The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum
"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

Let me first respond with my apologies. As I said it was not my intention to offend. I can understand how my view, and post could be taken that way and for that I apologize.

Let me be clear that I was not condemning anyone. The gathering and organizing of information is a difficult and time-consuming task. You are right that here on one site there is more information on the subject of roof cleaning than anywhere else. You and the other members of this board do have, and have shared a great deal of knowledge and it is appreciated greatly by others including myself. As I also said, the information that can be gathered here is of great value and I would be willing to pay for it. My biggest point is that as a complete outsider I never would have known that there was such a great wealth of knowledge to be had here, had I never been able to see what was being offered. I have been to other forums and sites that are a complete waste of time. That is not the case here and I appreciate the opportunity to be here and learn.

“We shall see if you are here to learn and grow or to be boisterous of your former positions held with employers in BIG business (we all know who they really care about) and we will see if that doesn't give you some entitlement to instantly EARN respect here on the RCIA?”

I would like to say to this point that I am not formerly holding a position. I am currently holding a position. I cannot speak for all BIG business in saying what they care about. However I will defend my current employer as they are a family owned and operated business that has gotten to where they are by serving the needs of their customers and their employees first. The fact that they do such large amounts in sales is a result of that practice. We did $260,000.00 in no charge work last year making sure that our customers got what they paid for. No questions asked. The reason that I am considering starting my own company is that for personal reasons I must relocate farther north than will allow me to continue working for them. It is my hope that I can follow the examples that they set. Offing a smaller community the same practices and ideals.

I assure you that I am here to learn and grow. However I currently have nothing to offer this community in the way of experience about roof cleaning. I can see what’s going on in this community though and believe that you as the RCIA will accomplish your goals. Since I have nothing to advance that mission in terms of knowledgeable information on roof cleaning, I say nothing on the subject. However not wanting to just come here gather what I want and not be a part of the effort to advance this community is not my nature either. There for I offered my thoughts honestly where I think they might be of assistance. I understand that respect is earned and at this point would not presume to have any. I also don’t believe that I will ever earn any by not contributing where I can. So far all I have felt might be of any assistance is to give you an honest view of how someone that is not invested in the roof cleaning trade at this point see’s things and why someone such as myself would join and pay to be a part.

If I do endeavor to start my own company I will be proud if I’m able to earn an endorsement by the RCIA and listed as a certified contractor for roof cleaning services on this site. I will also be grateful for any support I am able to get as I know full well how hard and how much work it is to be successful.

By the way you should be proud of what you have accomplished in filling the needs of this niche. Until now I did not know how much could be involved in cleaning a roof. And something that if I do start a roofing company may very well be something I chose to subcontract through a member of the RCIA. Or at least point my customers to in order to have there needs met. Another reason that members of the RCIA should be searchable by area and have their contact information readily available to all.

Thank you for allowing me to voice my thoughts and opinions. I will try to holster my guns in future posts. Being unabashed is likely my greatest weakness.

Thank you Chris, and Thank you Dave. I am glad to be here.

Roof Clean USA Georgia 229-227-0000 wrote:

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Chris from Apple Roof Cleaning said:

" We WILL be having a serious discussion at the TAMPA Roundtable
AC Lockyer of Mallard Systems has some great Idea's - and so do some others.
Dave and I will be looking and listening to all of them.

This is ONLY my personal opinion Guys - and i speak ONLY for myself here.

But I am leaning towards a CLOSED and  PAID Forum.

And when I sat Closed I MEAN Closed .

It will cost MONEY to see our Cards IF I have MY way.

There is MUCH more I could teach everyone, and I KNOW I speak for Dave Mike Jeff AC and several other "rank and file" RCIA Members as well.
But we are reluctant to lay bare our roof cleaning pearls.

MUCH will be discussed in Tampa at the Roundtable

From THAT discussion - ideas will be brought forth to our Members.

And more discussion will follow.

YOU guys are IN on the ground floor of something that may be BIGGER then we know ?"

Dave from Roof Clean USA said:

I have started a new thread specifically for this topic with a POLL.

I personally want this board CLOSED to my local competition and to others who seek to gain all we veterans freely share, without contribution.

Much time, money, blood, sweat and tears have been paid to share the roof cleaning experience offered here for ZERO investment or commitment.

I have personally given much away for free and have , until now done so with a cheerful heart, in the spirit of community and sharing and it is nice to volunteer this info and time.

I am all for helping out the other guy, sharing ideas, etc.

Some but not all .

I too have MUCH more to offer in terms of ideas and counsel and training but WILL not be sharing much more in terms of the LEVEL of Detail I have shared in the PAST.

Over the past year, the work and time I have personally committed here to the RCIA has taken me away from family, activities, and events I would have otherwise attended or been a part of. I have and will continue to help and dedicate time and resources top the foum and its members but things need to change.

I can build some of the best cleaning trucks, trailers and flatbed roof and pressure cleaning platforms from which to work from and have a huge library of pictures. Some other areas of MY AREAS of expertise are in marketing, sales, demographic and customer tracking and lead generation, web and internet commerce and development, SEO optimimazation plus MUCH more.

I continue to put and have put in and invested HUNDREDS of manhours toward the progress of the Roof Cleaning Institute Of America by answering phone calls, e-mails, countless questions and posting VERY SPECIFIC roof cleaning knowledge and expertise.

I am TIRED of the level of disrespect some show here that think they can get EVERYTHING for NOTHING.

It isn't fair. Myself , Chris, or any others in RCIA ADMIN. are not being paid a dime for time and knowledge and as a volunteer here on the RCIA.

We have received minimal donations recently and for that we are appreciative so we could begin to realize the RCIA future in the industry.

MUCH more time, effort, and more will be required in order to get to the level of industry credibility we need to be at to effect long term positive change in our industry for ALL of us.

There is much work to be done and we must look to the future of this industry of roof cleaning.

I am ready for the next step and feel it is time for all to step up and be heard.

What is your views. Have you gained from this board? Have we VETERANS helped some of you who have joined the RCIA? If so, VOTE and voice your opinions here in THIS THREAD.

Where do some of you who CARE about this industry and this RCIA forum want to see it go?

Let ALL of US know. Take the time to post about this here.

Respectfully Submitted,

David W.

"The JOURNEY of a THOUSAND MILES begins with the FIRST STEP"- Oriental Proverb

 

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Newbie Wrote:

i am new to the site and all of the information i have learned is great i am in the process of restructuring my business to include roof cleaning. With all the information I would be willing to pay to join and would/will when business is restructured  By the way i want to thank STL guy for helping me out by answering questions  

 

-- Edited by Roof Clean USA Georgia 229-227-0000 on Monday 4th of May 2009 02:29:06 AM

GreatWhiteTechnologies wrote:

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9 hours since my last post and still only 15 votes. If you truely care then you need to vote. I keep posting to get this back up to the top so we get more people to vote.

There are 482 members. You can either get on the wagon or be left in the ditch like excess baggage on a Oregon bound wagon.

It is real easy even though I managed to screw it up. LOL Just go to the top of the page and make your selection.

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  Maybe they would vote if they were told all non-voters would be closed to the forum

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Long Island New York (631) 220 6985 on Monday 4th of May 2009 09:43:57 PM

Sorry, I thought I cast my vote over the weekend

I also agree with many others that this site should be closed and paid. Everyone has a great thing with this site and losing it to non-dedicated individuals would be a shame. I know I am extremely green with roof cleaning and all that is involved, but I look forward to learning more.

I think it's important to develop a process on how to incorporate new members so the the ideas/innovations stay fresh.

Off to more reading, Thanks Everyone!

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:

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Kryptic speaks some truth.
We DO need to organize the information a little better ?
And the organizations that he belongs to I am familiar with.
They have a mind boggling wealth of info.
We are a New Forum with "growing pains"

Nice to have you here Kryptic

 

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This guy really knew what he was talking about and we have learned a lot since these posts.  I wish we would have listened to ideas like this earlier on.

Thanks keep the opinions cumming, we only stopped talking about this because Dave tried to go and do it on his own and caused a huge rift between many members. I was with his thinking at first, but he has proven himself to be a poor leader, he is the reason we did not attend last years round-table and I had to take the heat and inform the members as he would not!! We want to give you something more than a closed forum, we want to give you a nationwide recognized standard shared by all industry leaders!! Chris has made ties with real leader like AC Lockyer and Ron Musgraves for years. Now it's time to cash in the chips and call in the favors. We are meeting with the leaders in cleaning certifications at the round-table!!

Well if anyone cares, here is my two cents.

I think there should be a small area open to the public.

Areas like the state by state listing, a place for us to show of our work, and a place for newcomers to interact with vets before joining the "inside".
Chris already has it set-up for student apprentice, etc. So the don't get access to the inside for 50 posts or something.

The rest of the site should be closed to the public.
There should be areas for roof cleaning only, a section for the types of work we "add-on", and area for vendors, and an area for special events.
And when I say an area for vendors I mean specifically a directory or RCIA approed "we know these guys know there stuff and won't rip you off" vendors.

For me personally the forums has become somewhat of the Ron Musgraves show as he is posting frantically in every post promoting his agenda, er our show.
I think he should be able to promote it openly... Just limit it to a thread or three, lol.

Anyway,

I think that Certification could/should cost something. $100 seems fair.
Annual dues of say $50.00 seems fair.
A sticker or two should be free, others should cost.
A t-shirt should be free, others should cost.
And perhaps Chris might look into some kind of banner ad charge deal or something for all the link juice this site gives our sites, maybe.

I agree it needs better orginization. So much so that I am willing to volunteer to be on the team to sort through it and put together some ideas for a more defined "curriculum" if the masses should want such a thing.

I have learned a ton here. But then I enjoy research, some don't.

I was glad it was easy to join and easy to learn if I put in the time, but honestly...
It is a bit too easy. Theres nothing but integrity to keep someone from coming here, grabbing a wealth of info and becoming a competitor without RCIA benefiting at all.

I speak from Florida where you can find no less than 10 "no-pressure" roof cleaners in my county alone. If they're RCIA guys, I won't compete. I'll bid it fairly and if asked if I can "beat" a fellow RCIA'ers price I'll say. "Nope, that's a good price and they do good work"
It needs to be a bit more exclusive in my opinion. We can help each other out when we all work together and use similar techniques, equipment, and pricing structures.
If we don't then why are we here?

End of my rambling.

I support a paid membership and Forum.