ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, recently announced that members of the Australian-based Specialized Cleaning & Restoration Industry Association (SCRIA) have voted to merge with ISSA. Under the agreement, SCRIA members will retain their SCRIA memberships on a local level while their benefits will expand to include ISSA membership benefits, including enhanced market exposure, networking opportunities, business tools and data, expanded training and education, and industry information. SCRIA members will also have the resource of a local management office within ISSA’s Oceania division, which is based in Botany, Australia.
“The merger with SCRIA represents an exciting step toward fulfilling ISSA’s mission to change the way the world views cleaning—particularly in our recently established Oceania region,” said John Barrett, ISSA executive director. “We are delighted and proud to partner with SCRIA members to help them achieve their bigger-picture goals to bring about progress within their industry.”
Gidon Kabaker, SCRIA president, added, “This is the step forward that SCRIA and its members needed. The carpet care and restoration industry is going through a very challenging time now, and we need to band together to bring about change toward a self-regulated industry. I believe our merger with ISSA will help us achieve that. SCRIA board members are committed to working closely with ISSA Oceania Manager Kim Taranto and see this as a fantastic opportunity to contribute positively to the value our members receive and to the carpet and restoration industry overall. With power in numbers and a professional management staff assisting us with operations, the SCRIA board and its members will be able to achieve so much more. This opportunity couldn’t have come at a better time.”
SCRIA has already commissioned ISSA’s staff to provide administrative support, and transition from the former office to the ISSA Oceania office will take place over the next few weeks. The ISSA-SCRIA merger will also include a calendar of events schedule, offering regional meetings and increased training workshops throughout the year, and an update to the SCRIA website.
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