The start of another new year is nearly upon us. While many prognosticators of doom predict the world as we know it will cease to exist in 2012, none of us can afford to fold up shop and take an extended vacation while preparing for the end of days. Instead, we have to look ahead and chart the best course toward a prosperous future.

The coming year will mark a new beginning for Cleaner, a new beginning that actually starts with this issue, my first as editor. Ted Rulseh served at the helm of this publication for 11 years, producing a fine product and building a strong rapport with drain cleaning professionals and equipment manufacturers across the country. I hope to build on that and make Cleaner an even greater resource for the hardworking businesspeople of this industry.

I come to Cleaner with well over a decade in the news business, including coverage of water and wastewater issues across many municipalities. I’ve reported on everything from flooded storm sewers and failing lift stations to the expansion of infrastructure to support new development and the planning and construction of a new $25 million wastewater treatment facility in my hometown.

Ultimately, taking over the reins of this publication requires me to learn a great deal more about the drain cleaning business and environmental services industries, just as operating your own business requires you to continually learn about new techniques, products and services. That meshes with the theme of this issue of Cleaner: Chemical and Mechanical Root Control, Franchises and Education.

In this issue, Jim Aanderud of Innerline Engineering lends his voice to the Tech Perspective feature, explaining the critical importance of properly training and educating new members of your team. He explains that thorough and proper training is of utmost importance if operators are to successfully diagnose and resolve problems and properly represent your company to customers. Good companies, as Aanderud notes, invest heavily in training because it has a huge impact on the bottom line.

Blood Hound Underground, profiled on page 28, attributes its success to – among other things – investing in technology and employing rigorous training and quality control programs. Since the company is based on one primary service – underground locating – they have to do it extremely well, according to company president Mark Mason. The company prides itself on thorough training, with all technicians certified at Staking University in Manteno, Ill., a training facility for subsurface utility locating practices. Most of the company’s training is so specific, however, that Blood Hound creates about 90 percent of its own training materials. There is also extensive safety training, which has helped form business relationships with companies where contractor safety is critical.

The key with Blood Hound and other successful companies is the emphasis they put on training and continuing education. Without continuing education, we all stagnate, and that’s bad for business.

Of course, training and education isn’t just for the technicians in the field. Business owners and managers need to constantly add to their knowledge and skill bases in order to move their companies forward and get the most from their people and equipment. Continuing education, cited by many successful industry professionals as the lynchpin to continued success, can take many forms. Coursework in finance or business management at the local community college can help you grow from a great plumber to a great business owner or manager, and the growth of online courses makes it even easier to further your education.

Webinars and trade show seminars are also great opportunities to expand your knowledge base. The 2012 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo, to be held Feb. 27 to March 1 in Indianapolis, Ind., is an outstanding opportunity for professionals across the environmental services industries to come together, learn from their peers and get a first look at the newest and best products on the market. It is also a tremendous learning opportunity.

Many of you have attended the Expo in the past. Others, much like myself, are looking forward to their first trip to the industry’s largest trade show. I am most looking forward to the opportunity to get to know you, the contractors and manufacturers who form the backbone of this industry.

As we move forward, we will try to cover more of the pertinent stories that shape the industry, more of the news that will define the future of the industry, and more of the business and financial advice that will help you establish and maintain your place in the industry.

Hopefully this magazine can be a part of the education for you and your team.

Here’s to 2012 and new opportunities.