Parker Moore joined IH Services, a South Carolina cleaning and facilities management company, in 1987 as a salesman, and later advanced to his current position of vice president of contract compliance. After joining BSCAI in the late 90s, Parker attained his CBSE certification, and he has been active in the association as a current board member, committee member and presenter. Here, Parker describes his history in the BSC industry, along with his thoughts on the future of the industry and what he values most about his BSCAI membership.

1. How did you get your start in the BSC industry?
   
   I was hired as the first salesperson for IH Services. At the time, IH was looking to expand its business and I was interested in changing professions. Before they let me start selling, they thought it important that I get some training in the cleaning industry, so they put me in a textile facility as the Site Manager. We had 33 employees at this facility performing janitorial and machine cleaning and ran 24/7. It was very difficult at first, but it did provide the knowledge I needed to talk to prospective customers and the understanding of what the front-line personnel go through on a day-to-day basis.
    
2. What changes or trends do you suggest professionals in this space keep an eye on in the year ahead? 
   
   At IH Services, we have found that third-party companies are becoming more active in the cleaning industry. First, third-party qualifiers (ISNetworld, Avetta, Browse, etc.) that set safety and other standards to qualify BSCs to do business with a customer, is on the increase. All of these qualifiers charge a fee to the BSC for this service and several of the fees charged are very substantial. In some cases, the amount charged is based not on the size of the contract, but on the size of your company. Second, third-party facility management companies (JLL, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, etc.) are continually adding more facilities and demanding lower pricing. We have also noted that more and more companies are bidding full facility maintenance contracts, of which janitorial cleaning is just one of the parts.  
    
3. What do you value most about your BSCAI membership? 
   
   Membership in the BSCAI provides value in a number of ways. Membership in the organization is a way to learn, build and grow your business. The many educational opportunities provided online and at the seminars and conferences throughout the year give members first-hand information on how to run their business successfully and what is new, up-and-coming or trend-setting in the cleaning industry. The RBSM and CBSE individual certification programs offered by the BSCAI give each person in our industry the chance to differentiate him or herself from their peers. And, finally, the networking with other building service contractors is invaluable with better understanding our industry and learning from their successes and failures.