ABM raising the bar for janitorial excellence.

Now more than ever it is critical to have service providers who understand the corporate and ownership mindset, because when it comes to attracting and retaining tenants, superior building maintenance can make all the difference.

ABM of New York has assembled the finest management team in the business, with extensive experience and deep talent both nationally and locally, providing the highest quality services.

The diversity of the ABM talent base extends to prior experience in corporate and institutional management, in addition to building and asset management.

In pursuit of this goal, ABM of New York recently raised the bar for establishing quality standards in janitorial services by attaining the rare ISO 9001 Certification for their building maintenance operations at 31 West 52rid Street in Manhattan.

This achievement marks the first time a cleaning company operation has been so designated east of the Mississippi, and only the fourth such designation ever in the United States. ISO 9001 is rapidly becoming the most popular quality standard in the world, with thousands of companies adopting these customized standards as the ultimate mark of quality. ISO 9000 certification can be applied to all types of organizations, no matter their size or what they do.

The grueling standards, developed and customized to the particular industry or product produced, help organizations achieve standards of quality that are recognized and respected throughout the world.

American Building Maintenance of New York began the process of seeking ISO 9001 Certification (the type of ISO 9000 Certification designed for service based organizations) more than six months ago in conjunction with the management and ownership of 31 West 52nd Street, which is predominantly occupied by Deutsche Bank.

"The ISO 9000 Certification process requires a commitment from the top down and from the bottom up," explained Michael Copperstone, the Branch manager of American Building Maintenance who spearheaded the project. "The process is designed to create and maintain a property-specific customized plan that establishes a measurable level of quality and customer satisfaction."

Working within the ISO 9000 guidelines, ABM undertook over six months of staff training, client management meetings, inspections and results documentation to establish customized standards of excellence at the property.

The ISO 9001 standards were applied to not only janitorial services provided, but to all the other aspects of the overall building maintenance operation, including purchasing procedures, inventory control, cost controls, equipment maintenance, vendor selection and customer communication.

Dedication to quality service and customer satisfaction is our mentality at every one of our locations. When we were approached by the ownership about ISO 9001 Certification, we could think of no greater challenge to demonstrate our continued dedication to quality standards. The recent ISO 9001 Certification ABM achieved at 31 West 52nd Street is just the beginning, as the process involves six months of ongoing inspections and customer evaluations designed to insure that these quality standards are maintained. Subsequent bi-annual reviews will be conducted to maintain the certification.

While ISO 9001 Certification may not be cost-effective for some owners, working with ABM assures all of our customers benefit from the strict standards and dedication to quality services that this certification process assures.

National in scope, as well as locally committed, ABM is a financially robust public company that has deep resources. ABM's institutional structure insures the stability of constant corporate oversight, in addition to a culture of philanthropy that extends to local market civic and charitable involvement.

With over 65,000 employees, American Building Maintenance provides a wide range of cleaning services for a variety of facilities and clients, including office buildings, department stores, theaters, warehouses and educational institutions.

ABM's New York regional office operates throughout the five boroughs with a heavy concentration in Manhattan, and oversees satellite offices throughout Upstate New York, New England, New Jersey, Western Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

As the largest employer of 32BJ workers, ABM's New York City area hourly employees enjoy excellent benefits, the freest training and superior management/ employee relations, which translates to a workforce retention and satisfaction rate that guarantees the continuity and quality of ABM services.

SCOTT SALMIRS

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAN BUILDING MAINTENANCE