Straight Talk – an ISSA Podcast
Straight Talk, an ISSA podcast, presents a curated playlist of the hottest topics facing the cleaning industry today—from health and safety to infection prevention to innovative products to business development and much more. ISSA, the worldwide cleaning association, brings together the top experts and decision makers give our listeners and members the most up-to-date information for their businesses.
Episodes
455 episodes
Spotless Spaces: How the American Museum of Natural History Sets the Standard for Clean
What does it take to maintain a world-class facility that welcomes millions of visitors each year—without missing a beat on cleanliness?In this conversation, ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross visits with Michael Freshour, the Facility Mana...
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5:39
Spotless Spaces: How Tampa International and Flagship Deliver Award-Winning Clean
What does it take to deliver award-winning cleanliness in one of the busiest environments imaginable—an airport serving millions of passengers each year?In this episode, ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross sits down with Derrick Deadwiler, S...
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7:15
The Playbook for How ISSA Is Redefining Facility Management
Facility managers are being asked to do more with less—tight budgets, rising expectations, staffing challenges, and increasing pressure around health, safety, and sustainability. It’s a tough balancing act, and the demands aren’t slowing down.<...
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16:32
Leading with Purpose: Two Industry Veterans on Vision, Integrity, and Staying Grounded
Learning to lead is a lot like learning to swim. You can stand at the pool's edge, listen to an instructor explain the strokes, understand the mechanics in your head, and then jump in and flounder anyway. The knowledge is one thing. The daily p...
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25:41
Build a Legacy Worth Leaving Behind
What does it mean to leave a meaningful impact on the next generation? In this episode, we explore leadership through the lens of legacy—focusing on integrity, mentorship, and the quiet influence of leading by example.
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8:51
The Obsolete Salesperson
For decades, outside salespeople were the backbone of B2B selling—driving from customer to customer, building relationships face-to-face, and growing business through personal connections. But in today’s changing sales environment, many leaders...
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12:16
AI Won’t Save You—But These Three Skills Might
Artificial intelligence is changing how business gets done—but success in the age of AI isn’t just about adopting new tools.
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26:16
Team Sport: How Medical and Cleaning Come Together
In healthcare, the conversation around cleanliness often focuses on protocols, products, and compliance—but what about the people on the front lines making critical decisions every day? It's time for the cleaning industry and healthcare to make...
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18:52
Beyond the Manual: The Hidden Work Behind IICRC Education
When technicians walk into an IICRC-approved class, they see a manual, a schedule, and an instructor at the front of the room. What they don't see is the years of industry experience, the hours of preparation, the careful classroom choreography...
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44:06
Building a Restoration Company the Old-Fashioned Way
Thomas Brennan wasn't planning a career in cleaning and restoration. He was just a high school kid looking for a way out of class early. Like most high school kids. But he had an escape plan. Here is his story that launched 30 years in business...
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18:56
The Technician Path to Ownership: How Two Techs Built Zerorez Companies
Listen to their story and how they now live their entrepreneurial dreams.
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17:48