Straight Talk – an ISSA Podcast

Sustainability is no longer limited to environmental responsibility. For today’s professional cleaning organizations, it is increasingly connected to efficiency, customer value, risk management, regulatory readiness, and long-term business resilience.

Laura Craven joins ISSA as Vice President of Marketing and Communications, bringing years of industry leadership and a passion for building strong member relationships. 

Insurance has always been about managing risk, but many restoration professionals believe the claims process has become increasingly difficult to navigate. 

For decades, the restoration industry has played a critical role in helping property owners recover from water damage, fire losses, mold contamination, storm events, and other disasters. Yet despite its specialized expertise, restoration has never had its own dedicated federal industry classification. That may soon change.

Artificial intelligence isn't just changing how service companies operate. It's changing how customers buy. Companies that rely on outdated sales tactics or slow follow-up may lose business before they even know they were being considered.

Growth is exciting. More customers, more employees, more trucks on the road all look like success. But behind that growth, many building service contractors are discovering a harder truth: revenue doesn't automatically translate into profit.

As ISSA President, Laurie Sewell has had the opportunity to connect with professionals from every corner of the cleaning and facility solutions industry. 

AI is transforming the workplace, but is it also changing the way employees think?

At just 12 years old, Olivia Haynes accomplished something few people in the restoration industry can claim: She has earned dual IICRC certifications in Water Damage Restoration (WRT) and Applied Structural Drying (ASD). 

What does it take to build a cleaning company that thrives for more than 40 years? See how KB Building Services made it all work. 

Disaster preparedness doesn't begin when the storm arrives—it starts long before the first warning is issued.

In this episode, Allen Rathey, founder and executive director of the Indoor Exposure Index (INDEX), discusses why ISSA's leadership role within the Healthy Buildings Workgroup through WELL could help elevate the cleaning industry's influence in the broader conversation about occupant health, wellness, and building performance.

How much does your facility really spend on cleaning—and are you measuring real costs?

Can AI really help cleaning companies hire better employees—or is it just another overhyped technology?

What does it take to build a restoration company that stands the test of time?

What does it take to build a restoration company that scales across multiple states while maintaining a strong culture and family foundation?

Krystie Reeves, the owner of BioteamAZ, shares the story behind the company’s growth from a family-owned startup to a statewide provider of biohazard remediation, trauma cleanup, and specialty restoration services. 

Artificial intelligence is no longer the shiny new toy it was a year or two ago. Most business owners have experimented with it, many use it daily, and some are already building AI-powered workflows into their operations. As adoption has matured, so have the mistakes.

But they won't save a business that doesn't know its numbers.