RJB Properties, Inc., a minority-owned and operated janitorial services provider, announced today that it has reached a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in EEOC v. RJB Properties, Inc., et al., Case No. 10-cv-2001 (N.D. Ill.), to resolve remaining claims following the district court’s summary judgment ruling last year in RJB’s favor.

“Our client is very pleased with the settlement,” according to RJB attorney Peter Roeser of the law firmRoeser Bucheit & Graham LLC. “Although RJB was confident that it would ultimately prevail on the few claims that remained following its victory on summary judgment, it was able to settle those claims for a fraction of what the EEOC originally sought before the majority of its claims were dismissed on summary judgment.”

The EEOC originally filed suit against RJB Properties, Inc. in 2010, accusing the company of committing over 150 purported acts of national origin discrimination, harassment and retaliation against 20 Hispanic and two African-American employees. Among other things, the EEOC alleged that RJB discriminated against janitors by asking them to mop floors, shovel snow, remove garbage, by not providing overtime opportunities, and by not promoting employees for jobs to which they never applied.

At the close of discovery, RJB moved for summary judgment on the grounds that the complained of actions did not give rise to cognizable claims of employment discrimination, and that there was no evidence to indicate that they were in any way motivated by national origin. In April 2012, the district court issued a ruling rejecting the EEOC’s expansive interpretation of what constitutes employment discrimination under Title VII and finding that there was no evidence on most of the EEOC’s claims to indicate that the various employment actions were motivated by national origin discrimination. Among other things, the court entered judgment in favor of RJB on all of the EEOC’s claims for failure to promote, all of the EEOC’s failure to provide overtime claims, and twelve harassment claims. The court’s 120-page opinion dismissed over 130 acts of purported discrimination.

RJB Properties was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Orland Park, Illinois. It is a premier provider of janitorial services and facilities management services. RJB was represented by Peter Roeser, John Bucheit and Darrell Graham of the law firm Roeser Bucheit & Graham LLC, a Chicago-based business litigation firm with a substantial employment law practice.

Vanguard Cleaning Systems, a leading franchisor of commercial cleaning businesses, announced that it has added Tulsa, Oklahoma to its growing presence in the Southwest. The regional office will sell janitorial franchises which provide cleaning services to businesses throughout the greater Tulsa market. This is the first Vanguard office in the State of Oklahoma.

Owned and operated by Phillip Clark, the Tulsa officeis already open for business. “Phillip’s expertise and reputation stemming from his current offices in both Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri will be of great value to local businesses and franchisees in Tulsa,” said Mark Heisten, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, Vanguard Cleaning Systems. “We look forward to working with him and his team as they grow their business in the Southwestern U.S.”

Phillip opened his first Vanguard regional office inSpringdale, Arkansas June 2009 and Springfield, Missouri in January 2012. Vanguard Cleaning Systems of Tulsa is located at 1831 E. 71st Street, Tulsa, OK 74136. For information about Vanguard Cleaning Systems commercial cleaning services and franchise opportunities in Tulsa, contact Phillip Clark at 918-960-4450 or email at pclark(at)vanguardcleaning(dot)com.

About Vanguard Cleaning Systems

Founded in 1984, Vanguard Cleaning Systems is a franchisor with 65 regional offices and 2,500 franchisees across 38 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. Franchisees provide commercial cleaning services for more than 10,000 corporate customers.

Vanguard has been consistently ranked among the top franchises in North America, achieving a rank of #7 in the 2011 Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 and #15 in the 2012 D&B AllBusiness AllStar franchises. Additionally, Vanguard was selected as one of USA Today’s 50 Top Franchises for Minorities, PODER Magazine's Top 25 Franchises for Hispanics and Black Enterprise Magazine's Top 40 for African-Americans. You can learn more about Vanguard Cleaning Systems at http://www.vanguardcleaning.com.

Property E.R. Specialists, a multifaceted Boise-basedproperty preservation and foreclosure company, announces they are now servicing the Treasure Valley area. A company spokesperson says they hope this is the first of many expansions throughout the Northwest.

“We are excited to be offering our Preservation & Inspection services in the Treasure Valley and Ontario, Oregon areas,” states Dr. Damaris Conrad, CEO/Founder. "Property E.R. Specialists is able to provide property preservation and tenant cleanout service for lenders, loan services, asset managers and REO agents; all of which is long overdue because of the backlog of foreclosure inventory at the national banks.”

Dr. Conrad continued, “Throughout this area there are many defaulted properties that are left unkempt with abandoned vehicles, growing debris, tall grass and weeds, and broken windows and doors, all of which invite vandalism to the neighborhood and decreases property values. Our team works to bring the property into compliance and assists in maintaining the property as it is being marketed and until it sells.”

Dr. Conrad says the service they provide is mutually beneficial for all parties. “I can't tell you the number of times local neighbors will come up to our onsite team and thank them profusely for all of their attention to a defaulted property, so it is no longer an eyesore,” she says. “We take great pride and pleasure in the quality of our work as we ready a defaulted property for market. Neighbors and compliance officers often drop by and take notice of the diligent effort of our teams, the changes in the property, and compliment us on the difference our work makes in the neighborhood."

Besides expanding their coverage area, Property E.R. Specialists is also happy to announce new services. They are now offering carpet cleaning to both residential and commercial clients. The company uses the highly rated Rotovac 360 for all carpet cleaning jobs. The Rotovac is known in the industry for making a significant difference between just "cleaning" a carpet and restoring a carpet to its original luster.

Property E.R. states that by offering the carpet cleaning services in-house, they can save the banks, asset managers and investors money since they are able to restore most carpets which would otherwise have to be replaced or pulled up, as part of the preservation services. Using just this one service can add value and give the house a “sales-clean” appearance.

As an experienced full-service property preservation company, Property E.R. Specialists, invites local real estate agents, brokers, asset managers, investors, and property managers located in the Treasure Valley and in need of preservation services or tenant clean-outs, to go to the webpage at http://www.propertyerspecialists.com and learn more about the affordable services specifically available to the real estate industry, investor, property managers and field service professional.    

According to one national field service manager, "Most of our property assets are left in deplorable conditions by the former owners. However, our experience with the team at Property ER is their continued commitment to provide timely turn-around services for all of our defaulted properties, and they consistently go beyond our expectations in doing so! They really work hard to turn our defaulted property liabilities into sales-conditioned assets, ready for the real estate market."

About Property E.R. Specialists 
Property E.R Specialists, LLC, is a full-service property preservation and inspection company for foreclosure and defaulted properties. The company’s goal is to provide the highest quality field asset services in the Reo & Pre-Reo market for major financial institutions, realtors, government-based M&M contractors, property management companies, and real estate investors. Services include, but are not limited to, securing foreclosed homes, construction site cleanup, tenant house cleanouts, commercial cleanouts, janitorial services, Cash for Keys program, maintenance of properties during the sales process, commercial and residential carpet cleaning. The philosophy of the company is to turn a property liability into a sales-condition asset. We strive to provide experienced, licensed, insured specialists who are experienced in their field and provide superior workmanship in a timely manner.

Elkay Plastics Co., Inc. of Los Angeles – the leading supplier of flexible poly packaging to the industrial, foodservice, and healthcare industries for over 40 years – has awarded its President’s Distinguished Distributor Sales Performance Award for 2012 to Unisource Worldwide’s Atlanta Division.

To earn this award, Unisource Worldwide Atlanta Division demonstrated outstanding performance in sales volume and sales growth during calendar year 2012. Meeting the award criteria is an impressive achievement, one achieved by only a handful of Elkay’s thousands of distributor customers.

“It’s a great honor to bestow our Distinguished Distributor Sales Performance Award to Unisource Worldwide Atlanta Division. We know such an achievement does not come easily, and we compliment them on their hard work, said Louis Chertkow, President of Elkay Plastics. “ They’re setting a high standard for others to follow. We are fortunate to have them as a partner and look forward to many more years of growth and success together.”

“It is an honor to receive this performance award and we value the ongoing partnership we have with Elkay Plastics,” said Darin Tang, President of the Packaging Solutions Group for Unisource Worldwide. “This is an example of how by working closely together with a valued supplier we can share in the growth of our businesses.”

About Unisource Worldwide, Inc.

Unisource Worldwide, Inc., headquartered in Norcross, Ga. is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States and offers a comprehensive suite of customer solutions – including engineered design capabilities, eBusiness technologies, logistics expertise, paper brokerage services, and environmentally-responsible options. The company also markets a full line of commercial printing and business imaging papers, packaging materials and systems, and facility supplies and equipment. With more than 4,500 Team Members located worldwide throughout business units in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia; and a fleet of “Big Red” trucks based at approximately 90 locations across North America, Unisource is the company that provides Customer Solutions in a Global Market. Unisource can be found online at http://www.unisourceworldwide.com.

About Elkay Plastics

Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Elkay Plastics has grown to 8 distribution service centers across the country. Elkay Plastics provides flexible packaging solutions in the form of plastic bags to wholesale distributors of industrial, foodservice, and healthcare products. Elkay specializes in: 1) The immediate availability of a broad selection of poly bags used in industrial, foodservice, medical, hospitality, janitorial, electrical and retail markets; 2) The manufacture of custom poly bags up to 100" wide and 120" long, printing two sides and twelve colors. Elkay maintains a nationwide network of field sales consultants who are available to provide product information, training, and to assist in the sales process. Selling only through distribution, Elkay offers a complete array of services to the distributor and their customers. Services include maintaining stock bag requirements and electronic data interface programs to ensure accuracy and the reduction of total procurement costs.

For more information contact: 
Kevin Feeney 
Senior Director, Corporate Communications 
Unisource Worldwide, Inc. 
(770) 209-6552

Vernon Hills, Illinois (PRWEB) June 01, 2013

LadybugSteamCleaners.com, an authorized Internet dealer that sells Ladybug vapor steam cleaners online to consumers and businesses in all 50 statesundefinedand to walk-in customers who visit their Chicago-area showroomundefinedtoday announced that they have revised their 30-day money-back guarantee to include return shipping.

“At LadybugSteamCleaners.com, we want you to have the best online shopping experience ever,” says V. K Dunlop of LadybugSteamCleaners.com. “We are so confident that you will love our vapor steam cleanersthat we offer a 30-day money back guarantee. And to makes things even better, we won’t charge you for return shipping if a steamer doesn’t meet your expectations.”

According to Dunlop, Ladybug leads the steam cleaner revolution with its line of steam vapor systems. Steam cleaners equipped with Ladybug’s proprietary patented Thermo Accelerated Nano Crystal Sanitation technology (called TANCS®) are lab tested and scientifically proven to produce better results than traditional disinfectants.

“While bleach has been trusted for years as the perfect disinfectant, bleach leaves as many live bacteria cells as dead cells,” says Dunlop. “But scientific testing has found that steam cleaners equipped with TANCS® kill the cells that are unreachable by bleach.”

TANCS®-equipped steam cleaners proudly display a yellow label that says “EPA Est. No. 82121-WA-01” in bold letters.

“Don’t be fooled by imitations,” says Dunlop. “Ladybug is changing the way people clean with its revolutionary TANCS® technology. The yellow label tells you in a glance that your Ladybug qualifies as a disinfection device for the EPA.”

Located in Vernon Hills, Illinois, LadybugSteamCleaners.com is moving fast to educate consumers and businesses that finally, there's a feasible, environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals. For more information, call 1-877-840-2977. LadybugSteamCleaners.com is a proud member of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, a nationwide effort to protect families from toxic chemicals. To stay safe and avoid toxic chemicals, keep abreast of the latest news with LadybugSteamCleaners.com’s Twitter account, @LadybugSteam

The Shark steam mop won't leave pools of dirty water behind when you use it, according to its makers, making cleaning your floors with it virtually like 'dry cleaning'.

The steam mop's head is designed keep a continuous flow of steam moving through it while avoiding the build-up of condensation that can leave steam cleaned floors wet. And unlike a regular mop, there's no need for buckets of water or concentrated floor cleaner.

More at source:Which UK

The Fastenal Company of Winona, MN (Nasdaq:FAST) reported its Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.50 per share to be paid in cash on February 25, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 15, 2011. The Company expects that it will continue to pay a cash dividend in the foreseeable future, provided that any future determination as to payment of dividends will depend upon the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and such other factors as are deemed relevant by the Board of Directors.

Fastenal sells different types of industrial and construction supplies in the following product categories: threaded fasteners and miscellaneous supplies; tools; metal cutting tool blades and abrasives; fluid transfer components and accessories for hydraulic and pneumatic power; material handling; storage and packaging products; janitorial, chemical and paint products; electrical supplies; welding supplies; safety supplies; and metals, alloys and materials.

Additional information regarding Fastenal Company is available on the Fastenal Company World Wide Web site at www.fastenal.com.

The Fastenal Company logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6432

This press release contains statements that are not historical in nature and that are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including a statement regarding expectations as to payment of a cash dividend in the foreseeable future. Any future determination as to payment of dividends will depend upon the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and such other factors as are deemed relevant by the Board of Directors. For example, a change in business needs including working capital and funding for acquisitions, or a change in tax law relating to dividends, could cause the Company to decide not to pay a dividend in the future. A discussion of other risks and uncertainties is included in the Company's 2009 annual report on Form 10-K under the section captioned "Risk Factors" and the Company's 2009 annual and 2010 quarterly reports under the section captioned "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". FAST-D

SOURCE: Fastenal Company

CONTACT: Dan Florness, EVP and Chief Financial Officer (507) 454-5374

Siddharth and Shannon Kumar have recently become franchise owners for ECOMAIDS®, a home and business cleaning service which uses only green and environmentally safe products, in the Dayton, Ohio-area.

One of the fastest growing franchise concepts in the United States, EcoMaids is changing the way people think of cleaning, by providing non-toxic, holistic maid services that keep families and pets safe.

“I’m very excited to have acquired such a wonderful business which helps families and the environment,” says Siddharth Kumar, a Dayton-area resident. “It’s essential for people in Dayton to have a choice in how they have their homes and businesses cleaned – a choice that provides the highest quality cleaning service possible while using products that keep your living and work spaces naturally healthy and sparkling clean.” EcoMaids of Dayton celebrates its official grand opening on January 17, 2011.

Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine as a Franchise 500 pick and one of the top 10 trends in franchises, EcoMaids currently operates nearly 25 cleaning companies in 16 states in the U.S. since 2008. There are additional opportunities in hundreds of communities across the U.S. for prospective franchisees to purchase a territory and start their own EcoMaids business.

“EcoMaids is excited to welcome the Kumars to the EcoMaids family,” says Douglas Stoyer, EcoMaids’ president of franchise operations. “Under Siddharth’s leadership, EcoMaids will continue to satisfy a growing demand in Dayton for high quality, eco-friendly cleaning services.”

In addition to experiencing an unparalleled training program that prepares them, with or without educational experience, with the tools they need to succeed as business owners, EcoMaids franchisees also benefit from:

•     Lowest start-up fees in the industry, with competitive royalties and marketing fees
•     Robust website that drives traffic and customers directly to local franchisees
•     Access to our web-based extranet with online tools and support
•     Exceptional advertising and marketing campaigns targeting local franchisee markets

“Despite an economic environment where many businesses are struggling, the green market is proving resilient, and as a result, there is increased interest by entrepreneurs in aligning themselves with EcoMaids,” says Gene Vaksman, director of franchise development.

Entrepreneurs interested in exploring opportunities in eco-friendly cleaning franchising can visit http://www.ecomaidsfranchise.com for more information.

About EcoMaids
EcoMaids provides high-quality green cleaning services in 26 metropolitan areas in the United States using products and supplies that are safe for families, pets and the planet. Using all natural, nontoxic cleaning products and sustainable equipment, EcoMaids provides one-time, as well as recurring cleanings for homes and offices. For more information on cleaning services or franchise opportunities visit http://www.ecomaids.com.