32
Class Notes
A ‘spoonful of sugar’ is no match for Mary Moppins
Mary Ensch Findley ’72, owner of Mary Moppins Cleaning System, founded her company with a desire for making cleaning safer and more efficient.
1992
John Rinehart is superintendent of the Albany R-III School District. He started his career as a sixth-grade science teacher, middle school athletic director and coach at North Callaway R-I School District and then taught and coached football in the Clinton School District. He taught science and was head coach at Appleton City before mov-
Mary Ensch Findley ’72 founded her company, Mary Moppins Cleaning System, based on the old-fashioned values of integrity, kindness and humor she remembered from the Disney musical “Mary Poppins.” “A gut instinct kept nagging me to follow my heart to see what I could accomplish on my own,” Findley said. During her 12-year career professionally cleaning homes, Findley’s dissatisfaction with the style of mops on the market – sponge and string mops – prompted her to develop a new mop. “When I’d finished cleaning a client’s floor, the mop was wet, dirty and smelled, which meant frequent replacement,” Findley said. “Because each floor type requires a different cleaning method, I hauled two or three mops into most homes. One of my clients looked at this mess and said her great-grandmother used terry cloth towels. I thought this was a neat idea!
ing to Centralia, where he served as the high school principal. He and his wife, Shana, have two daughters, Raegan and Addison.
1993
1 Jennifer Blaskovich received an Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award from the University of Nebraska at Omaha Alumni Association in April. She is an assistant professor in UNO’s College of Business Administration.
Northwest Alumni Magazine
Fall 2012
I could throw a towel over my mop head and just switch out the towels; no more expensive mops!” It wasn’t long before Findley developed a mop out of foam, an old mop frame, Velcro-like hook fasteners and a terry cloth towel. “It was a miserable looking device, but it worked so well! The floors were far cleaner in less than half the time,” Findley said. “I was convinced it would be a success, so I set out to improve my mop and patent the design.” And Findley didn’t stop with mops. Prompted by her clients’ needs, she began making toxinfree cleaners. “I went green back with Kermit the Frog, before ‘green’ was even a concept. My clients reacted to the carcinogenic, toxic chemicals I was using. That awoke me to the dangers lurking inside bottles and started my love affair with green cleaning,” Findley said. Mary Moppins Cleaning System celebrates its 20-year anniversary this year. The company operates out of
Tom Hankins (master’s) is associate head coach for the men’s basketball team at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Ill. He spent the past 15 seasons as an assistant at Oral Roberts University. He and his wife, Annie, have three children, Kamryn, Elizabeth and Luke. Scott Von Behren was elected to the Belton City Council in April to serve a three-year term.
Eugene, Ore., with products sold nationally though trade shows, distributors, affiliates and online. In 2005, Findley co-authored “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cleaning.” Her understanding of green cleaning led her to write “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning” in 2009. Findley also is a cleaning consultant to the RV industry and a sustainable living coach. Her tips and articles appear in national publications. Findley credits her confidence and business acumen to her studies at Northwest. “Northwest taught me to look outside my shell for answers, which I apply to designing products that make life easier. Northwest also taught me the discipline I needed to bring my ideas to fulfillment,” she said. “It is the backbone of my company and has helped me deal with every facet of my life.” For more information about Mary Moppins Cleaning System, visit www.goclean. com. n
1994
Tom Miller is a patrol officer with the Quincy (Ill.) Police Department. He joined the department in 2001 and attended basic training at the Police Training Institute at the University of Illinois in Champaign.
1995
intendent of elementary instruction in the Lee’s Summit School District. She previously was principal at Underwood and Lee’s Summit elementary schools and assistant principal at Pleasant Lea and Cedar Creek elementary schools. She also has coordinated the district’s elementary gifted program for five years and has worked in education for 17 years.
Katie Vergo Collier is the assistant super-
◆ Northwest Alumni Association Member
# Photo submitted (see pg. 34)