Gale Maly came to Tucson from Chicago in May of 1982, having fallen in love with the town and its beautiful mountains and weather while vacationing there four years earlier. With her two daughters, four and seven, in tow, she had decided she would buy a business and make a fresh start in this golden region of remarkable vistas and sunshine for days on end.

“The only business for sale was a mechanic’s shop, and that didn’t fit where I wanted to go,” she recalls.

Then, one day, inspiration struck. She and her girls were eating dinner at a shopping center when she noticed a big truck speeding across the parking lot, kicking dust into the air. When told that the driver was conducting his nightly sweeping of the lot, she was perplexed. The machine was so old, the dirt came in the bottom and blew out the top.

“When I do a job, I want it to be perfect. So I decided to go back to the shopping center and see who this guy [was].” She followed him from job to job that night, watching as he raced through each parking lot, redistributing the dirt but making no discernable improvement. 

“This is not what I have in mind,” Maly told herself then, “but I can do this and do it so much better.” So she contacted the property manager and asked him to meet her over breakfast—at the shopping center. After inviting him to step outside to examine the lot, she took advantage of his embarrassment to pitch him on a deal. She would sweep his lot for the rock-bottom price his current sweeper contractor was charging, only she would do it so well that half as often would be sufficient. He ended up giving her thirteen properties.

But there she was, signing contracts, and she had no sweeper. She contacted the only company she knew at the time who would work with her, Tymco Sweeper in Texas, and got them to drive her single Tymco to Tucson within the week. And she was in business.

Branching out
Over the past twenty-eight years, she has gradually developed the company—and herself—far beyond parking lot sweeping into a power in the commercial property management arena.

 “I believe in diversification,” Maly says. “That way, as the economy bellies in one area, it grows in another. There isn’t anything I can’t do for a commercial property.”

From parking lot sweeping, she added a full landscaping division to Maly & Associates facilities management to provide landscape design, construction, and maintenance for residential and commercial properties. The division creates often stunning hardscapes and plantings for owners in this region that is so focused on the outdoors. The facilities management company offers additional services that run the gamut from typical changing- a-light-bulb tasks to pressure washing and graffiti removal. Maly Pest Control developed from the landscaping and property management. Maly Construction is a logical expansion that handles tenant improvements as well as remodels and build-ons such as outdoor kitchens. 

“We do all of that, all coordinated, without any effort on the property manager’s part. And if they have an issue, it’s one phone number to reach us,” Gale says. With forty-two employees on staff—ballooning to seventy when a major construction project is afoot—Maly hasn’t neglected her own professional growth. She became a real estate agent in 1994, has studied design and landscaping, and is a licensed contractor.

“It sounds like I mapped this out in 1982, knew exactly what I’d do. But instead, I got up and put one foot in front of the other and when an opportunity came up, I walked through the door. It’s been very exciting.”

A sweeping philosophy
First and foremost, “I’m a businesswoman,” Maly asserts. It is that capability, which she has in abundance, to which she attributes her success in these male-dominated industries. “There are a lot of men who are capable of maintaining and running the equipment, but you need to have both sides—the maintenance and the business. You can always hire the mechanic and hire the sweeper, but by God, you have to know how to run a business.

“And that would lead me to employees. Drug testing, background checks, staying on top of them.” The days are long over when Maly would tuck her sleeping little girls into the backseat of her car while she spent the night following her sweepers on their rounds so she could be assured they were doing their jobs to her uncompromising standards. Today, it’s GPS tracking on each piece of equipment and following through each morning with the system’s reports.

“I also don’t believe in keeping equipment more than four or five years.” Rather than carrying a big maintenance budget to keep old machines running long past their prime, she prefers to add a more predictable line item for new sweepers. “I can budget more easily for payments than for maintenance, and the tax laws are more advantageous. And I always have good-looking equipment that works well.”

Maly still loves her adopted community and gives back to it through her involvement with and support of the Northwest YMCA, Arizona Theater, Arizona Opera, Ballet Arizona, and the Tucson Symphony, among other organizations and causes. But she also takes a great deal of satisfaction from the businesses she’s developed and her successful accomplishments. She isn’t ready to stop any time soon.

“You have to be passionate about what you’re doing. You work with your client[s]. When they know you care about them and their budget, they trust you and let you do what you do best. It’s not that sweeping is so glamorous. It keeps me out of trouble, it’s exciting, it’s diversified. I like making people happy, and I like a achieving a goal…and that makes me happy.”

For more information about Maly & Associates, Tucson’s only one-stop source for commercial and residential property owners, call 520.299.0856, email info@malyandassociates.com, or visit www.malyandassociates.com.

Story by Anne Biggs

NAPSA is an all volunteer organization. To facilitate growth and the continued education of those in our industry NAPSA is seeking volunteers. Current committee positions open to volunteers that usually require only once a month meetings, include:
Bylaws Committee
Certification Committee
Education Committee
Marketing Committee
Legislative and Regulatory Committee
Membership/Benefits Committee

In addition to the committee positions NAPSA is also starting a mentoring program. This program is designed to pair industry veterans with newcomers to facilitate business success. Industry specialist volunteers are greatly needed to help NAPSA address current issues related to our profession.

For more details and to become a NAPSA volunteer, visit www.powersweeping.org and click on the members section. Click on “Become a NAPSA Volunteer” and begin giving back today!

Get Involved!

A desire among customers to “go green” has been a significant factor in the development of new products for United Rotary Brush and their SmartSweeptm line of recyclable road brooms. United Rotary Brush is a family-based company that manufactures and sells road and runway rotary brooms as well as custom-engineered brush products for customers throughout North America and the world. The company has facilities in Lenexa, Kansas; Marysville, Ohio; Galt, California; and Barrie, Ontario.  And now, with the recent acquisition of American Rotary Broom, United Rotary Brush also has facilities in Escondido and Pomona, California. The company has made significant efforts to develop environmentally conscious products.

The company’s popular Turbolinetm  Gutter Brooms, for example, are completely recyclable. When they wear out, the contractor simply removes the tufts to recycle them.“We’ve received some really good feedback from customers, and we are already working on an updated version,” said Michelle Allen, of the company’s Marketing Department.

The Turbolinetm polygutter brooms weigh up to two-thirds less than standard wire gutter brooms and take up a third of the space, according to information provided by United Rotary Brush. That means lower shipping costs, reduced storage space, and a savings on wear and tear on hydraulic motors.“The design of TurbolinetmGutter Brooms makes them significantly easier to install, even on the job. All you replace are the tufts. The Turbolinetm plate stays in place. This reduces downtime and labor, which means lower costs,” according to United Rotary Brush. “You can also customize your gutter brooms for every season and sweeping condition and use any combination of poly, poly/wire or wire brushes.”

As the company’s website says, ““Keep the plate, change out the tufts. You decide which combination is right for your sweeping application.”
United Rotary Brush’s SmartSweeptm recyclable line includes not only Turbolinetm Gutter Brooms, but also UnitedProtm Strip Brooms. The brooms come in both center-sweep and spiral-sweep versions. Each is designed to improve debris collection, and they are made from 100-percent poly plastic back strips. They are easy to install and replace, and, because they are recyclable, they are environmentally friendly.

The development of the SmartSweeptm line of recyclable brooms resulted in large part from the United Rotary Brush’s wish to keep material out of landfills.The desire to be environmentally friendly seems to be a good partner with the overall focus of street and pavement sweeping: to keep litter, grit, and chemicals out of storm water systems, to protect wetlands, and to simply improve the aesthetics of city streets and gutters.United Rotary Brush describes its Turbolinetm Gutter Broom and UnitedProtm lines as products that “green” as well as clean the community.

Part of the move toward a recyclable line has been a growing movement among some municipalities to require green products, Allen explained.Cleaning materials, biofuel-operated machines, and similar “green-” manufactured goods are getting the backing of city councils and governing boards all across the country.“I feel as if it is the wave of the future,” Allen said. “We’re goingto see more and more cities move towards recyclability when given the choice.”
Schwarze Industries, one of the world’s largest sweeper manufacturers and a leader in sweeping technology, is another company focused on green products. The company, which is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, manufactures street sweepers, parking lot sweepers, and road repair units; it operates in more than thirty-five countries, and in 1996, it opened a manufacturing facility in Brisbane, Australia.

It is no surprise that the company has developed several products that meet the needs of environmentally conscious clients. In fact, recently, the Water Pollution Control and Street departments in Lafayette, Indiana, purchased two Schwarze model DXR street sweepers. Although cities buy Schwarze sweepers all the timeit is the reason behind Lafayette’s decision that made this purchase stand out. The DZR is a waterless and dustless design, an environmentally friendly, year-round sweeping solution for the city.What sold the Water Pollution Control Department onhelping the Street Department purchase the DXR was the fact that the model contains and traps veryfine particulate matter, including PM-10 fines, which are known to contain a high percentage of heavy metals, phosphates, and other pollutants, according to a statement from Raymond Massey, director of sales and marketing.If those pollutants are neglected, they can wind up in storm water runoff and eventually find their way into the city’s sewers.

“If you don’t keep the streets clean, everything ends up in the sewers and eventually our rivers, lakes, and bays,” Kenny Martin, Schwarze Midwest Regional Sales Manager warned. “Many city departments are beginning to realize that it’s mutually beneficial to help each other out financially. Through the cooperation of the different departments and recognition of the benefit of having this equipment, everybody wins. The streets are clean, the storm drains stay clean, and you can capture materials that would have polluted the air.”

Another feature that some Schwarze machines have in the environmentally friendly arena is the WhisperWheel(SM) fan system. The innovative system allows Schwarze air sweepers to run seventy percent more quietly than conventional sweepers, reducing noise pollution. The system also uses up to twenty percent less fuel.

Still another company that is environmentally conscious is GreenSweeper, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee company that sells electric-powered parking lot sweeper units that “capture” power generated by truck engines, convert it to a steady electrical current, and send it to an industrial, three-phase motor that powers attached sweeping equipment. The company’s website boasts that the GreenSweeper is “maintenance free, worry free and emission free and totally clean.”
Compared to traditional gasoline-powered units, the GreenSweeper unit not only saves on fuel costs but also cuts down on noise pollution and the use of hazardous materials at work. The company says the unit uses a scant quart of gasoline from the truck tank engine for each hour of sweeping.

As is true in most industries, not everyone will see the issue the same way. Mike Dyck, General Manager of Masco Sweepers of Santa Clara, California, explained that while environmental issues are important, the true cost savings on some of the equipment is questionable.

“Environmental impact is something we are all very aware of today. ‘Green’ anything is a way to show how a manufacturer of a product is concerned about how these products affect the world around us.  In the sweeping industry,” he continued, “‘green sweepers’ have concentrated on sweepers that have been converted to natural gas or propane. These street sweepers that are converted are really not parking lot sweepers. Street sweeping and parking lot sweeping are completely different.Streetsweepers must be able to sweep up a complete array of materials found in a street (such as) sand, rock and gravel.

“On average, a parking lot sweeper sweeps litter and trash left behind by people shopping in a shopping center or wherever people park cars. Generally, heavy material such as sand is not found in parkingareas unless there is a heavy winter salting and sanding program. Most snow states are eliminating sanding for many reasons, including keeping the storm drains clean.”In other words, some of the sweepers that are converted to natural gas or propane are not suited for parking lot use. Their efficiency is based on how well they do the job, not necessarily on the type of fuel that powers the equipment.

Some truck/sweeper combinations are not considered typical “green” machines by environmental purists.

“Trash from parking lot sweeping weighs around 150 to 200 pounds per yard. The sweeper that sweeps parking lot trash is completely different than a street sweeper. The environmental footprint impact left by the Model 1600 Ford ranger is only 25 percent of what a converted street sweeper is. Fuel consumption, oil maintenance, wear on tires and brakes, wear on roads and paved surfaces, emissions, financial burden and general cost of maintenance are cut [by] 75 percent.”

Dyck said so-called “green” sweepers do have their place, however.

“From a ‘green’ point of view, operating a street sweeper converted to alternate fuel may be good for a street-sweeping application. Parking lot sweeping does not benefit from alternate fuel application. Small gas engine truck[s] and operating on a fuel-efficient gas auxiliary motor emit only a quarter of emissions, one-third the oil maintenance cost, one-third of the weight impact on a parking structure, and the most important green (factor) is [that] the cost is a quarter to a third” of green equipment, he said.

“Environmentally, this sweeping process is being overlooked because of political pressure putting attention on alternate fuels. There is no greener parking lot sweeper on the market today (than Masco). All this adds up to a greener sweeper with a light earth footprint.”

No doubt sweeping component manufacturers and others in the road and parking lot sweeping industry will continue to look for ways to meet the “green” demands of consumers yet balance cost and maintenance issues with other environmental factors. Such technology can save money – sometimes – in fuel and shipping costs, while reducing or eliminating noise and emissions.

The price in some cases can be costly—or at least higher than conventional units. But the savings in the long-run, through lower fuel and maintenance expenses, can be an appealing factor. If cities begin requiring or start leaning toward increased use of environmentally friendly products, watch out: sustainability, recyclability, and biodegradability will be joined by a fourth and an important factor—marketability.

Story by Marie Elium

The Schwarze patent pending Load Leveler increases usable capacity by evenly distributing debris inside the hopper. An on-demand switch activates the load leveler, which works with both wet and dry debris.

“We talked with drivers and found that there was a need to address uneven debris distribution in street sweeping,” said Raymond Massey, Director of Sales and Marketing for Schwarze. “Previously, drivers were having to periodically tap the breaks to level out debris. With the Schwarze Load Leveler option, they are able to increase usable capacity up to 25% inside the hopper without driver intervention. Not only does this increase the amount of collected debris, it increases productivity due to less time dumping and eliminates excessive wear on the chassis brake system as well as adds comfort for the operator.”

Available through Schwarze’s extensive dealer network, the Load Leveler can also be retrofitted to any Schwarze Industries M6000 Sweeper.  Contact your local dealer for additional information about this industry leading feature.

For more information on the updated M6000 Load Leveler, visit www.schwarze.com or contact Raymond Massey at 800.879.7933.

Giles made the connection between street pollution and surface water pollution in his June 30 presentation to the workgroup in a meeting held at city hall in Elmhurst, Ill., a Chicago suburb. He is a frequent speaker on environmental protection topics to public and private conservation groups.

During the presentation, Giles described a variety of street surface pollutants that enter the sewers and, eventually, the waterways, paying particular attention to silt as a menace to clean streams. He said silt is inorganic matter less than 80 microns in diameter that tends to remain suspended in solution and is difficult to remove from surface water.

“Eighty percent of silt, or debris that could become silt, is located within several feet of the gutter,” Giles noted. “It may be hard to believe, but the average street has about 1,000 pounds of debris per mile. The key to preventing surface water pollution is to keep that debris from entering the storm sewers.”

Giles cited data on the effectiveness of various sweeping technologies in removing silt from the streets, ranging from a low of 81 percent using standard wet dust-control mechanical sweepers, to a high of 98 percent using high efficiency regeneration sweeper technology.

“Sweeping is a classic pollution prevention technique,” Giles explained. “It removes pollutants before they enter the sewers and streams. Catch basin cleaning can be an important – although expensive – part of an overall strategy to keep sewers free of debris and silt. An effective sweeping program can help minimize that expense.”

Giles advised municipal officials to become familiar with the science and technology of street sweeping, including the importance of frequent sweeping. 

“As an industry, we have to help local governments understand that street sweeping can be an effective water-pollution prevention strategy,” Giles emphasized. “It’s more than just making the streets look pretty.”

Do not keep anything on your desk that you do not use on a daily basis. Things that should be removed include personal mementos, award certificates, photos of family and friends, and your favorite snow globe. These things only serve to clutter your workspace and will better serve you if they are hung on walls or placed on shelves. This way, you can still view them, but they will not interfere with your everyday tasks.

2. File your emails.

If you are one of the millions of employees using Microsoft Outlook, you should learn to take advantage of the program’s electronic filing system for emails. In the left-hand column of the screen, you can right click on "Inbox" and select "New Folder." By creating new folders and labeling them appropriately, you can file away your emails so that they are easier to find. Whether you label the folders by sender or by project, you will find that this saves you tons of time when it comes to locating an email and replying to or forwarding messages. It will also clean up your inbox so that you feel less overwhelmed.

3. File your electronic documents.

Many people make a habit out of saving everything they work on in their "My Documents" folder. This can create a big problem when you attempt locate something. Instead of saving all of your electronic documents in a bulk folder and wasting time scrolling through all of them to find what you need, create folders on your desktop that are specific to each project and save your documents in the correct folders. You may also want to begin using project-specific names when you save and name your documents. This will make locating items even easier.

4. Use a planner.

Recording your daily events, lunch plans, business meetings in a planner or on your smartphone will cut down on the number of sticky notes cluttering up the sides of your computer and your workspace. It will also help you prioritize your tasks for the day, which will keep your overall schedule and life more organized.

5. Designate fifteen minutes a day.

It’s very important that you set aside time during the day to file, clean up after yourself, clean your keyboard, dust, or throw away any lingering soda cans from yesterday’s lunch. By designating time, you will ensure that your office stays organized and that you maintain a level of cleanliness that is essential to the reduction of your stress level.
Every business can run more efficiently and cost-effectively to improve its bottom-line results. Access to important, current information by instant retrieval of documents from filing systems and effective time management skills are vital. Employing proper business organizing skills gives your company a critical competitive advantage.

“Our company prides itself on providing exceptional service at a competitive price,” says Powell. Her restructuring plan included changing everything from staff to operations. “We have better control of the work through scheduling systems, operator-specific training and specialized quality control,” she explains. “That allows us to excel. Quality is our name, and that’s what we offer our customers. We have the best equipment in the area and a full-time mechanic who works on it on an almost daily basis, so it’s reliable.”

Quality Street Service maintains a full parts inventory for its fleet of regenerative air sweepers, vacuum sweepers, and mechanical brush-type and high-dump broom sweepers, as well as vacuum sweepers equipped with specialized attachments for catch-basin cleaning. The company services equipment in the field, as necessary, for maximum up time. Every piece of equipment is AQMD certified and meets all PM10 standards for fine particulate containment.

Excellence = productivity + value
The company focuses on providing excellent service while improving productivity and value for its customers.

“Recently, a customer was looking for two specialized heavy-duty pieces of equipment, eight hours a day, for an asphalt project on a major highway that needed to be completed on a tight schedule,” Powell recalls. “We got the call on a Friday and delivered it on Monday as requested.  We provided good equipment and good drivers who knew what they were doing. We were able to complete it with no incidents and [with] compliments at the end.”

“In this type of business,” Powell readily admits, “being reliable is really huge.” On construction projects, the equipment is held on the site, so the customers can see it and know it is there. But when it’s a service contract for which the equipment and operator must arrive at the site on time and ready to work, there’s that element of doubt. Powell, however, knows that her company’s reliability is one of its top attributes and selling points.

Expanded services
Quality Street Service provides street, parking lot, and construction-site sweeping and storm drain cleaning for the Inland Empire, parts of the San Gabriel Valley, Orange County, and the Los Angeles basin. All equipment operators are highly trained and experienced in their specific applications and follow best sweeping practices to comply with all federal and state EPA mandates.

For Powell, the joy of the job is simple: “I like the challenge of keeping up with the good quality of work with my employees. I’m involved in every step, from the bid on the first call to providing the service. I enjoy the fact that I can rely on my guys to provide a great service. We’re providing customers with the excellence they’re expecting—that feels good.”

For more information on Quality Street Service, please contact Alicia Powell at 760.776.8460 or at APowell@QualityStreetService.com; website: www.QualityStreetService.com.

Story by Anne Biggs

NAPSA members will be able to complete an application if they are interested in serving as a mentor or if they would like to be a mentee. Once this application is received, mentors will be matched up with mentees based on several factors. As an example, someone who is new to the industry sweeping only parking lots would be assigned a mentor who also sweeps parking lots. We will also pair members who are newer to the association with members who have been involved for a while.

In the power sweeping business we are each others best resources. NAPSA is looking to provide the means to best utilize these resources.

Do you remember what it is like to be just starting out? Will you step up to be a mentor? Additional information will be made available soon. NAPSA will send out a formal announcement once the program launches. Continue to check www.powersweeping.org for news and updates on all NAPSA programs.

Story by Marie Elium

Already packed with exclusive features like a power assisted boom and fully shrouded unit, the re-designed Schwarze SP-550 now includes a host of upgrades designed to increase productivity and reduce operation costs for the end user.

“We are always looking for ways to further develop our machines to allow for increased production capabilities and a lower cost of operation for our end users,” said Raymond Massey, Director of Sales and Marketing for Schwarze. “We’ve listened to our customers, as well as our dealers, and made adjustments to improve operation for the end user.”

The re-designed SP-550 has a larger blower to increase airflow, delivering more aggregate for faster repairs. It also sports an upgraded air intake for the blower, stronger shrouding, and an improved hydraulic pump.

“It all starts with better component design,” said Jeff Witt, Product Specialist for Schwarze. “From there we move into improving what the SP-550 is already known for: ease of operation, longer component life, exceeding government standards, and of course, repairing any sized road damage with speed and quality.”

The re-designed SP-550 is now available through Schwarze’s extensive dealer network.

For more information on the re-designed SP-550 Spraypatcher, visit www.schwarze.com or contact Raymond Massey at 800.879.7933.