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October 04, 2021 // Franchising.com // TAMARAC, Fla. - PuroClean, one of the countrys leading restoration and remediation franchises, is celebrating diversity and inclusion this Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizing the emergence of a new group of outstanding franchise owners within its system. So far in 2021, the company has welcomed about one-third of new franchise owners who are of Hispanic or Latino descent. Even more impressively, PuroCleans top honors were awarded to Hispanic franchise owners at the annual PuroClean Annual International Convention earlier this year. Husband-and-wife team Ivan and Karina Oliver from PuroClean of San Antonio Northwest were awarded Franchise of the Year, multi-unit owners, David Shiffman and Ricardo Herdan earned top honors with the Hot Shot award, and, the first-ever PuroClean Cares Award was given to Nelson Rivera.

As a company that is committed to inclusion, we seek out franchise owners from varying backgrounds who share a passion for relentlessly serving their local communities, said PuroClean President and COO Steve White. Hispanic Heritage Month is an ideal time to take a moment and recognize the outstanding Hispanic entrepreneurs who have joined our family in recent years. That said, the recognition is not, and will not, be limited to just one month. I look forward to celebrating the continued growth and achievements of this group of outstanding owners for months and years to come.

Earlier this year, during PuroCleans Annual International Convention, the coveted Franchise of the Year recognition went to Ivan and Karina Oliver, husband-and-wife owners of PuroClean of San Antonio Northwest. This award recognizes the PuroClean business that achieved the highest ranking in over 12 criteria, including sales growth, branding excellence, and profitability, to name a few. The Olivers relocated to the U.S. from Mexico in 2010 to follow their entrepreneurial dream and create new opportunities for their family.

David Shiffman and Ricardo Herdan, both originated from Venezuela, are very active in the Jewish community and met doing community service over 10 years ago. These multi-unit owners have three South Florida licensed locations, in Aventura, Downtown Miami, and Davie.

Nelson Rivera, owner of PuroClean of Morristown, NJ, was honored during the convention as the first-ever recipient of the PuroClean Cares Award, recognizing the charitable contributions he has made to his community in Northern New Jersey. A native of Puerto Rico, Nelson continues to go above and beyond since purchasing his PuroClean business with his wife, Sujey. Rivera, a career firefighter, has executed a community-based business plan, giving back a portion of his profits to the communities he serves.

In addition to their business endeavors and local community contributions, the Olivers, Rivera, and Shiffman and Herdan also led teams across state lines to conduct emergency remediation services earlier this year as severe winter storms swept through Texas. Nelson even went a step further, shopping for numerous people he found living in tents under a bridge, who had been affected by the unexpected freeze.

It is an honor to be recognized by PuroClean for the work we do every day, knowing that choosing to give back makes an impact in other peoples lives, said Rivera, who is currently planning for his second PuroClean location. Im both proud and inspired to see other Hispanic and Latino owners accomplishing success within this franchise, and I look forward to being part of helping champion continued diversity within PuroClean and the restoration industry in the future.

PuroClean is one of the leading restoration franchise companies in the nation. Each year, PuroClean performs thousands of jobs throughout the United States and Canada, providing restoration services from common household mishaps to large-scale disasters.

For more information about PuroClean, contact 800-775-7876 or visit http://www.puroclean.com; for franchise information, visit http://www.purocleanfranchise.com/.

High resolution photos can be found here.

PuroClean is a leading, world-class service brand that provides water damage remediation, fire and smoke damage mitigation, mold removal, and biohazard clean-up services, working with both residential and commercial customers across the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 2001, PuroClean is a diverse, fast-growing network of more than 360 North American franchise locations, each independently owned and operated. With a commitment to respond within two hours, the professionals at PuroClean are thoroughly screened, insured, and trained in utilizing the latest cutting-edge mitigation technology to complete the remediation task at hand. PuroClean has earned numerous awards within franchising and the greater global business community, including The Franchise Satisfaction Award from Franchise Business Review, ranking on The Franchise 500 from Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazines 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies and Franchise Times Top 400, and being named a Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur Magazine.

SOURCE PuroClean

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Jillian Mushman / Jennifer GordilloHemsworth Communications954-716-7614PuroCleanPR@HemsworthCommunications.com

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PuroClean Notes Shift in Network Diversity, Recognizes Emergence of Outstanding Hispanic Franchise Owners This Hispanic Heritage Month -...

The research report of Dry Ice Cleaning market provides a top-to-bottom analysis of crucial aspects like growth drivers, major challenges and opportunities which will impact the industry trends over the forecast timeline. It thoroughly explores the geographical landscape of the market, emphasizing on pivotal factors like sales accrued, revenue garnered, growth rate and prospects of the regional markets. Apart from this, the industry is also studied from the perspective of product terrain and application spectrum.

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Dry Ice Cleaning Market Trend, Technology Innovations and Growth Prediction 2021-2026 - Northwest Diamond Notes

DANVILLE, Va. (WFXR) Gods Pit Crew will be sending volunteers and staff to help with the devastating flash flooding that destroyed homes and businesses in Canton, N.C.

The organization plans to send its crew on Saturday, Aug. 21 and they will stay there through Saturday, Sept. 4. Volunteers and staff will bring tractor-trailer trucks filled with equipment and supplies along with blessing buckets that have food, personal, and hygiene items.

With so much going on in the world, we want to be sure those impacted by this disaster receive help. Its a terrible situation and we are grateful to be able to bring volunteers and supplies to the area, said Gods Pit Crew Founder and President Randy Johnson.

The crew will also help clear trees and debris, muck out homes, help with mold remediation, and provide hope and help for those impacted.

The rest is here:
Virginia-based Gods Pit Crew will send team to help with flooding clean up in North Carolina - WAVY.com

DANVILLE, Va. (WFXR) Gods Pit Crew will be sending volunteers and staff to help with the devastating flash flooding that destroyed homes and businesses in Canton, N.C.

The organization plans to send its crew on Saturday, Aug. 21 and they will stay there through Saturday, Sept. 4. Volunteers and staff will bring tractor-trailer trucks filled with equipment and supplies along with blessing buckets that have food, personal, and hygiene items.

With so much going on in the world, we want to be sure those impacted by this disaster receive help. Its a terrible situation and we are grateful to be able to bring volunteers and supplies to the area, said Gods Pit Crew Founder and President Randy Johnson.

The crew will also help clear trees and debris, muck out homes, help with mold remediation, and provide hope and help for those impacted.

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Gods Pit Crew will send team to help with flooding clean up in North Carolina - WSPA 7News

By ARDEN BASTIA

As parents, teachers, and students prepare for a new school year, Superintendent Lynn Dambruch and Assistant Superintendent William McCaffrey shared details on the 2021-2022 school year ahead of the school committee meeting on Wednesday.

The districts reopening plans were slated to be presented at the school committee meeting at Warwick Veterans Middle School Wednesday night.

Dambruch and McCaffrey touched upon mask requirements, quarantine protocols, transportation, building repairs, curriculum updates, and more, all with the goal of keeping students in the classroom five days a week.

Damrbuch and McCaffrey must provide the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) with the districts reopening plans by August 27. The district-wide plans will be available on the school departments website at that time. Each Warwick school must provide an individual reopening plan that covers specific logistics and layouts like arrival and dismissal routines, said McCaffrey. Parents and students will be alerted to these plans on Friday, and will also be available on the school departments website and individual schools website.

The first day of school for students in kindergarten through grade 5 and for students in grade 9 is Wednesday, Sept. 1. All students, including those in pre-k, will start on Thursday, Sept. 2. Staff professional development will be held on August 30 and 31.

Cathy Bonang, secretary to the Superintendent, shared in a brief interview on Monday that approximately 8,500 students are registered for this school year.

Bonang said that school enrollment is typically high in the beginning of the year, but will drop as the year continues. Bonang also noted that this years enrollment numbers are lower than in years past.

Per an executive order from Gov. Dan McKee, facemasks will be required for all students, teachers, and staff in Warwick schools.

McCaffrey said administration will continue to comply with the executive order, and well reevaluate should that order go away.

Students at elementary schools and the Warwick Area Career and Tech Center will stay in stable pods, while students at the middle and high schools will change classes throughout the day.

Just like last year, free breakfast and lunch will continue to be provided for all students.

Last year, we had the strictest quarantine suggested by the CDC and the Department of Health, said Dambruch.

This year, however, students and faculty who test positive or are a close contact only need to quarantine for 7 days. If a PCR test comes back negative, they are allowed to return to school on day 8, according to Dambruch. Otherwise, students and teachers will continue to quarantine until a PCR tests returns negative.

Were still promoting hand sanitizer and hand washing, and distancing in hallways, said McCaffrey.

According to a presentation from RIDE and the Rhode Island Department of Health available on the RIDOH website, students or family members who refuse to get tested if told theyre a close contact will be treated as if they have a positive case of COVID. The individual will have to isolate for 10 days along with household contacts. School contacts should be tested upon learning they are a close contact, and then get tested again 5 to 10 days after contact exposure, but dont need to quarantine.

According to the presentation, a K-12 student exposed to another K-12 student infected with COVID does not need to quarantine if the exposure occurred in a stable pod in the classroom, both the exposed close contact student and the infected student wore facemasks at all times, and at least three feet of physical distance was maintained at all times during exposure. This exception doesnt apply to teachers, staff, or other adults in the indoor classroom setting.

McCaffrey said Warwick Schools applied for an Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) grant from the CDC that would allow one full-time school nurse and one part-time school nurse to be hired by the district.

The $400,000 grant based on $50 per student in the district will allow one nurse to staff the Toll Gate campus full-time, and a part-time nurse to visit different schools to take random COVID test samples from students whos parents gave previous permission.

School nurses will be utilizing BinaxNOW rapid tests to collect random samples, and to test students who show symptoms during the school day. Symptomatic students will be required to get a PCR test as well.

If a teacher or secondary student is vaccinated, they do not need to quarantine unless they are symptomatic, according to McCaffrey.

This definitely motivates the ones who havent been vaccinated, said Dambruch.

The vaccine is highly recommended for teachers and staff, said Dambruch, but at this time we are not requiring it.

Per the CDC, when multiple stable pods are together, for example in the auditorium or cafeteria, students must remain six feet apart. In stable pods in the classroom, students can be anywhere from zero to three feet apart.

McCaffrey said that schools like Pilgrim, Warwick Vets, Winman, and Toll Gate will utilize outdoor courtyard spaces as much as possible during class and lunchtime.

At the elementary level, were trying to see how many students we can fit in the cafeteria, so it may start out as a hybrid model with classes taking turns to eat in the cafeteria or their classroom, said McCaffrey. The distance is imperative because students wont wear masks when they eat.

To better assess the gaps in student learning from the previous year, Dambruch said diagnostic testing for all students would take place in September.

The idea is that these tests will give teachers an idea of where to guide instruction and give insight to where a student falls or what strengths and skills they might have, she said.

Students in elementary and middle school students will take the iReady test, and high school students will take the STAR test.

The curriculum office has analyzed data from last year and students seem to be above average in many areas, which is great concerning COVID last year, said Dambruch. This year, were focusing on acceleration, not remediation.

Warwick Schools received a second federal grant from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) that allows for a math interventionist and reading specialist in every school.

Previously, those positions were part-time and specialists were divided between schools, said Dambruch, adding that these specialists along with small group instruction in the classroom, can help students make up the gaps in learning.

She also mentioned that some funds from the ESSER grant had been put aside to develop after school enrichment programs to provide extra help to students.

While distance learning wont be offered this school year, technology will still play an important role in the classroom.

Weve also asked teachers to set up Google Classrooms everyday for students who are absent to take part in anytime learning, said Dambruch, who was so happy to share that the district is 1:1 with technology, meaning every student in the district has access to a Chromebook.

Additionally, each classroom in the district now has a Promethean Board, an interactive, touch screen whiteboard that allows teachers to project images from a laptop to engage students in multi-sensory learning.

At the School Committee meeting on Aug. 10, School Committee members voted to amend the approved walking distances for students.

With the new policy, students in kindergarten through grade 5 must be farther than .75 miles to receive transportation. Middle school students must be farther than 1.75 miles, and high school students must be farther than 2 miles to be eligible for transportation.

With 63 buses in the fleet, transportation will be provided to all schools.

Facemasks and seating charts will be required on all buses.

Were so happy to have a regular bus schedule and get our buses up and running, said McCaffrey.

For a complete bus schedule, visit the Warwick School Department website.

Student athletes on buses will also be required to wear masks and maintain a seating chart.

At sporting events and games, masks are option for coaches, spectators, and players if the event is outdoors, but masks are required for all if the event in indoors.

In the event of an athletic team outbreak, RIDE, RIDOH, and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League will handle all quarantine protocols and testing information.

Some schools can also expect new faces among the administration.

Joseph Coffey, formerly principal at Holliman Elementary School, is now the principal at Warwick Veterans Middle School. He replaces Adam Heywood who will now serve as the principal of Winman Middle School. Michelle Devine has been appointed as the new assistant principal of teaching and learning at Vets. She was previously a music teacher at Vets.

Kim Cabana has been appointed the new principal at Holliman Elementary School. Cabana joins Warwick Public Schools from Providence, where she worked as a reading coach before becoming vice principal of Veazie Street Elementary School.

Park Elementary School also has a new principal, Dan Sylvestre, who originally hails from Plymouth, MA.

Longtime Warwick substitute Frank Galligan will fill the principal position at Warwick Neck Elementary School. He was previously the long-term sub for Norwood Elementary principal Dr. Sabrina Antonelli while she was on maternity leave.

On Monday, the Beacon received a report that mold had been found at Sherman Elementary School.

The email included a screenshot of an email from Sherman Principal Charlee McElroy to staff and faculty.

According to the email, McElroy and school secretary Kathy Wickham were in the building when the mold was discovered and were asked to leave immediately. A professional abatement team has been hired to remove the mold, however, the timeline on the project is unknown.

The team will be working days, nights and weekend to accomplish this task and hopefully it will be done soon, McElroy wrote.

However, as of now, no teachers or administrators are allowed in the building, making preparations for the first day of school difficult. We cannot even enter the building to get things, because they tell me it can stir up the mold spores, wrote McElroy.

At the time of publication, Dambruch and McCaffrey did not anticipate the mold delaying the start of school.

However, Dambruch did point out that there were unfinished projects at Robertson, Oakland Beach, Greenwood, and Sherman Elementary Schools, as well as the WELC and Career and Tech Center.

We have many projects going on at the schools, and its difficult to get into every school right now, she said, adding that building repairs will continue into the fall.

Were willing to open schools on weekends and staff custodians at night, said Dambruch. Were going to be very accommodating to teachers who need extra time to start working in their classrooms.

Dambruch said the projects may possibly delay the start of school by a few days for students in those buildings but have not made a call for sure until an updated timeline is presented by Steve Gothberg, director of construction and capital projects, and Kevin Oliver facilities maintenance and operations manager. Neither Gothberg nor Oliver could be reached by the time of publication, but did present the timelines at the School Committee meeting on Wednesday night.

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Schools to open with lots of rules - Warwick Beacon

Local SERVPRO disaster mitigation specialist urges Emporia-area residents to create a disaster management and recovery plan before the unexpected happens

EMPORIA - September is National Preparedness Month, part of the ongoing "Ready"1 initiative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). According to FEMA's "Are You Ready"2 guide, the first step in effective disaster preparedness is to understand your specific risks - first by identifying the hazards that could possibly affect you and then by evaluating your actual vulnerability to those sources of danger.

"Once you understand your risks, you can effectively plan to mitigate them by decreasing your vulnerability and then manage their consequences quickly and effectively if the worst does happen," says disaster mitigation specialist John Baldwin of SERVPRO of Emporia/South Boston - VA. "Of course, individual home or business owners' risks vary depending on their location, but regardless of where you live or work, FEMA's guide has some basic steps that everyone can take to prepare for the unexpected."

Create a family communication and shelter plan.

Sign up for emergency alerts, including FEMA alerts3.

Build your savings if possible and keep a small emergency fund of cash on-hand at home.

Create an Emergency Financial First Aid Kit4: Gather and safeguard critical documents like deeds, medical information, insurance policies, and a list of your household belongings.

Create an emergency kit5 with basic tools and enough food and water to last 72 hours and keep the contents fresh and up to date.

In addition to the planning tools and checklists provided by FEMA, businesses like SERVPRO that specialize in disaster mitigation and restoration offer free tools that make disaster recovery easier. The free SERVPRO READY app6 allows home and business owners to store essential contact and property information electronically where it can be accessed in seconds with a mobile device. Local business owners who designate SERVPRO of Emporia/South Boston - VA as their disaster mitigation and restoration provider benefit from a no-cost assessment of their facility along with help completing a comprehensive Emergency READY Profile (ERP) to be stored in the READY app.

"The uncomfortable truth is that no amount of preparedness will prevent disasters from striking, but preparedness can help disaster victims survive and then recover," says Baldwin. "When disaster strikes, sometimes it's difficult to even know where to start picking up the pieces. Having critical documents and details at your fingertips helps, but so does having access to professionals who know how to help you return to normal, 'Like it never even happened.' The disaster remediation specialists at SERVPRO of Emporia/South Boston - VA know what to do when you don't know which way to turn. We're here to help when you need us."

For more information on SERVPRO of Emporia/South Boston - VA, please contact John Baldwin at (434) 262-6792 jbaldwin@servprobath.com. For more information on SERVPRO and the SERVPRO Emergency READY Program, please visit https://ready.servpro.com.

1 https://www.ready.gov/calendar

2 https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/are-you-ready-guide.pdf

3 https://www.fema.gov/about/news-multimedia/mobile-app-text-messages

4 https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/ready_emergency-financial-first-aid-toolkit.pdf

5 https://www.ready.gov/kit

6 https://ready.servpro.com/home/mobileapp

About SERVPRO

For more than 50 years, SERVPRO has been a trusted leader in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, mold mitigation, and biohazard and pathogen remediation. SERVPRO's professional services network of more than 1,900 individually owned and operated franchises spans the United States and Canada, responding to property damage emergencies large and small from million-square-foot commercial facilities to individual homes. When disaster strikes, homeowners, business owners, and major insurance companies alike rely on SERVPRO to make it "Like it never even happened."

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FEMA's National Preparedness Month Spotlights the Importance of Understanding and Managing Risk - Brunswicktimes Gazette

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Juarez mayor-elect talks business, tourism and migration with El Paso counterparts - WWLP.com

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DNSSAB spokesperson says actions taken to address concerns

Author of the article:

Mary McDonald thought living in social housing would protect her from slum lords, but after struggling with amouldissue in her townhouse on McNamara Street she isnt so sure.

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The mother of two says she would leave, but has no place to go and the affordability of renting has forced her to live with the situation.

It shouldnt be this hard to live in a healthy clean environment, she told The Nugget Monday.

I love my home, but I hate to walk inside. This isnt fair. Just because we live in social housing doesnt mean we should be treated less of a person.

McDonald said in April she started to notice a smell coming from underneath the sink in the kitchen.

She pulled everything out and bleached it to try and eliminate the stench. She continued to do this for days hoping it would provide her family with some relief.

But nothing worked.

A few weeks later the smell had worsened, so she called the maintenance department with the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board(DNSSAB).

They changed one of the pipes below the sink, but the mildew smell didnt go away. I just couldnt find out where this was coming from.

McDonald said it wasnt until her taps wouldnt turn offlast week that the source of the stench was found.

The plumber came into my unit and was underneath the sink when he told me I was going to thank him for what he found.

She said she was confused and thought theremay have beenan issue with the plumbing or faucets, but when the countertop was pulled out the evidence was right in front of her.

Underneath the entire countertop was black. My cutlery drawer was exposed to this and every time we opened the drawer it rubbed against themould, McDonald said.

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They came to take the countertop out and they were wearing hazmat suits, yet were sitting watching them on the couch a few feet away.

McDonald said she sent pictures to housing to alert them of the situation.

I wasnt angry, rather I was in shock. My son has a major allergy tomouldand I have been giving him shots to deal with this.

The mother contacted a doctor to alert him of the situation and to get some advice.

I was told my son needs to be removed from the home right away and not return until themouldis completely gone, McDonald said.

She said no solutions were provided andshehasno choice but to stay in the home with her son.

The way I was treated isnt right. Im trying to better myself.

Marianne Zadra, communications and executive coordinator for DNSSAB, said in the last10days, various actions have been taken to address the concern and repair any damage.

She saidmouldhas been removed from the countertop and back of the kitchen cabinet. An independent remediation company also was called in to determine if blue mold was present (a concern of the tenant), anditfound there wasnt any and that the home is safe to be in.

Acabinetmakerhas been scheduled to be in the unit today(Monday)to take measurements to order new cabinets to replace the current ones as an extra precaution, Zadra said.

All mold that was visible was removed. An independent contractor reported the unit was safe to live in as a result. Staff went the extra mile and replaced the drywall, lower cabinets and countertop.

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As of Monday, the lower cabinets still hadnt been replaced and the kitchen is unable to be used.

McDonald says this isnt the first timemouldhas appeared in her housing unit. There wasmould underneath her sons bedroom window and through the wall in the bathroom.

According to an email provided by McDonald from Better Homes Insulation Inc. dated Aug. 23., it states the lower cabinet should be removed and disposed, board against exterior wall is wet, drywall behind lower cabinet area should be removed and disposed, insulation and vapour barrier behind cabinet should be removed and disposed and 1/4 inch clear plumbing line under sink may or may not require attention. Certified plumber should provide a better recommendation.

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Social housing tenant shocked by mould discovery - The North Bay Nugget

Chris Starrs| Athens Banner-Herald

Commerces 10-0 season-opening victory last Friday over Banks County had all kinds of historical implications.

The win was the first in the tenure of new coach Mark Hollars, who came to Commerce after five seasons at North Cobb Christian. The evening also featured the football debut of place-kicker Ivy Tolbert, a soccer standout who kicked anextra point and a 27-yard field goal, the first female football player to put points on the board at Tiger Field at Ray Lamb Stadium.

The victory was also the 630thin the 96-year history of Commerce High School. According to the Georgia High School Football Historians, the Tigers are the 16thwinningest program in state football history. Commerce has also captured two state championships and 18 region titles.

But win No. 630 was the last thing on Hollars mind when Commerce took the field last weekend.

I had a vague idea of it, said Hollars. I knew we were in that ballpark but we were keeping our focus on trying to get better every day and making sure we were fundamentally sound so that when game time came around wed have the chance to win. … Obviously its great for our school and our community to hit that milestone.

Senior fullback Dreylan Martin also knew the team was on the precipice of an historic victory, but getting the 2022 campaign off to a good start against a longtime rival was infinitely more critical.

We were very aware it was a big game, said Martin, a Banner-Herald Terrific 20 selection who ran for 105 yards and a 71-yard touchdown against Banks County. We knew it was a championship game for Banks County and we were focused on being Commerce and doing the things Commerce does, and thats what we did throughout the game. We really werent thinking about (630). We were thinking about going out there and doing our jobs, and the victory would come with that.

Were very excited to say we won and we won the schools 630thgame. And it was big to win coach Hollars first game as head coach of the Tigers. Were just very excited it wasnt the prettiest win, but at the end of the day, a wins a win.

More: Breaking from tradition: Why Commerce football changed its kickoff time

Jeff Prickett, who served as the teams statistician for 45 years before retiring in 2016, said he was pleased but not surprised to see Commerce earn its 630thtriumph.

Its a tradition, said Prickett, who saw his first Commerce game in 1953 when he was 8 years old (and for the record, Prickett said the Tigers defeated Oglethorpe County that night). Commerce is a football-crazy town, just like Jefferson is.

More: How Sammy Brown is handling the recruiting process after dominating Jefferson debut

Having seen 669 Commerce games (he missed missed 12 games from 1970 to 2016), Prickett said he believes a key component of the Tigers success has been its consistency in coaching. In the last 54 years, Commerce has had but five head football coaches Ray Lamb (1967-1988), Steve Savage (1989-2010), Marvin Justice (2011-2012), Michael Brown (2013-2020) and Hollars.

Weve developed a tradition of winning, primarily because our coaches stay here so long, said Prickett, who also noted that Fridays tussle was the first time Commerce kicked off at home at 7:30 p.m. for a regular-season game since 1977. Coach Lamb was here 22 years, coach Savage was here 22 years and coach Brown was here eight years. And we had coaches before them with tenures of five or six years or more.

Some schools are basketball schools. Some schools are baseball schools. Commerce is pretty good in a lot of sports, but we have been very good in wrestling and in football. When you have coaching longevity, it tends to build that kind of rapport with players and parents. We hardly ever had a Division I prospect but our coaches have had the ability to mold great teams. Its something the community thrives on.

Like Prickett, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Martin (who rushed for 858 yards and a dozen touchdowns in 2020) grew up watching Commerce Tigers football and dreamed of the day hed don the black and gold.

My first Commerce game was when I was 7 years old and in my first year playing rec football and Commerce was playing Jefferson at home, said Martin, whose uncle Trey Martin played linebacker on Commerces 2000 state championship team. I had to be there; my parents brought me and I just fell in love with the experience. Ever since then, Ive wanted to play on Friday nights just like those guys were doing when I was young and watching.

My uncle is always in my ear, telling me how special Commerce football is. Its an honor for me and the team to be part of the 630thwin. Its amazing to say we were the team that won the 630thgame and its quite an accomplishment by the brotherhood.

More: How Oconee County's Zeb Noland went from grad assistant to suiting up for South Carolina

Hollars took the honor concept one step further.

It's an honor to lead this program. Im so thankful that coach Lamb comes around every week and coach Savage comes around and weve got guys here that help you understand the tradition and the culture, he said. Ive got four coaches on my staff that played here and have been here for a long time.

We have a sign in the locker room that was here long before I got here and it basically challenges us to give our all for Commerce every day, and you dont want to let those guys down. I dont want to let coach Lamb or coach Savage down. When you take this job it comes with responsibility and you work hard to maintain the standard that was set before you get here.

The celebration of win No. 630 was brief as everybody went back to work Monday to begin plotting win No. 631, which might have as the Tigers were scheduled to travelto Blairsville before Union County (0-1) called the matchup off due to COVID-related issues within the school. Commerce first played Union County in 1979 and hold a 14-0 all-time mark against the Panthers.

We enjoyed the win on Saturday and Sunday and on Monday its back to work and back to the drawing board to getting better and preparing for the next opponent, said Martin.

At this time of year the emphasis has to be on improvement, said Hollars. Good teams get better each week, but especially early in the year, we have to get better every single day right now. Our emphasis is on ourselves and how we can get better. If we do that, then every Friday night we have a chance. Theres plenty for us to clean up and improve upon and thankfully were healthy.

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'A tradition of winning': The history behind Commerce football's milestone victory - Online Athens

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College students begin to move in, check traffic delays before traveling in the area - WWLP.com