Dominic (Nick) Paolella, a founder of Jon-Don, passed away February 17, 2022. He was 86 years old. Paolella is survived by his wife of 58 years, Judi (nee Lininger), and their six children. In 1978 he founded janitorial supply company Jon-Don and was a fixture at restoration industry trade shows and events ever since. He received the Ralph Bloss Humanitarian Award in 2017 at The Experience Convention and Trade Show in recognition of his kindness. For more on Paolella’s extraordinary life, including quotes and a photo gallery, see this tribute from CMM's sister brand Cleanfax.
Businesses in many industries came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, and hotels were no exception. As the economy reopened and guests started checking in again, hotels quickly realized that sanitization must be held to a higher standard to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. New cleaning protocols to combat COVID-19 are expected to cost the hotel industry up to US$9 billion annually, according to a report from Hotel Asset Value Enhancement Inc., Consulting U.S. reports. These costs are linked to increased cleaning of rooms and public spaces, new supply costs, and reopening expenses. Housekeepers will be focusing on high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs and light switches. The daily process to change bedsheets will be revamped and require the use of electrostatic equipment. These new standards will lead to the average housekeeper taking an additional 507 minutes each week to clean guest rooms and 50% more time to clean public spaces. With the cleaning time increased per room, housekeepers will be using more cleaning products, driving up supply costs 30%. One-time reopening costs will add about $30,000 to the budget, with hotels purchasing hand sanitizer stations, plexiglass barriers, new signage, floor markers for social distancing, and other products, according to the report. Learn best practices for cleaning hotels to help keep guests and staff healthy and safe.
Charles O. Lane, a driving force in making National Sanitary Supply Co. a leader in the industry, passed away on December 10, 2019. Charles (Chuck) Lane worked at National Sanitary Supply for 35 years with his partner Bob Garber and his brother Tom Lane, an ISSA past president who currently serves on the ISSA Charities board of directors. Tom Lane remembers when National Sanitary Supply was sold. “In 1983 we sold the company, and at that time, the Lane family owned 50%. When we looked at the records, my mom Pearl Lane owned 24.75%, Chuck owned 13.1215%, and I owned 12.1312%. However, on the documents, Chuck changed the number by hand so that he had 12.6263% and I had 12.6263%. He wanted us to have equal shares.” Charles Lane was born to Edward and Pearl Lane on May 6, 1930 in Philadelphia. He attended Philadelphia’s Central High School, and in 1948 his family moved to Los Angeles. He attended UCLA, where he met his future wife, Ellen. They were married in February of 1952 and had three children, Robin, Jon, and Daniel. Prior to working at National Sanitary Supply, Charles Lane was a staff sergeant in the Army from 1952 to 1954. After his retirement, he and his wife moved to Palm Desert, California in 1999. He loved golf. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, brother, cousin, and friend. A memorial service was held on Sunday, December 15, at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City, California.