Ask any window cleaner specializing in high rise and other large commercial buildings what they think building owners and facility managers expect of them and they’ll tick off a litany of things - from clean glass to insurance coverage. However, American Window Cleaner Magazine wanted to hear it first hand, and although what we learned pretty much mirrored the window cleaners’ perspective, those on the other side of the glass offered an interesting insight into their thinking.... 

In 1929, Kellogg’s and Post were engaged in a heated battle to conquer the breakfast cereal market. But then, an unexpected twist of fate threw both companies for a loop: the Great Depression. Kellogg’s made the decision to ramp up its advertising and continue its push to become the preferred consumer brand – Post, fearing tough economic times ahead, opted instead to slash expenses, starting with advertising. Most people know how the story ends: Kellogg’s leapfrogged Post in the market and has maintained a dominant position ever since....

“Just wait ‘till Mr. Anthony comes,” my father and I told each other when money was tight. Our far-fetched fantasy was based on a popular TV show from the 60’s entitled: “The Millionaire." In that fictional world, each week an off-camera-philanthropist sent the dapper Mr. A. to assign a stranger a special task. If they successfully completed it, their reward would be “a Cashier’s Check for one million dollars.” On Wednesday, December 3, 2008, the FOX network launched a new unscripted series, called – are you ready? “Secret Millionaire.” It seems the hope for millions lives on and on....

This is not pleasing music to the ears of window cleaners but self-cleaning windows as slick as water running off a frog’s back, are on the market, and will likely be the wave of the future. It’s hard to imagine glass that doesn’t need washing to get it clean, but it’s here. Only sunlight and rain are necessary. PPG Industries and Pilkington North America have been making the glass since early this decade and it’s selling, not like hot cakes, but it’s moving out the door...