• Environment and nature - "We are developing products that are safe to use and have a minimal impact on our environment. Wool, for example, is not a friendly product because of its composition, dyeing, and cleaning. There are synthetic fibers that are better for the environment."

"If you dress for the economy, its best to mix and match your wardrobe. Also, its better for the environment because you are not having to dispose of your wardrobe."

The next time you visit a Damons, Donatos, Wendy's, or White Castle, just to mention a few, take a moment to check out the establishment's wallcoverings while waiting for your order.

Chances are you will see some of the "handiwork" of Stephanie Segall, regional sales manager for Singer Wallcoverings, who has done her best in the past five years to literally cover central Ohio with products handled by the Cincinnati-based company.

With company sales that have tripled in her area in three years, and two Salesperson of the Year awards adorning her walls, Segall appears to have the wallcoverings business in central Ohio, and to some degree outside the state, well under control. She's one of 15 sales representatives employed by the company to cover a seven-state area, and most of her time is spent working with facility managers.

Singer Wallcoverings distributes Koroseal and Vicrtex Wallcoverings, Walltalkers Dry Erase Wallcoverings, Korogard Wallprotection Systems, and Gossamer Steel. The company also is the exclusive distributor of all products manufactured by RJF international, which maintains a warehouse in Columbus.

About the time Segall joined Singer Wallcoverings, she also became a member of the central Ohio IFMA Chapter.

Since she would be dealing with facility supervisors in her new position, "I wanted to meet facility managers and learn what they did daily, what their responsibilities were, and how best to serve them. I needed to know what they wanted from their vendors."

She attacked IFMA as she had attacked her territory for her new company: With an unparalleled enthusiasm. During the time Segall has been an IFMA member, she has served as co-chair of the Education Committee for three years, co-chair of the Program Committee, as a member of the Community Service and Education committees, and is now filling the position as chapter secretary.

However, her area of considerable interest -and expertise-- in recent years has been as chair of the World Workplace Committee, which is responsible for getting chapter members set up for and off to the organization's national gathering, which this year is from September 23-25 in Kansas City. She also does her best to make sure the trip is enjoyable and educational for those who go.

"It takes over 100 hours to put everything together for the chapter at World Workplace," she said. "This includes such things as registrations, lining up hotels and making reservations, airlines and reservations, and rental car reservations. It can get crazy, but it's worth it."

Last year approximately 20 chapter members attended World Workplace 2000 in New Orleans where the chapter received an award for Web Communication. Segall said she hopes "everyone will go this year because we are finding some really cheap flights to Kansas City," but probably will settle for 30 or so to attend.

(Additional information about World Workplace 2001 may be found on the chapter's Web site.)

Segall is a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and a graduate of UCLA in interior design.

Before joining Singer Wallcoverings, Segall was a vice president-sales with Intaglio, a point-of-purchase manufacturer and decorative interior finisher. During her two years with the company, Segall had nationwide responsibilities and found herself on the road constantly dealing with major companies on product displays and retail design strategies. Her accounts included such companies as Dillard's, JCPenney, Ralph Lauren, Seagram, Lancôme, Microsoft, Starbucks Coffee, and Caribou Coffee.

It was during these travels that she learned of an opening with Singer Wallcoverings. She took the job and reduced her traveling by 90 percent. Segall now works out of her Powell home or her car. She also will soon begin training an assistant to help with the central Ohio territory.

In addition to her loyalty to IFMA, Segall is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the International Interior Design Association, and the American Society of Interior Designers.

She also is the mother of a seven-year-old-daughter, Hailey.

Sponsor Spotlight Ohio Custodial Maintenance

Remember John Tucker, the transplanted Sooner who wears two Buckeye hats?

Last month Tucker was the featured IFMA sponsor as president of his Ohio Support Services Corp., a central Ohio company that provides security officer services for companies in and around Columbus.

This month, Tucker is "wearing" his newer hat, that of president of the Ohio Custodial Maintenance Corp. (OCM), a "sister" company that has enjoyed 20 years of success in basically the same geographic area as its sibling.

Although later, OCM got its start in much the same way as Ohio Support Services: From clients who enjoyed and benefited from Tucker's attention to customer service and detail while serving in Columbus as a regional manager for International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT)'s Building Services Division. This was a $60 million a year division that was primarily contract cleaning.

When the ITT Building Services Division was sold in 1978, Tucker was urged to go it alone. Beginning with one client, the JCPenney Catalog Fulfillment Center on the far East Side of Columbus, Tucker started Ohio Support Services. (A report of his success with this company can be found in the March 2001 report in Newsletter Archives.)

Ironically, it was the Penney people who invited Tucker to bid on the cleaning and other housekeeping duties at the same facility, since he had been responsible for a 200-employee cleaning division while at ITT. It was a natural fit.

Today, OCM (also an IFMA sponsor) has 120 employees and such clients as Max & Erma's Restaurants' Corporate Office, the Capital University Law School, and the Columbus School for Girls. Clients include small operations where one employee is needed on a daily basis to larger operations that require 25 cleaners. The types of facilities vary but include offices, distribution and industrial facilities, institutions, and health care operations.

Throughout the past two decades, OCM has maintained its mission of providing clients with the most dependable, high-quality, cost-effective custodial services available.

Tucker said, "We view ourselves as an integral part of the daily operations in the companies we serve. We realize facility managers wear many hats. Our staff is dedicated to providing facility managers with the consistent service that frees them from custodial concerns and allows them to address their other responsibilities."

"In this time of very low unemployment in our geographic area, it is increasingly difficult to recruit, train, retain, and supervise good personnel. This is our expertise. This is what we do twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week."

Despite the problems brought on by the area's low unemployment, Tucker says his turnover rate, while high, is "nothing compared to many of my competitors in the cleaning business." He also has a core of long-term employees at each client location.

Tucker presents OCM as one of the top medium-size cleaning companies in central Ohio. He attributes the company's success to his five years of quality training received while with ITT, and to the ability to hire good people, give them the proper training for the facility in which they work, and provide them with good support and supervision.

Currently, OCM hires only one in 14 applicants. The company uses a variety of checks, including criminal background checks and drug testing, to ensure that only the most qualified people are assigned to sites.

Tucker said OCM is able to provide "a stable, well-trained work team for each client's facility because both hourly employees and supervisors are individually selected for and used at only one specific site. Furthermore, our pay rates and benefits allow us to attract and maintain quality personnel."

OCM promises its clients:

• A showcase appearance-a business atmosphere reflective of the client's professionalism and commitment to excellence.
• A pleasant and productive work environment-one that supports the well-being of the employees, making them feel good about themselves and their company.
• Professional, consistent custodial services-reliable and competent cleaning personnel supervised by fulltime on-site and field managers.
• Responsible management-professionals who will be there when needed, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
• Dependable program of quality assurance-daily inspections by supervisors as well as weekly inspections and program reviews by OCM management.
• Flexibility-the ability to meet needs on special occasions with additional personnel and scheduling.
• State-of-the-art approach-the latest technologies in equipment and supplies to save time and produce the best results.

Where does this put Tucker from a time standpoint in directing two companies: "Well, I'm not known for being home, but I only put in a 45- to 50-hour week at the office."

Tucker enjoys tennis, bowling, and jogging. He is also involved with several non-professional groups and organizations as well as the central Ohio IFMA Chapter.