The following spotlight is from Keith Schneringer, LEED AP O+M and CIMS-GB ISSA Certification Expert, Director of Channel Marketing + Sustainability at WAXIE Sanitary Supply.
What projects are you currently working on?
WAXIE is excited to be helping several local projects with pursuing LEED, WELL, and/or Fitwel certification, and we are committed to helping these clients earn their desired certifications by offering facility supply solutions which can assist with achieving building spaces which are cleaner, healthier, greener, and safer places for San Diego residents to work, learn, heal, and relax.
With the increased attention being placed on building occupant wellness, WAXIE and its 75+ years of experience and expertise in the cleaning and facility maintenance supplies industry is well positioned to make positive contributions to the San Diego region (and beyond).
Some of our current projects include universities, school districts, and commercial real estate office buildings, as well as other large venues.
We are honored to be working with all of our local projects, and we are particularly excited to assist schools throughout the region to help deliver learning spaces for students, faculty, and staff which are cleaner, healthier, greener, and safer!
How is your organization connected to the San Diego region?
WAXIE Sanitary Supply has been a part of the San Diego region for generations – as a matter of fact, we were known as San Diego Janitor Supply when we first got started right after World War II in 1945!
The company was founded by two brothers, Harry and Morris Wax, who each had just recently returned from serving in World War II – Harry served in the Navy, and Morris served in the Army.
The brothers had been raised in Utah, and Harry fell in love with San Diego when he went through basic training here at NTC. The company was originally located in downtown San Diego at the corner of 10th Avenue and B Street before outgrowing that space and moving in 1957 to a new location at 1st Avenue and G Street. As the company continued to grow, it was eventually relocated to its current location in Kearny Mesa in 1978 – and now we even have a street named after us with our current address of 9353 Waxie Way!
The company was officially incorporated as “WAXIE’s Enterprises” in 1954, and it has continued to grow and expand throughout the Western United States as WAXIE Sanitary Supply. Why the name “WAXIE”? Harry’s nickname in the Navy, given his last name of “Wax”, was “Waxie”.
Over the years our home and our headquarters has remained in San Diego, and the company is proud to have employed literally thousands of families over multiple generations as we have continued to call San Diego our home. Currently the company employs over one thousand people, with over 200 in the San Diego office and Inventory Center.
We are proud to have served the San Diego community for 75+ years, including the U.S. Navy and Marine bases here in town, as well as most all of the school districts (such as San Diego Unified School District and Sweetwater Unified School District), many of the colleges and universities (such as UC San Diego, San Diego State University, San Diego Community College District, and Cal State San Marcos), cities and municipalities (such as City of San Diego and City of Oceanside), large venues (such as San Diego Convention Center, LEGOLAND, and Petco Park), and countless other office buildings, hotels, casinos, hospitals, nursing homes, places of worship, and many other sites where San Diego residents spend time away from home.
Why are you excited to sponsor the San Diego Green Building Council?
WAXIE has been an SDGBC sponsor for over a decade, and I have personally been involved with the organization since 2004 when it was a USGBC Chapter.
I started out attending Chapter meetings as a freshly recognized LEED Accredited Professional, and I was immediately enamored with this self-selected community of leaders and change agents from a wide variety of occupations and industries. Over time, I became a board member, worked on the first Chapter Membership Directory, chaired the Education Committee responsible for planning and coordinating LEED Technical Review Workshops, became Chapter Secretary, and eventually was elected to two terms as the President/Chair for the Chapter before transitioning back into the greater SDGBC community and volunteering for GAP projects. Through all of these activities and experiences, SDGBC and its associated community and mission have become a part of me, and I am always excited to make contributions to help the organization thrive.
I am excited about the work SDGBC is doing in the community, and I am excited to be a sponsor and volunteer who can assist with this work.
Thank you so much to SDGBC and all of its volunteers and supporters!
