We know that our employees are some of the most talented people! So this year, we divided up our office into teams for the greatest competition ever – Nilfisk’s Got Talent. Teams were given a week to utilize the skills of their teammates and put together a 5 minute act to be performed in front of the whole office! The winning team was chosen by our very own in-house judge, Paul Miller, Vice President and General Manager of Nilfisk-Advance America Inc. Employees not only showed off their Nilfisk and industrial vacuum knowledge but broke out in song and dance and cracked a good joke while doing so!

Other events included:

• Stocking Stuffers: Every morning, employees were surprised with a special treat left by the Nilfisk Santa!
• Santa’s Baby Picture Guessing Game: Curious as to what fellow comrades looked like during their diaper days – Morgantown employees were challenged to match their fellow team members with the correct baby photos.
• Chili Cook-Off: Our talented in-house cooks put their homemade chili on the table for the ultimate office taste test!
• Also, we couldn’t forget our annual employee holiday luncheon and white elephant gift exchange.

Some of our favorite moments from Team Week 2011:

Say howdy to Bruce Gordon, our Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums District Manager responsible for solving industrial housekeeping challenges in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Louisiana! Bruce has been serving the southwest region of the country since 1999. He has worked closely with industrial manufacturers on their unique maintenance challenges to develop effective and efficient solutions for their dust and debris problems. Bruce is a long-time member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and is an active member of his local AIHA chapter in Rio Grande, AZ.

Bruce is traveling within the Lone Star State this week. If you are in the area and would like to know how he can help you, email him at Bruce.Gordon@nilfisk.com or call him at (602)820-1595. He would be more than happy to schedule a visit to your facility and take a closer look at your housekeeping challenges. Bruce is also offering a 10% discount (off your first vacuum order) to all our friends in the southwest region when you mention this blog post!

If you’re in town, remember to visit us in booth# 1915 and bring all your questions about industrial vacuum cleaners, contamination control, facility maintenance, and combustible dust! We will be showcasing our iconic Nilfisk GM80CR, our explosion-proof model 118EXP for combustible dust, and our ready and reliable S3 industrial vacuum cleaner.

This year, we proudly exhibit alongside our sister brands Viper, U.S. Products, Clarke, and Advance. Here’s a sneak peek at what Nilfisk-Advance Group has in store for you!

The ISSA/Interclean exhibit officially opens tomorrow, we look forward to seeing you there!

Tim Lucero, New England Region

Tim joined the Nilfisk team in late July and  is already supporting customers in the New England region with their dust and debris challenges. Tim holds a B. S. Degree in Business Administration from SUNY Brockport and has a strong background in Industrial Tool Sales. He was honorably discharged, having served in the USMC and is also a former Empire State Games Gold Medalist in Judo!  Tim resides in New York with his wife and 2 children. Tim can be reached on his cell phone @ 315-416-9213 or by email,  Timothy.Lucero@nilfisk.com

Jason Gaskill, Northwest

Jason joined us in late August and will be supporting the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Jason comes to Nilfisk with an impressive background and is currently pursuing a degree in Operations Management from the Oregon Institute of Technology in Portland. Jason is a lifelong resident of Oregon and takes full advantage of what the Pacific NW has to offer, including mountain biking, camping, kayaking, and hiking. Jason can be reached by phone at 206-683-7720 or email,  Jason.Gaskill@nilfisk.com.

Alex Scott holds her first lemonade stand!

reach. It was started by 4 year old Alex Scott, a cancer patient who wanted to raise funds to help her doctors find a cure for her cancer.  She decided on a lemonade stand in her front yard, and boy did she take the phrase, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” to a whole new level. That first year, she raised $2,000.

While bravely battling her own cancer, Alex continued to hold yearly lemonade stands in her front yard to benefit childhood cancer research. News spread of the remarkable sick child dedicated to helping other sick children. People from all over the world, moved by her story, held their own lemonade stands and donated the proceeds to Alex and her cause. 

In August of 2004, Alex passed away at the age of 8. At the time of her death, her efforts helped raise over $1 million to help find a cure for the disease that took her life. Alex’s family – including brothers Patrick, Eddie, and Joey – and supporters around the world, are committed to continuing her inspiring legacy through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. To date, the foundation has raised over $40 million, used towards cancer research, treatment, and a travel fund for those who have to travel to receive care.

Inspiring, huh? 

This year, Nilfisk’s Lemon Days will be held Wednesday, June 8th and Thursday, June 9th from 7:30am-1:30pm. The event will feature a lemonade stand in our company’s front lawn, filled with lemonade, lemon treats, and even a raffle to win a free Nilfisk GD10 Back Vacuum. The lemonade stand is open to the public, and we hope our new neighbors stop by for a refreshing treat and to tour our new headquarters here in Morgantown, PA. In addition, our employees will be treated to a kick-off BBQ and a silent auction. 100% of proceeds will be matched by our company and donated to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation!

For more information on Alex Scott and her beautiful legacy, visit www.AlexsLemonade.org. If you’d like to make a donation and help us find a cure, one cup at a time, please visit Nilfisk’s online donation page: http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/73180

“Nilfisk” was adopted as our company name by Danish founders, Nielsen and Fisker in 1906 as an abbreviation of their names. Coincidentally, “Nilfisk” in Danish means “fish of the nile” too! Many years later, it was discovered that Nilfisk vacuum cleaners actually have a lot in common with these amazing fish. I’ll just drop a few lines on members of the Nile fish family:

The labeo coubie, known as the vacuum cleaner of the Nile, lifts its food by powerful suction from the river bed. The syndontis schall uses its barbels like an extending hose to suck up food from hard-to-reach surfaces. Protopterus aethiopicus, the Lungfish, breathes air to function properly, just like the vacuum cleaner. The coincidences are astonishing! Finally, the mormyrops deliciosus with its long snout and wide jaws resembling early Nilfisk vacuums, ultimately becomes the inspiration for the Nilfisk company symbol (depicted above).

We have our very own Nilfisk nile fish at the Morgantown office, swimming over a museum of classic Nilfisk vacuums!