Ranger Kidwell-Ross: I'm talking to Mark Nykamp, who is the North American Sales Manager for Merit Sweeprite. He, as well as the CEO and President of Sweeprite, Colin Zao, both attended the recent Los Angeles Sea Grant/NOAA microplastics sweeper test for street sweepers. Sweeprite was also a company that was willing and eager to have their product tested. They're very confident in their broom sweeper, and I think we'll find that is for good reasons. Mark, if you would, talk to me about why you decided to take that test and your confidence in your machine.

Mark Nykamp: In general, we do not shy away from any competitive testing. We're very confident in the abilities of our S2 and S3 models. Stormwater and wastewater are extremely important to all municipalities, and we felt it was important to participate. While mechanical sweeper trucks can address a variety of sweeping situations, we feel it's important to have a full understanding of how our equipment performs in terms of microplastics.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: Right. Mechanical broom sweepers, such as the Sweeprite machines, are needed in a variety of situations that just an air sweeper – whether regenerative or vacuum – can't handle. So it's good to know what the capabilities are of a broom sweeper, without the air sweeper component, for microplastics and other small micron material.

Mark Nykamp: Yes, and for smaller communities where they're limited to one or two sweepers, we want to ensure that the mechanical sweepers have a full range of flexibilities and can meet the consumer's needs at all times.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: And what did you pick up on while you were in Los Angeles for the test? Is there anything you saw that you want to comment on?

Mark Nykamp: I thought it was a very well-performed test. The scientific method was extremely well thought out, and I think we performed admirably with our equipment.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: And your operator was Eddie Salcedo, your California dealer at Sweeper Works. Did he have any comments?

Mark Nykamp: He believed it was a well-organized test. Eddie did a phenomenal job. He's a very experienced dealer and knows the sweeping industry inside and out, so we rely highly on his input.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: Yes, Eddie is really a credit to the entire power sweeping industry. You're fortunate that he's your California dealer. He's well versed in all manner of sweeping equipment and has been for decades – as I’ve been in the industry.

Mark Nykamp: Yeah, we're very fortunate to count Eddie as part of our broader organization.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: We don't yet have the results available. The people doing the analysis want the highest credibility possible, meaning they can't publish before peer review. But that's underway and when it's complete, I know Sweeprite will be right in the mix.

Mark Nykamp: That's good to hear. We understand that peer review is a very important part of validating the data from the test.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: Absolutely. And congratulations to Sweeprite for now having a manufacturing facility in Detroit. You're Canadian-based and now manufacturing in both places is huge news for your U.S. market.

Mark Nykamp: Thank you. We're very excited about it. We've been building mechanical sweepers since 1976. Probably the Python and the Husky are our most recognized names across North America. The Husky has evolved through ongoing development and improvements. This year we launched the 2025 S2 Husky, which we'll be building in both Canada and the U.S. Our first S2 Husky rolled off the assembly line August 5th in Detroit.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: Congratulations, and thanks again for your corporate involvement and willingness to test your sweepers. It was interesting to me that the two companies confident enough to get involved in the test were both not American manufacturers at the time, whereas all of the U.S.-built street sweeper manufacturers shied away.

Mark Nykamp: Our competitors make good equipment. However, Sweeprite doesn't shy away from healthy competition.

Ranger Kidwell-Ross: I think that's a good place to leave it.