“Most of our employees come from referrals of current employees; they love their job here and want to help a friend or neighbor seeking work.”

Today we have the pleasure of interviewing a hall of famer! Diana Richards, CEO of Vacuum Systems International, Inc. was installed into the Vacuum Cleaner Hall of Fame entering into the ranks of the inventor of the vacuum cleaner and Mr. Kirby, Mr. Hoover and Mr. Oreck. You may be surprised that there is a vacuum cleaner hall of fame, but being installed is no small feat!

Vacuum Systems International, Inc. has saved over 15,000,000 lbs of waste from entering our landfills by simply doing their job – remanufacturing vacuums. VSI is a support program for corporations that own thousands of commercial vacuum cleaners. They provide call center support for minor maintenance issues and save their clients from purchasing new equipment through their remanufacturing and rotation program.

MO:
First of all, congrats on the hall of fame, that is truly amazing! When you started Vacuum Systems International, Inc. in 1994 was saving over 15,000,000 lbs. of waste from being thrown into landfills part of the plan?

Diana:
No, not at all; I wanted to help Specialty Retail Stores manage the vacuum cleaner that is kept onsite to clean the store at closing. The idea came to me working in a vacuum cleaner store in Cleveland. I owned a vacuum cleaner store in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years; but never had malls nearby. Many retail employees were coming in with broken vacuum cleaners; I quickly learned they did not know how to change a belt or clean a clogged hose; something very simple that could have been handled onsite. Fortunately, a retail chain contacted one of the stores seeking help with their vacuum cleaner maintenance; I started the company after that meeting.

MO:
Your Call Center has a 29% success rate for solving the problem onsite. This obviously means you have high quality employees staffing this center. Can you give our readers any advice on hiring the right people?

Diana:
We have been very fortunate to find good people. Most of our employees come from referrals of current employees; they love their job here and want to help a friend or neighbor seeking work. Our current employee is saying to VSI ‘I know and trust this person I am recommending’. It also creates a great energy when employees are friends even before they work together.

MO:
VSI mainly works with specialty retail corporations. Can you give us the quick pitch of why you would tell a corporation they should work with VSI?

Diana:
Vacuum Systems International, Inc. can remanufacture all makes and models of commercial vacuum cleaners. We do not go into a new client and say ‘you need to replace your vacuum cleaners’. Whatever they own, our Call Center can support and our technicians can remanufacture. You are partnering with a Company that has worked with manufacturers to change the design of their equipment to make it sturdier and have better performance long term. Our staff’s main purpose is to keep your onsite vacuum cleaner in good working condition.

MO:
This month you now have clients in 13 European and Asian countries. Can you speak to what it is like doing business abroad and what the biggest challenge has been in doing so thus far?

Diana:
This definitely has been a learning experience! Many of the countries have different electrical plugs, regulations and standards; we have to take it one country at a time. Our vendor partners have been a tremendous help; and my brother is a worldwide businessman; he found information for us to sort out the information that was required by each country.

MO:
You have now been in business for over 17 years. What direction do you see VSI taking in the next 17 years?

Diana:
We are very excited about the future here at VSI! We definitely want to create a much larger footprint in Europe and Asia. The retail segment has been so successful with regards to becoming such an environmental benefit; I have always wanted to move into the residential market. The residential consumer needs to know that ‘commercial’ vacuum cleaners are sturdier, more efficient and easier to maintain and will last many more years than any residential unit. Commercial does not mean expensive, heavy or complicated; most units are much easier to use than the residential units. They can have it remanufactured just like our commercial customers. Imagine changing the mindset of throwing vacuum cleaners away; it would save billions of pounds of waste in our landfills and it can be done by just changing the way you make a purchasing decision.

MO:
I know that you normally work with the maintenance of vacuums for large corporations, but I have to ask. Can you offer any advice to the readers on how to better maintain their home vacuum so they can save repurchasing for a few more years?

Diana:
To go back to question number 5, be aware of what you are purchasing. Do not ‘buy into’ marketing that promises ‘no clogs’ or ‘new engineering’. Vacuum cleaners all work on a basic system; a motor that pulls or throws dirt into either a paper or cloth bag or a plastic container.

Number one – understand your cleaning needs; kids, dogs, cats, stairs, etc. If you have all of the above, you need a ‘direct flow’ vacuum cleaner. It is very simple to find one – is the belt in the middle or on the side. Sanitaire, made by Electrolux, is the very best direct flow vacuum cleaner and I promise it will clean your carpet. If you have tile or wood in addition to carpet, purchase a small canister to do the cleaning; and entire above floor dusting. This is the system I have always had in my home (Sanitaire SC886 with a Mighty Mite canister).

Allergies in your home, I would recommend a Bypass (belt on the side) directs the dirt into a hose and is always a ‘hard case’ unit. These units are good for a home with allergies because of the filtering system; they may also have a HEPA filter. Bypass units can have attachments on the housing for above floor cleaning.

Number two – take care of what you have now, clean the filters, change the belt and remove any debris from the hose and agitator. I recently was in a spa and mentioned that I owned a vacuum cleaner company. Questions started coming at me left and right from the other customers and the spa employees; many had never changed the belt on their vacuum cleaner even though it was years old. Belts are rubber; they wear and lose efficiency skipping over dirt. I recommend changing it every month. Paper bags should be change when ½ full and dirt cups (No bags); dump the cup and clean the filter after every use.

Just to mention; VSI does sell to the residential customer and we take all credit cards! Why not purchase what is working for thousands of retail stores? Just call 216-642-8778 (Kent Kinzer or Diana Richards) and tell us a little about your home; we will recommend the best vacuum cleaner for your home.