators and support groups to streamline the referral process.”

The ISSA Show North America returns to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Nov. 10-13, 2025. Visit www.issashow.com.

— Maintenance Sales News Editor Harrell Kerkhoff contributed to this article.