Program elevates safety and hygiene standards for retail businesses, hotels, attractions, city buildings and sports facilities 

 

FRISCO, TEXAS – (August 19, 2020) – In preparation for the return of gatherings and as businesses continue to reopen, Visit Frisco is coordinating efforts to help its partners pursue the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s (GBAC) STAR™ Accreditation Program, which is the cleaning industry’s gold standard of prepared facilities.  

The industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation, GBAC STAR helps organizations establish protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s preparedness for biorisk situations. The program ensures facilities use best practices to limit future outbreaks, empowers cleaning staff members to do their jobs safely and effectively, and gives consumers a greater peace of mind when active in the community.  

The GBAC STAR accreditation process requires facilities to comply with the program’s 20 elements, which range from risk assessment and mitigation strategies to personal protective equipment and infectious disease prevention practices. Several of the city’s primary visitor touch points, sports facilities and attractions have already committed to pursuing accreditation, including Ford Center at The Star, Toyota Stadium and Toyota Soccer Center, the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Omni Frisco Hotel, Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, Hyatt Regency Frisco and the Frisco Discovery Center. 

“We are excited to be a part of the growing number of destinations that recognize the importance of resident and traveler safety in their communities,” said Marla Roe, Visit Frisco Executive Director. “Most of Frisco’s hotels, as well as all of Frisco’s sports facilities and attractions are in the process of pursuing their GBAC STAR accreditation in order to ensure residents and visitors feel safe when visiting and exploring Frisco. This is a huge step in getting all of us back to the business of travel.” 

“Omni Frisco Hotel’s commitment to service has never wavered and we’re committed to be part of the GBAC STAR accreditation,” said Jeff Smith, Omni Frisco Hotel General Manager. “Through extensive collaboration, Omni Hotels & Resorts has developed new policies, implemented updated cleaning efforts, and introduced social distancing measures as part of our new “Safe & Clean” initiative. As one of the leading businesses in Frisco, our hotel is known for its superior service and hospitality and we continue to welcome guests with best in class guidelines and industry standards.” 

"We applaud Visit Frisco for supporting its community with GBAC STAR facility accreditation," said GBAC Executive Director Patricia Olinger. "GBAC STAR provides third-party validation for facilities to demonstrate that they implement strict protocols for biorisk situations, which will help Frisco facilities and businesses instill greater confidence among customers, employees, and visitors."  

For accreditation criteria, please visit gbac.org/star. To learn more about the accreditation process, please check out GBAC’s informational video

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About GBAC, a Division of ISSA 

Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility accreditation program, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit GBAC.org

About ISSA 

With more than 9,300 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Northbrook, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit ISSA.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800. 

About Visit Frisco 

Founded in 2003, Visit Frisco has grown in tandem with the extensive growth of leisure travel, sports, and meeting facilities within the city. It’s the organization’s mission to generate a positive awareness of Frisco as a premiere destination for meetings, sporting events, conventions, trade shows, leisure travel, and to positively impact the economic base of the City of Frisco. Official accreditation recognizing excellence and achievement was awarded in 2009 by the industry organization Destination’s International. For more information, head to visitfrisco.com or call 877-GO-FRISCO.