Vancouver, WA, March 2, 2006--The Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) today announced the registration of its 100,000th technician.
Patti Moorman, of ServiceMaster of Story County from Ames, IA, received her certification in Fire and Smoke Restoration on February 10, 2006. Sandy Bowles was her instructor at a course held in Rochester, MN. IICRC president Carey Vermeulen called Patti to congratulate her and plans are being made to present her with a commemorative plaque to honor her for the accomplishment.
Since 1972, the IICRC has been committed to increasing the professionalism of the cleaning and restoration industries and ensuring that the message resonates with technicians across the globe.
According to Barry Lichtenstein, IICRC registrant standards committee chair, in its first 17 years of existence, the IICRC certified approximately 5,000 technicians. In the next 17 years, approximately 95,000 technicians were certified. “Since the start of the IICRC, we have increased registrants tenfold and number 100,000 is a significant milestone for us,” said Lichtenstein. “This shows the value and opportunity IICRC certification represents to technicians and the impact on the industry as a whole. Education is one of the most important aspects of this business and industry professionals clearly understand that.”
As the cleaning and restoration trade has grown, the IICRC has expanded its course and certification offerings, reaching locations around the world. From the first certification, a “Certificate of Proficiency,” to the most recent, Leather Cleaning Technician, the IICRC has strived to offer its registrants the most up-to-date technical education as well as to provide tools to help grow their businesses. Currently, the IICRC maintains two Web sites, www.iicrc.org for registrants and professionals, as well as a site for referrals and consumer education, (certifiedcleaners.org). Today, the IICRC offers 21 separate certification categories including carpet cleaning, rug cleaning, water and fire damage restoration, fabric cleaning, hard surface cleaning and several inspection categories.
The first instructor for the IICRC was Ron Toney in 1972, followed shortly thereafter by Jeff Bishop and Tom Hill. All three continue to teach IICRC-approved courses today, and remain active within the organization. Over one third of all the 100,000 registrants ever certified through the IICRC continue to keep their certifications current by taking continuing education courses and gaining more knowledge about their industry.
“It’s great to see that individuals are genuinely interested in their education,” says Hill, IICRC’s executive administrator. “It makes what the IICRC does that much more important. Registering the 100,000th technician signifies that the IICRC is a respected organization, and hopefully, we’ll be adding our 200,000th registrant very soon.”
