Gumbusters To Save Soles From A Sticky Situation

For the sake of the reader, this article will not begin with "Who ya gonna call?" or some other Ghostbusters parody. But just like those fictional poltergeist pulverizers, Gumbusters of New York provides a service that raises the quality of life for thousands of people. With their equipment aimed at the sticky offender, Brad Fields and his 10-person crew release a scorching 300-degree blast of steam and a bit of air pressure to send the troublesome chicle to gum heaven.
Fields is the executive director of A Limited Sticky Situation, a Long Island City-based franchise of Gumbusters, which boasts a record for assisting local businesses such as restaurants and movie houses in vanquishing their gum pollution problems. Despite the fact that the company began its operations, just this April, the list of happy customers is extensive and includes a number of McDonalds franchises, Clearview Cinemas, Jacoby Hospital and others.
"Once people see how easy and effective our method is, they are sold immediately," Fields said.
The rumors about the Gumbusters efficiency apparently have reached the United States Tennis Association, which this year summoned Gumbusters to clean up the worlds largest tennis stadium in time for the U.S. Open.
"Its an honor to be a part of preparing the stadium for the U.S. Open. This will be my biggest project yet and I am ready for it," Fields said.
Gumbusters of New York was born when Fields observed the effect of the GumCart on the rubber surfaces of New York City buses during the presentation by the company to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
"We were so impressed that we decided to buy franchise rights to Gumbusters right there," Fields recalled. "All it took was five minutes of the presentation."
The most interesting part about Gumbusters may be how they get rid of the gum, especially after it has had several years to become a dirty black spot on the pavement. The GumCart — that is, the machine used to de-gum a small area– produces high-temperature steam, with low air pressure added to a non-toxic chemical cleaning agent, melting and disolving the gum.
The steam is 98 percent air, allowing the GumCart to only use about four to eight gallons of water a day. To finish the job, the operator wipes the surface with a small brush at the end of the cleaning hose, an attachment similar to that of a vacuum cleaner. The entire process only takes a few seconds.
According to Fields, the GumCart is a self-contained, environmentally clean unit that is extremely simple to maintain and rarely breaks down. In addition, it is so easy to use, the people he hires need no previous janitorial or any other sanitation experience.
"The concept of it is very simple," Fields said. "A newcomer can be out of there working on the first day on the job."
Fields dreams to someday "gumbust" Yankee Stadium and the New York Public Library. "No matter how many trash cans the City provides, gum will always mysteriously appear wherever you go, and until that ends, I will do my part by helping clean up New York, one piece at a time," Fields said.
Fields and his crew continues to work in the five boroughs, fighting the good fight for anyone whos ever sat down in a wad of gum and ruined their pants, grabbed a handrail and gotten a handful of strawberry-flavored blob, or stepped into a glob of the stuff, ruining an otherwise good pair of footwear. Fields did not want to make predictions, but if the business success holds, he is planning to push subdivisions into New Jersey, Westchester and even farther upstate.