The janitorial industry is a vibrant community full of dedicated individuals willing to do whatever it takes to keep buildings and workplaces clean. Men and women from all over work diligently every day to ensure that the public is safe and comfortable in their environment. Each year, there are several awards that work to recognize the accomplishments of those working in the industry. The Rosie Awards is one such award.
The Rosie Awards were established in 1992 by the Multnomah County Library. It is named after Multnomah County Library employee, Roosevelt “Rosie” Hampton, who received the first Rosie award for his dedicated service to the community. The Rosie Award has been given out each year in honor of him, and this year, we are proud to announce that our staff working at the Central Library has been nominated! Congratulations to everyone for all of your hard work and receiving this nomination.
Recently, Oregonian reporter Dana Tims published an article about the rise of homelessness in Multnomah County. Numbers, provided by Mary Li – a division manager in the county’s Department of Human Services – and the 2011 findings from the county’s “Point in Time” homelessness count show the staggering amount of individuals and families that are homeless and portray how the rate in Multnomah County is much higher than in similar counties elsewhere in the country.
According to the 2011 findings, there are more than 15,500 people that are homeless in the county. Of those 15,500, 2,666 are families. These numbers aren’t decreasing anytime soon either.
The issue of homelessness in Multnomah County can be broken down into smaller factors, including parking issues in large capacity apartment complexes, the ever-shrinking space to build apartment complexes and the decrease in affordable living. These issues struck a chord with us, and they reaffirm our desire to help alleviate these issues.
In April 2013, PHC Northwest unveiled our newest affordable housing complex called The Snowberry, located on SE 151st and Burnside. A rare treasure in the Portland metro area – where rent and utility prices are creeping ever higher - The Snowberry exemplifies a truly affordable complex.
Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, spoke at the unveiling of The Snowberry. In her speech, she highlighted the importance of and the great demand for affordable housing. The Snowberry is an example of a truly affordable housing, as it was built for approximately $70,000 a door and includes features that are rarely seen in most affordable housing complexes – granite counter tops, a washer/dryer in each unit, wireless internet for the complex, and full-size winter white appliances.
But while The Snowberry is a new and innovative business model, there are only 27 units – each of them filled – and a long and impending waiting list. All of the units were spoken for well before the unveiling on the 12th -most before construction was even completed. This clamor for affordable housing in an area close to public transportation and the metro area emphasizes the need for more business models like The Snowberry. In the article, Tims states that “Portland-area jurisdiction are combining to spend about $42 million annually on services related to homelessness…About 75 percent of that is spent on housing, with the remainder funneled in shelters, transitional housing and related services.”
It seems like Portland is working hard to chip away at the massive homelessness rate in the area, and we here at PHC Northwest are doing our part every day.
With the Snowberry as our prototype for our new affordable housing business model, PHC plans on creating 11 more large-scale apartment complexes and 470 more units. One such complex, which is planning on being completed in 2014 will feature all three bedroom units and will be geared specifically towards families. Apart from our plans to create new apartment complexes, we also are focused on single family homes, with the intent to expand our current portfolio of 15 single family homes and add 55 more over the next five years.
We hope that when the results from the next “Point in Time” study become available, the numbers will be significantly lower and that homelessness will no longer be as dire of an issue.
If interested, you can take a look at our current online housing portfolio here.
Written by: Jon Ferrell
Our shredding program has grown quite a bit in the past few years but the demand for on-site shredding has grown even more. In order for us to stay competitive in this market, we felt that it was time to purchase our first mobile shredding truck so that our customers would feel even more comfortable with our service. We took all the demands out there such as on-site shredding, the ability for a client to view their material being shredded, and the ability to provide digital recordings and put all that into this truck. The truck uses the latest shredding technology with a Shredfast SF-300 Pierce & Tear dual shaft shredding system. Pierce and Tear shredders use multiple rotating blades that punch holes in the material, and then tears the material into pieces before shredding. We had two monitors installed on the truck. One monitor is mounted on the curbside of the truck so that they can view their material as it’s being shredded. The second monitor is located inside the cab and has a recording system on it. If the customer requires recordings of their material being shredded, we can provide that to them right there on a SIM card or transfer it to a DVD-R and send it to them with their Certificate of Destruction and invoice. The shredding material is unloaded everyday at a recycling plant and taken to the paper mill.
With the purchase of this truck, our fuel costs have dropped. The drivers can now go out and service all our customers without having to come back in throughout the day. This is really helpful with some of our larger accounts that are farther outside the Portland area that require more bins than our current box truck can handle. Our drivers cell phones are also linked to our shredding email account at confidential@phcnw.com. While a majority of our customers are set on a route, there are some who are “On Demand”. This email was designed for those customers and can send in their pickup request to this email. Our drivers are then notified and can service these demands while they’re out in the field. All this has helped us lower our pricing even more and the feedback from our customers have been outstanding.
Take a look at the new truck yourself!
Time flies when you’re making a difference. Last week, PHC Northwest had a visit from the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS), who audited us to ensure that we were continuing to meet the cleaning industry standards and green building and practices standards. We passed our last audit (performed two years ago) with flying colors, and this time was no different. This third certification proves that PHC Northwest continues to be one of the leading janitorial organizations – having passed this year with Honors in both the CIMS and the CIMS - Green Building (CIMS - GB) checklists.
“[Passing with Honors] shows that we are going above and beyond for our customers.” Donna Murphy, PHC Northwest’s Operations Manager/Building Services says, “That we have a quality assurance program, a management program, etc. and CIMS is telling the world that we’re a good company to use.”
ISSA’s CIMS is a management standard that outlines what it means to be a quality cleaning organization. The standard provides organizations and companies that apply with the flexibility to create their own personalized mission and plan to meet their standards. There are six different sections to the CIMS certification (Quality, Service Delivery, Human Resources, Green Cleaning, Management, and Safety) and within each section there are certain requirements; ‘shall’ (what is minimally required), ‘should’ (what is recommended), and ‘may’ (what is optional). The CIMS – GB certification process is slightly different, centering around all aspects of green building including green cleaning, green chemicals, and resource conservation.
In 2007, PHC Northwest became a part of the ISSA CIMS charter group. One of 25 organizations that applied to be certified, and one of the 18 or so that received certification, PHC Northwest continues to prove that they are not an average janitorial company. With a unique message and lots of success, PHC Northwest wants to continue to make safety and efficiency top priorities.
“We want to be the industry standard.” Murphy says, “We want them to realize that we go above and beyond for our customers, our employees and that we’re on the cutting edge of anything new coming out.”
Being ahead of the game is one more thing to be proud of. Nowadays, the government is requiring that all organizations and companies that want contracts be certified through CIMS and CIMS – GB. The recertification process also ensures the job security of PHC Northwest employees and shows that they are receiving the most up to date training in equipment, technology and cleaning procedures.
When PHC Northwest first became interested in becoming certified, it took a team effort and at least a year of planning. Now our third certification is behind us, and all of the manpower, organization, and costs have paid off. We will continue to be the industry standard and prove that we are practicing what we preach.
For more information regarding the CIMS and CIMS-GB certifications, please visit ISSA's Cleaning Industry Management Standard.
Additional information about PHC Northwest’s certification can be found on PHC Northwest's Janitorial Website.
The close of a year is always bittersweet: a mix of things gone right and work still left undone. We here at PHC have been like everyone is in this difficult economy. We have been largely dependent on our government customers to keep our business growing. However, budget cuts have been made across the board, leading them to make staffing changes that affect us directly. We have been extremely lucky to find innovative ways to gain new types of customers that will balance our business partners and allow us to keep creating jobs and providing our customers with the tailored service that has become our trademark.
As we move closer to 2013, we are taking a moment to reflect on just a few of the many high points of the past year:
· The addition of nine single-family homes to our housing program. This allows large families the space to live comfortably within their means. These houses represented an additional opportunity to add a
· Improving communication with our customers by expanding our custodial management software. The improvements will help us better show our customers where we are improving the service they receive and keep us ahead of our competitors.
· Graduating 134 students from our State of Oregon-accredited career school: Beyond Limitations Career School (BLCS). These students – 91% of whom completed our janitorial training program – gained relevant job skills in the janitorial, clerical, landscape, building maintenance, and detail drafting fields.
· Providing real-world job skills to an additional 10 students through a training partnership with the Oregon Trail (Sandy, OR), and Rainier School Districts. The high school students who participated in the program graduated with highly developed, employable job training.
· Partnering with the Connecting Communities Coalition as a title sponsor of the annual Celebrate Ability event. This year’s event honored City of Portland Making a Difference Award winners and brought together the business, nonprofit, government, and disability communities to celebrate the accomplishments of people with disabilities in the Portland Metro area.
With each new year, we strive to become better than we’ve ever been before. We seek to grow our business partnerships to new levels, improve the service we offer our customers through innovative techniques, and find new ways to serve our community.
In 2013, you can expect to see a new PHC. We have carefully considered our brand and how it serves our customers, and have updated and modernized it to build upon the foundation of service we’re already providing. We aim to be more innovative, more comprehensive, and more communicative. It will be PHC like you’ve never seen us before: a critical part of the team that keeps your building’s ecosystem healthy.
Bringing you glad tidings of comfort, joy, health, and prosperity as we prepare to ring in 2013!
We recently had the great honor of being a title sponsor of the Connecting Communities Coalition's annual Celebrate Ability event. This community party brought together people with disabilities as well as business leaders, elected officials, and nonprofit organizations to highlight the many outstanding contributions of people with disabilities.
In case you haven't heard, Connecting Communities is launching an exciting new project: a leadership academy aimed at providing an accessible space for people with all types of disabilities to develop their leadership skills.
The City of Portland also presented the Making a Difference Awards to five organizations and individuals that exemplify good citizenship in the disability community.
We extend our congratulations to the Connecting Communities Coalition and encourage you to be an event sponsor next year! Get in touch now by sending an email to info@thecccoalition.org.
Enjoy the video shown at this year's event as well as photos of the fun!
Q: Janis, I got a call asking me inviting me to a phone interview. Is this a good thing?
This, my friend, is good news. At most companies, this is the first step in the hiring process, so celebrate! Once you’ve congratulated yourself, next you must prepare. This is an exciting first step, but just like everything else in the job hunting world, there are pros and cons of a phone interview. Careful preparation will help you build on the advantages. Think about these things before you take that interview call:
Before the call:
1. Find the job posting. What are the key elements of this job? What skills and experience can you bring to add value?
2. You may have tailored your resume to this job position. Make sure you have a copy of the resume you sent to them, so you are seeing what the interviewer is seeing.
3. Prepare your own list of questions about this job, but avoid money or benefits. Keep your questions about the job functions and responsibilities, or about the company itself.
4. Plan to take (or make) the call in a space that is quiet and free from distractions. If possible, use a reliable land line. If you’re on a cell phone, make sure to find a place with good reception so the called won’t be dropped.
5. Don’t be nervous. This is a conversation about you—a subject where you’re the expert. Also, this call is on your home turf. That’s good, too.
During the call:
1. If you aren’t sure who is calling you, ask them to repeat their name and spelling of their name. This will come in handy when you send your thank you after the interview.
2. Let the interviewer lead the conversation. Talk less. Listen more.
3. Don’t interrupt. It is easy to accidentally cut people off, so wait for a second or two to make sure they’re finished speaking.
4. They can’t see you and you can’t see them. You need to sound upbeat and positive. One way to maintain this is to smile as you speak. It sounds strange, but it really works. Even better – you’ll feel more upbeat too!
5. Take notes. You may want to ask them a follow-up question later. Notes will help you remember.
6. Don’t forget to express your interest in the next phase of the process and thank your interviewer. Follow up with an email thanking them for the conversation.
All this is great, but what about those moments when they call without warning? How can you stall for time? I suggest you tell them that this is an awkward moment, but they will have your full attention in 15 minutes and are they able to call back. Almost always the caller will grant you that time. In the rare situation that they can’t call back, the only thing left is to do your best. You can often mend a broken interview.
In the end, phone interviews should get you excited – you’re being considered for a position! Just remember that you will always maximize your chances by preparing and keeping these few tips in mind when you’re taking that call.
Janis Williams is the Recruitment and Placement Specialist at PHC Northwest. She works to find employment candidates for open PHC Northwest positions across diverse business lines. She has ten years experience as a recruiter and has helped hundreds of job seekers successfully navigate the hiring process.
PHC Northwest is proud to play host to legislative candidates Rep. Matt Wand, Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, District 49 challenger Chris Gorsek, and District 25 challenger Scott Hansen. They will answer your questions and hear your thoughts on issues that affect Oregon’s disability community.
This is your chance to engage your legislators and hear their thoughts on issues that affect you! By attending, you will help our legislative candidates understand how they can best serve the disability community. Please bring your family, friends, and coworkers!
September 5, 2012, 6-8pm
PHC Northwest
5312 NE 148th Ave
Portland, OR 97230
FREE ADMISSION.
RSVP at 503.261.1266 or on our online registration.
How to get to PHC on TriMet:
From the NE 82nd Ave MAX Station, board 77 Broadway-Halsey to Troutdale. Get off at NE Halsey & 102nd then walk to NE 102nd and Weidler. Board 87 Airport Way/181st to Gresham TC. Get off at NE 148th and Airport Way. You will arrive at PHC Northwest. We are a stop on this route.
Download the event flyer here and help us spread the word!!
PHC Northwest will be a major contributor to the General Services Administration’s efforts to obtain LEED Platinum certification at the 911 Federal Building located in Northeast Portland. The nationally recognized LEED Program is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council and provides a third party audit and official recognition of sustainability efforts. If GSA is successful, the building will be the first federal building in the nation to achieve the Platinum status.
In case you haven’t done much exploring of the LEED certification program, the USGBC gives it the following introduction:
“LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is redefining the way we think about the places where we live, work and learn. As an internationally recognized mark of excellence, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.”
There are several criteria taken into consideration to receive this award, including janitorial and grounds maintenance practices. PHC will provide initial and ongoing documentation regarding the consumables, vendors, practices, and equipment we use in providing janitorial and landscape services at the 911 Federal Building. Not only do we prioritize doing business with companies that specialize in environmentally friendly cleaning agents and products, but we also incorporate green cleaning practices into our training programs at Beyond Limitations Career School. These efforts represent approximately one third of the total score.
This is not the first customer that we have worked with to raise the bar on environmental standards. We have also been instrumental in the success of GSA’s Seattle locations in obtaining their LEED certification, as well as the Port of Portland’s increased focus on environmental sustainability, performing waste audit programs that have drastically limited the amount of waste the Port generates.
PHC encourages all customers to participate in the LEED certification process. Here’s how to get started:
1. Visit the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED website. There’s lots of information available about the program, and you can read project case studies to see just how businesses are benefitting from obtaining a LEED certification.
2. Explore the Rating Systems. There are a variety of systems to fit your business.
3. Register your project, prepare your application, and submit.
4. Let PHC Northwest know that you’re preparing to complete the LEED certification program. We’ll be happy to provide you all the documentation and services you need to complete the process as quickly and efficiently as possible.
For more information about our experience with the LEED program, please contact Donna Murphy at donna@phcnw.com.
In a recent article written by analyst Ashley Halligan of Software Advice, Ashley presents some recent, high profile examples of just what people with disabilities are doing in today’s workplace. From federal government to private sector, more employers are recognizing the value in providing opportunities for people with disabilities to be gainfully employed. According to Halligan’s sources, one in five Americans has a disability and half of those individuals are unemployed. If the staggering statistic alone isn’t enough to grab the attention of employers, Halligan underscores a just a few of the many benefits we see to hiring for diversity.
Here are Halligan’s top five reasons, to which we added a few of our own personal experiences.
1. “There could be financial incentives.” Yes, tax credits do exist for businesses that employ people with disabilities. More importantly, according to New York Makes Work Play, 92% of people surveyed indicated that they are more likely to patronize businesses who hire people with disabilities. Another interesting fact: Studies show that for every one person with a disability who patronizes a business, they bring along an average of 5 friends and family.
2. “Turnover is lower.” Absolutely true. In fact, to prove our point, keep your eyes peeled for two employee stories coming your way right here on the PHC Official Blog. One employee has been here since 1978, and the other is retiring this week after 16 years with PHC Northwest.
3. “Performance is higher and absenteeism is lower.” Also true. Watch this video featuring the superintendent of Rainier School District to hear a story from right here at PHC.
4. “It demonstrates Corporate Social Responsibility.” As with environmental issues and diversity hiring, employing people with disabilities is just plain good sense. As the single largest minority group in the country, you’re missing out if your hiring practices don’t include a plan to outreach specifically to this group. You can read about PHC’s corporate responsibility initiatives to get ideas for how to spell out your commitment to hiring individuals with disabilities.
5. “Tap a pool of trained individuals.” Just like with any other group of individuals, people with disabilities possess unique skills and talents that may not be found anywhere else and could be what your business needs to reach that next milestone. In fact, we’re just about to work with our customers at the 911 Federal Building here in Portland to obtain the Platinum LEED certification. If they win this honor they will be the first in the nation. How’s that for milestone?
Don’t miss Ashley’s article and the success stories from major employers of people with disabilities. Also check out the rest of our blog for more personal stories that we hope will show you that employing a person with a disability means more than just doing something nice for someone else; it’s giving a person the opportunity to be a contributor to society.
